Willy Wonka 4 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 On the ARTPOP title track, Lady Gaga claims “ARTPOP can be anything!†The statement, innocent in nature, speaks wonders of the artist’s musical direction. A smorgasbord of disjointed trap-hop and desperate attempts at radio play, the self-proclaimed Fame Monster’s third studio album lacks thematic or sonic unity, playing like a Greatest Hits rather than a solo collection representative of a time and place in Gaga’s career. “Sometimes the simplest move is right,†correctly notes the 27-year-old pop star on the aforementioned title track. “The melody that you choose can rescue you.†The point is proven on “Dope,†a stripped-down, minimalist ballad courtesy of this year’s “it†producer Rick Rubin. Showcasing Gaga’s undeniable talent as a vocalist and a songwriter, the track, along with “Gypsy,†makes a convincing argument for the singer’s continued reign at the top of the Billboard charts. Unfortunately, the “simple†road is the one less taken here. Despite featuring one of the year’s more interesting collaborations and a standout verse from Twista, “Jewels n’ Drugs†is an abysmal attempt at establishing versatility. “Do What U Want†with R. Kelly transitions to urban radio more seamlessly and does so by sticking closer to Gaga’s established EDM aesthetic. “Jewels†would have been appropriate on Miley Cyrus’s Bangerz, but shouldn’t Gaga be held to a higher standard? She did record “Bad Romance,†after all. And that may just be the problem. When Born This Way was released in 2011, Gaga’s promotional team offered the release for 99 cents on Amazon. An obvious attempt to pull her album towards the coveted platinum-in-the-first-week-status, the ploy was a blueprint for her every move since. Since her tour failed to sell the numbers it was poised to, everything has become about numbers. Born This Way was a solid album, but it wasn’t marketable to sell a million on its own, so the label knocked the price down. Here, they work in reverse. They knock the album down. For every minimal highlight, there are a handful of rehashes of old material. ARTPOPsuffers from that undeniable sound of an artist trying to reclaim fans they lost over the years. The “Judas†board-work reappears on “Aura,†“Just Dance†is remade as “G.U.Y.†and “Mary Jane Holland†is just “Bloody Mary†on steroids. Her marketing team, and probably Gaga herself, is just throwing everything at the listener and hoping some of the material will stick. It’s all a strategic attempt at pulling in an audience GaGa may have lost when she decided to be a voice for the culturally estranged and not the sorority-house mainstay that “LoveGame†marketed back in 2008. She does it all for the “Applause†she repeats, so why not bring the popular kids back? “Little Monsters†will only get sales so far and there’s a reason the Born This Way tour underperformed at the national box office. To her credit, Gaga means what she says. She hits every song with all of the enthusiasm that could possibly be asked of her. It’s obvious that she’s passionate about the music she’s making and wants the listener to enjoy it as much as she does. No song outside of “Jewels†is outright awful. She might just be trying a tad too hard to make everyone a listener. ARTPOP also feels more self-important than it should be. Way back when, before she insisted on being a culture icon, GaGa was a dependable voice for fun, tongue-in-cheek pop. Remember the Kill Bill inspired visuals to “Telephoneâ€? I guess with great “art†comes great pretentiousness. Stefani Germanotta has another great album in herâ€â€her passion and ability guarantee that much. For now, hold the applause. He gave it a 2.5/5. http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013131107017&gcheck=1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrappy 302 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 It's annoying how almost every review begins with discussing the title 'ARTPOP' or the line 'My ARTPOP could mean anything.'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jjang 2,262 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 *Oh please weak points,no real criticism and they're talking about Born This Way more than the actual album they're reviewing,bye. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 680 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Nice job focusing on but misunderstanding the 99 cent deal and the sales of the last tour. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GagaMyBlood95 9,808 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Bye! This is so wrong.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bye 3,947 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Again with the cancelled tour and 99c deal? What does that have to do with the music on this album in 2013? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn De Milo 4 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 she repeats, so why not bring the popular kids back? “Little Monsters†will only get sales so far and there’s a reason the Born This Way tour underperformed at the national box office. Mess Bye Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlemtyrese 0 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Bye! This is so wrong.. Okay your avi turns me on so much is that your body I need more pics. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLACKOUTbritney 22,198 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 she repeats, so why not bring the popular kids back? “Little Monsters†will only get sales so far and there’s a reason the Born This Way tour underperformed at the national box office. Mess Bye Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenKookie 2,638 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Is this bull**** eligible? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wet Fire 5,687 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Bye Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GagaMyBlood95 9,808 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Okay your avi turns me on so much is that your body I need more pics. yeah it's me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Lam 597 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 "Her latest tour underperform" What kind of stupid researchs ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoshLife 16,839 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Didn't a bunch of people on GGD use the exact line "MJH is like Bloody Mary on steroids?" Which begs the question, are the fans ultimately responsible for these negative reviews? Are we sabotaging her own critical potential by constantly comparing her new music to her past work - to the point where writers in even the most removed of media markets are finding it? Can we really blame the critics for doing exactly what we do with every single new release? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bio 23,538 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 "The statement, innocent in nature, speaks wonders of the artist’s musical direction. A smorgasbord of disjointed trap-hop and desperate attempts at radio play, the self-proclaimed Fame Monster’s third studio album lacks thematic or sonic unity, playing like a Greatest Hits rather than a solo collection representative of a time and place in Gaga’s career." I'm sorry but that part is right. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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