In what seems in hindsight to be a self-written prophecy by Stefani Germanotta, better known to millions of fans as Lady GaGa, the 2008 release of her aptly titled debut album "The Fame" came before she actually had any kind of mainstream credibility.
In fact, back when it was released, the first week sales weren't even looking too hot. Charting at number seventeen on the Billboard 200 with only 24,000 units moved doesn't exactly cement you as the next bonafide pop star on the block. But then again, Lady GaGa is far from your average pop star.
Of course, I noticed her quirkiness and was immediately won over. This site was one of the few handful of sites, that I know of atleast, that co-signed her as the next breakout artist. Hate to say "I told you so," but hey, if the shoe fits, right? Even with the unattractive numbers, I still loved "The Fame" and suggested it to everyone I knew for months. It seems this word of mouth, grass-roots hype by her fans helped get her songs noticed and, over a short period time, GaGa's album began picking up tons of steam.
Fast forward to a year later and the stylish 23-year-old is damn near a household name with her singles "Poker Face," and "LoveGame" being played what feels like every time you turn on Top 40 radio or MTV (when they remember they do, in fact, play music videos). Lady GaGa has also been unofficially accepted in hip-hop culture very quickly, which is something Justin Timberlake had sadly been begging for since the dying days of *NSync (I didn't forget those cornrows in 2000, J.T.!). Working with artists like Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Common, Wale, Dr. Dre, and Beyoncé (more on that collaboration in a bit), all under a year's span, is telling of how fast her star as lit up in the industry.
So when I got word of a new album coming out by her this Winter I was extremely excited. Then I read the title and it really seemed like it could be a lame-ass repackaging of "The Fame" given the similar name. Lucky for us GaGa fans, she hates re-releases as much as we do (you listening, Beyoncé?) -- saying they're unfair and expensive. Instead, she's given the public an EP; a short body of work that is being labeled as her sophomore album.
But how can eight new tracks follow up what was a full album's worth a material and not seem like last night's leftovers? Read on to find out.
"The Fame Monster" feels very much like a transition period for Lady GaGa. It still has songs that sound similar to her inaugural album, but they take a slightly different direction in attitude. There are no super bubbly tracks like "LoveGame," or "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" to be found here with the majority of the runtime reminding me of the darker, after midnight club anthems "Paparazzi," and to a lesser extent, "Poker Face". A perfect example of this would be the first single (and opening song) called "Bad Romance".
First of all let me say no other singer I can think of in the pop world, or any other genre for that matter, could pull off this non-sense hook of "Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah, Roma, Roma-mah, GaGa ooh la la, want your bad romance" let alone make it sound brilliant. This is also a rare case of the video enhancing an already great song due to it's stylized vision that's very complimentary. GaGa's video's are increasingly getting better and she's the first person since Missy Elliott in the later 90s to really do eye popping projects. Clocking in at nearly five minutes, it never seems to drag and gets more annoyingly addictive with each listen. This is what pop music is supposed to be like, dammit.
Equally standing out is the next track, "Alejandro". I usually joke that GaGa (who is the same age as me, by the way) was born in the wrong decade as she draws most of her inspiration from the disco and glam rock of the 70s, but "Alejandro" is channeling that mid 90s Ace of Base sound (think "Don't Turn Around") with those airy, galactic blips filling the RedOne-produced background. Probably the strongest cut on the album and most potential to be a huge single in 2010.
The deja vu comes back with the synth heavy, broken heart theme "Monster" -- which reminded me a lot of Madonna's "Get Together" from her 2005 "Confessions on a Dance Floor" -- which isn't a bad thing. GaGa is the closest thing to Madonna this generation's probably going to get and that's a massive compliment. "Dance In The Dark" is another look into the plastic lifestyle she's so adept at writing about, albeit a heavy handed observation of it. The beat is nice, and you'll enjoy it if you don't try to take anything away from the lyrics about addiction to plastic surgery and self-confidence issues. Blah. I'd listen to Christina Aguilera if I wanted some kind of real message drenched in syrupy pop music (where'd she go anyways?).
While I had no major issues with the previously mentioned tracks, the rest of the album is questionable. The most offending culprit on the CD is the ballad "Speechless," which sounds sorely out of place with it's jazzy live instrumentation in an album busting at the seams with electronica. When I first heard it, I literally said aloud "What the hell is this?". It's not a bad song in the classic sense of being awful, but it's not something you'd expect from Lady GaGa (Miley Cyrus maybe) and is totally skippable.
"So Happy I Could Die" is a welcome jump back to her usual style, but lyrics that allude to masturbating and getting wasted in a club can't save it from missing that special something to make really memorable and worth repeat listenings. "Teeth" also sounds out of place. Produced by Teddy Riley, who's probably most famous for his work on Michael Jackson's "Dangerous," it really reminded me of The Pussycat Dolls' chant and stomp friendly "In Person," from 2008's "Doll Domination" -- which in this case, isn't a good thing.
But perhaps the album's most talked about track, "Telephone" featuring Beyoncé, is the biggest let down to be found. Obviously being sent to radio as a single due to Bey's attachment to the song, she really adds absolutely nothing to it. Beyoncé barely has a part in it, but it ultimately seems redundant because she's singing on a track about a boyfriend who doesn't stop calling while she's trying to have fun -- which is a topic she's already covered before with Destiny's Child in 1999's "Bug a boo" (remember that?). I'm also noticing a bad trend where all the songs RedOne didn't produce I don't like, as Darkchild handled this one. Stick to what works, GaGa.
Give RedOne a damn raise -- he's the Timbaland to your Aaliyah.
"The Fame Monster" doesn't suck, even with all of my nitpicks with it, but isn't exactly as monumental as "The Fame" either. The problem is, with eight songs on the release, the so-so songs become seem more sub-par than with a full album with other tracks to counterbalance things and add to the overall experience. If there were more songs like the big stand outs "Bad Romance," "Alejandro," and "Monster," we wouldn't even be having this conversation. It seems more like there was pressure from Interscope to re-release the original (for a third time) and GaGa wanted to make it a better deal for her fans by making it a new release. However, I really wished she had just given it a few more months in the oven and release a full-fledged LP instead.
Some people have complained about the lyrics being "edited" -- but I really don't care. Lady GaGa says maybe 4 bad words on the entire CD and the profanity is so non-essential to the lyrics, you'd have to really be paying attention to even notice they're cut out in the first place. On another note however, while "The Fame Monster" can faithfully stand on it's own two feet as a separate album, if you must buy it, I would recommend the Deluxe Edition which includes "The Fame" on a second disc. When listened to in conjunction with that, it's a good dessert. But like your mom used to tell you, eating your cake before dinner will spoil your appetite.
In what seems in hindsight to be a self-written prophecy by Stefani Germanotta, better known to millions of fans as Lady GaGa, the 2008 release of her aptly titled debut album "The Fame" came before she actually had any kind of mainstream credibility.
The deja vu comes back with the synth heavy, broken heart theme "Monster" -- which reminded me a lot of Madonna's "Get Together" from her 2005 "Confessions on a Dance Floor" -- which isn't a bad thing. GaGa is the closest thing to Madonna this generation's probably going to get and that's a massive compliment. "Dance In The Dark" is another look into the plastic lifestyle she's so adept at writing about, albeit a heavy handed observation of it. The beat is nice, and you'll enjoy it if you don't try to take anything away from the lyrics about addiction to plastic surgery and self-confidence issues. Blah. I'd listen to Christina Aguilera if I wanted some kind of real message drenched in syrupy pop music (where'd she go anyways?).
