This album is in nowhere near as good as any of her previous albums (including ARTPOP) . It feels like she trying to hard to be different and trying to hard to reinvent herself . And to be honest I feel like she took herself way to seriously this era. Like the whole âcall me Joanneâ thing sheâs pulling ⊠girlâŠđ. I just feel like with all the talent she posses she couldâve done so much better. The songs feel rushed and thereâs no flow to the album (in my opinion).
For me, this album really showcases Gagaâs musicianship and how sheâs versatile enough to explore different genres of music. Most people would describe the album as country, but sonically itâs American Folk with a tinge of country influences. After hearing this album for the first time I can most definitely tell you that it is one of Gagaâs most cohesive albums up to date. Itâs definitely not like the contemporary pop music that youâd find on the radio. But then again, Gaga never tries to create pop music for the masses.Â
Especially for this era, the narrative of the album is much more personal and autobiographical. The music and the lyrics relate to the music that she grew up with and not so much based on a particular concept like her previous albums. Not to mention that lyrically this is her most mature album. A lot of her fans donât enjoy this album because itâs a drastic change from what they are used to hearing.Â
I feel like sheâs enjoying herself more this era. She now has more control over her management. The management she had during the ARTPOP era was a mess, resulting in the publicâs perception that the album was unsuccessful, even though it sold as much as Anti and Lemonade.Â
Following Gaga for the past 8 years, sheâs always been extra in her eras. Iâve seen so many of her fans going crazy because she wanted them to address her as âJoanneâ during a performance. Thatâs literally her middle name and of course sheâs not going to change her entire brand for this album.Â
Whenever I see fans say that she could do better I often wonder what that means. Iâm assuming that they want more dark and euro-industrial pop music like from The Fame Monster. But the magic of Gaga is that sheâs always changing and that sheâs always evolving as an artist. She wouldnât be as interesting if she kept creating the same music for 6 years. The public loves to call her a fad despite her always proving them otherwise. Whether thatâs from winning a Grammy for a jazz collaboration album with Tony Bennett or winning a Golden Globe.Â
The funny thing I find with these semi-stans is that they donât appreciate Gagaâs present album until she releases her next one. This further proves that sheâs doing something right and that sheâs always ahead of the game.Â