Lady Gaga has 'Monster' success
by Brad Stern
Advertising Staff
Arts | 11/24/09
Posted online at 11:32 PM EST on 11/23/09
As Torrance Shipman once said in the 2000 classic Bring It On, "Missy's the poo, so take a big whiff."
While that quote doesn't really apply here (aside from suggesting that Lady Gaga is indeed "the poo"), the point is this: As the driving force behind the writing and recording process of her music, the creative director of her album artwork, music videos, tour visuals, merchandising and just about every other facet of her career, Lady Gaga is a very new kind of pop star-one that sings live, writes and records, dances, styles photo shoots and waxes poetic about the lifestyle of the artiste.
While many have managed to break the market on their own terms, I can't think of a single mainstream female pop artist in recent times who has exercised nearly as much creative control in both the audio and visual departments as Lady Gaga.
Nov. 23 saw the release of Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster, a mini concept album originally intended to be a re-release of her debut, The Fame. Written as a kind of antithesis to the subject matter of The Fame, The Fame Monster centers on horror and fears from love to loneliness and death.
After some squabbles with her label (and a few inspired writing sessions while out on her Fame Ball Tour), Lady Gaga decided that this collection of eight tracks was enough of a living creature in its own right to merit release into the wild all on its own, rather than being slapped onto a re-release of The Fame. Of course, you can still opt to purchase the album as a two-CD bundle, but as a whole, the record is capable of standing on its own feet-however many feet a monster may have.
The Fame Monster begins with current single "Bad Romance," an unstoppable barrage of catchy hooks, hymnlike chants and soaring crescendos. It's a raw, raucous affair, best served at max volume in cars and clubs, and is arguably the greatest track that Gaga has ever recorded.
"Alejandro" comes next, an Ace of Base-like midtempo, tropical track. The song's repetitive melody is beyond addicting, and like myself, you may find the song's play count racking up faster than you can say "Alejandro," "Fernando," or any other man-of-Latin-origin's nombre.
While that quote doesn't really apply here (aside from suggesting that Lady Gaga is indeed "the poo"), the point is this: As the driving force behind the writing and recording process of her music, the creative director of her album artwork, music videos, tour visuals, merchandising and just about every other facet of her career, Lady Gaga is a very new kind of pop star-one that sings live, writes and records, dances, styles photo shoots and waxes poetic about the lifestyle of the artiste.
While many have managed to break the market on their own terms, I can't think of a single mainstream female pop artist in recent times who has exercised nearly as much creative control in both the audio and visual departments as Lady Gaga.
Nov. 23 saw the release of Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster, a mini concept album originally intended to be a re-release of her debut, The Fame. Written as a kind of antithesis to the subject matter of The Fame, The Fame Monster centers on horror and fears from love to loneliness and death.
After some squabbles with her label (and a few inspired writing sessions while out on her Fame Ball Tour), Lady Gaga decided that this collection of eight tracks was enough of a living creature in its own right to merit release into the wild all on its own, rather than being slapped onto a re-release of The Fame. Of course, you can still opt to purchase the album as a two-CD bundle, but as a whole, the record is capable of standing on its own feet-however many feet a monster may have.
The Fame Monster begins with current single "Bad Romance," an unstoppable barrage of catchy hooks, hymnlike chants and soaring crescendos. It's a raw, raucous affair, best served at max volume in cars and clubs, and is arguably the greatest track that Gaga has ever recorded.
"Alejandro" comes next, an Ace of Base-like midtempo, tropical track. The song's repetitive melody is beyond addicting, and like myself, you may find the song's play count racking up faster than you can say "Alejandro," "Fernando," or any other man-of-Latin-origin's nombre.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Eric
posted 11/24/09 @ 9:27 AM EST
This cd is A-MA-ZING!! Pure pop genius. It doesn't get better than this. I admit when Gaga first landed on the scene I was skeptical. I saw her as merely a one hit wonder. (Continued…)
seo paslaugos
posted 4/13/10 @ 2:34 AM EST
I am final, I am sorry, but it does not approach me. There are other variants?
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