23-11-2013, 19:47
enters the Billboard chart this week at #1
allmusic gives it a 1.8 of 3.0
Spotify online listen
rather crude on the duets with T.I. and R. Kelly (5 and 7)
not unexpected, but this is just too electronic for me
making these comments as I listen
and it gets better near the end
I think Dope is my fav
![[Image: MI0003642013.jpg?partner=allrovi.com]](http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0003/642/MI0003642013.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
Bio - from allmusic
Glamorously gaudy, a self-made post-modern diva stitched together from elements of Madonna, David Bowie, and Freddie Mercury, Lady Gaga was the
first true millennial superstar. Mastering the constant connection of the internet era, Gaga generated countless mini-sensations through her
style, her videos, and her music, cultivating a devoted audience she dubbed "Little Monsters." But it wasn't just a cult that turned her 2008
manifesto The Fame into a self-fulfilling prophecy: Gaga crossed over into the mainstream, ushering out one pop epoch and kick-starting a new
one, quickly making such turn-of-the-century stars as Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears seem old-fashioned, quite a trick for any artist to
pull off, but especially impressive for an artist who specialized in repurposing the past -- particularly the '80s -- for present use, creating
sustainable pop for a digital world.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given her flair for grand gestures, Lady Gaga has deep roots in drama. Born Stefani Germanotta on March 28, 1986, the
future Gaga played piano as a child and pursued musical theater in high school, regularly auditioning for New York-based television shows,
notably landing a background role for a 2001 episode of The Sopranos. At the age of 17 she enrolled at New York University's Tisch School of the
Arts in their Collaborative Arts Project 21. As she studied, she continued to eke her way into show biz, winding up with an appearance on MTV's
short-lived post-Punk'd reality show Boiling Points in 2005. Not long afterward, she left school so she could concentrate on her music, fronting
a band called SGBand, which released two EPs prior to splitting. Germanotta then teamed with producer Rob Fusari, a collaboration that produced
not only her stage name Lady Gaga, but recordings that led to her signing with Def Jam in the fall of 2006. Her association with Def Jam was
short-lived: the label dropped her early in 2007. Gaga rebounded by working with performance artist Lady Starlight, the two developing the Lady
Gaga & the Starlight Revue, a tongue-in-cheek neo-burlesque act that gained positive press and proved to be her last stop before signing with
Interscope later in 2007. While at Interscope she created a bond with Akon, who convinced Interscope head Jimmy Iovine to have her co-sign with
his Kon Live imprint, and then Gaga began working with producer/songwriter RedOne, a union that led to the songs that would bring her fame:
"Just Dance," "LoveGame," and "Poker Face." These songs formed the foundation of The Fame, the debut album that appeared in August 2008.
Initially, Lady Gaga had greater success in Europe, thanks in large part to the "Just Dance" single, which earned club play in the U.S. and
chart placement in other territories. Gaga's march toward the top of the American chart was slow but "Just Dance" reached the peak position in
January 2009, followed swiftly by "Poker Face," the single that firmly pushed her into the mainstream, its popularity growing so large it often
functioned as a punch line on TV in addition to winning a Grammy for Best Dance Recording. "LoveGame" and "Paparazzi" also appeared as singles
before Gaga released The Fame Monster in time for the holiday season of 2009. The mini-LP, available separately and as a package with The Fame,
contained the single "Bad Romance" whose popularity soon rivaled "Poker Face" and helped kickstart a stellar year for Gaga in 2010. That year,
the hit singles "Bad Romance," "Alejandro," and the Beyoncé duet "Telephone," along with the successful Monster Ball Tour, put Lady Gaga front
and center with the public as she worked on her sophomore album, announcing the May release of Born This Way on New Year's Day 2011. The steady
march to its summer unveiling was preceded by the release of three singles --"Born This Way," "Judas," and "The Edge of Glory"-- all leading up
to the highly anticipated Born This Way. Arriving to mixed reviews, the album was a hit but didn't quite live up to its high expectations, yet
it produced more genuine hits with "Marry the Night." A full remix of the album, naturally called Born This Way: The Remix, appeared at the end
of the year, as did a holiday television special called A Very Gaga Thanksgiving and an accompanying EP, A Very Gaga Holiday.
Gaga continued to promote Born This Way throughout 2012, appearing at various star-studded events and television programs while continuing her
international tour. The tour came to a halt in February of 2013, when she announced that she had hip surgery to repair a labral tear. As she was
healing, she worked on her third album, Artpop. Preceded by the singles "Applause" and "Do What U Want," the latter a duet with R. Kelly, Artpop
was released in early November 2013.
![[Image: MI0003672873.jpg?partner=allrovi.com]](http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0003/672/MI0003672873.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
Album Review - from allmusic
If Born This Way was made for the Little Monsters, its 2013 sequel ARTPOP was made for the world. Lady Gaga has grand designs for her third
album, to pull a "reverse Warhol," which presumably means she wants to channel high art into pop instead of pop into high art, but it's a little
difficult to discern Gaga's intent, either in this statement or ARTPOP as a whole. Willfully existing simply on the surface, a surface that
perhaps (or perhaps not) signifies a greater depth, ARTPOP is teasingly garish, its bright colors and brittle beats attacking with glee, the
emphasis always on big, pulsating beats, shattered reflections, and sound cascading over song in every instance. Inevitably, this emphasis on
production means the pop in ARTPOP winds up diminished; perhaps it's "pop" in the pop-art sense, as it's shamelessly intentionally populist, but
as pop music it's stiff, relying not on hooks in either its melody or rhythm, but rather a full-on glitz blitz that can dazzle as often as it
tires. Lost in her self-generated mythos, Gaga doesn't much care whether her music sticks as long as she's not ignored -- even such seemingly
soul-baring moments as the single-spotlight showcase "Dope" aren't confessional so much as gear shifts designed to capture attention -- and
ARTPOP continually demands attention as it eschews the notion of love, right down to how all the sex songs deliberately separate the body from
the soul. This isn't limited to Gaga's exhortation to R. Kelly to "do what you want with my body" on "Do What U Want," either. At times --
particularly through the album's first half -- ARTPOP is a non-stop erotic cabaret, Gaga contorting herself to fulfill any desire, switching
roles between a guy and a girl, and a bottom and a top, her ambidextrous sexuality signaling power, not sensuality. This same arrogance glides
her through songs about style -- the ludicrous "Donatella," a tribute to Versace that borders on character assassination; "Fashion!," which
isn't a David Bowie cover, no matter how much it longs to be -- and through the songs about drugs, a cycle that takes her toward a concluding
coda where Gaga stands resplendent in the applause. The concept is artful and logical, yet ARTPOP never insinuates or settles in the
subconscious; it always assaults, determined to make an impression even when all it has to say is that it doesn't have much to say.
since we've already posted the singles
I thought this was interesting:
[video=youtube;MX9ZlmxtwC8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX9ZlmxtwC8[/video]
Track Listing
1. Aura
2. Venus
3. G.U.Y.
4. Sexxx Dreams
5. Jewels N' Drugs
6. MANiCURE
7. Do What U Want
8. ARTPOP
9. Swine
10. Donatella
11. Fashion!
12. Mary Jane Holland
13. Dope
14. Gypsy
15. Applause
allmusic gives it a 1.8 of 3.0
Spotify online listen
rather crude on the duets with T.I. and R. Kelly (5 and 7)
not unexpected, but this is just too electronic for me
making these comments as I listen
and it gets better near the end
I think Dope is my fav
Bio - from allmusic
Glamorously gaudy, a self-made post-modern diva stitched together from elements of Madonna, David Bowie, and Freddie Mercury, Lady Gaga was the
first true millennial superstar. Mastering the constant connection of the internet era, Gaga generated countless mini-sensations through her
style, her videos, and her music, cultivating a devoted audience she dubbed "Little Monsters." But it wasn't just a cult that turned her 2008
manifesto The Fame into a self-fulfilling prophecy: Gaga crossed over into the mainstream, ushering out one pop epoch and kick-starting a new
one, quickly making such turn-of-the-century stars as Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears seem old-fashioned, quite a trick for any artist to
pull off, but especially impressive for an artist who specialized in repurposing the past -- particularly the '80s -- for present use, creating
sustainable pop for a digital world.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given her flair for grand gestures, Lady Gaga has deep roots in drama. Born Stefani Germanotta on March 28, 1986, the
future Gaga played piano as a child and pursued musical theater in high school, regularly auditioning for New York-based television shows,
notably landing a background role for a 2001 episode of The Sopranos. At the age of 17 she enrolled at New York University's Tisch School of the
Arts in their Collaborative Arts Project 21. As she studied, she continued to eke her way into show biz, winding up with an appearance on MTV's
short-lived post-Punk'd reality show Boiling Points in 2005. Not long afterward, she left school so she could concentrate on her music, fronting
a band called SGBand, which released two EPs prior to splitting. Germanotta then teamed with producer Rob Fusari, a collaboration that produced
not only her stage name Lady Gaga, but recordings that led to her signing with Def Jam in the fall of 2006. Her association with Def Jam was
short-lived: the label dropped her early in 2007. Gaga rebounded by working with performance artist Lady Starlight, the two developing the Lady
Gaga & the Starlight Revue, a tongue-in-cheek neo-burlesque act that gained positive press and proved to be her last stop before signing with
Interscope later in 2007. While at Interscope she created a bond with Akon, who convinced Interscope head Jimmy Iovine to have her co-sign with
his Kon Live imprint, and then Gaga began working with producer/songwriter RedOne, a union that led to the songs that would bring her fame:
"Just Dance," "LoveGame," and "Poker Face." These songs formed the foundation of The Fame, the debut album that appeared in August 2008.
Initially, Lady Gaga had greater success in Europe, thanks in large part to the "Just Dance" single, which earned club play in the U.S. and
chart placement in other territories. Gaga's march toward the top of the American chart was slow but "Just Dance" reached the peak position in
January 2009, followed swiftly by "Poker Face," the single that firmly pushed her into the mainstream, its popularity growing so large it often
functioned as a punch line on TV in addition to winning a Grammy for Best Dance Recording. "LoveGame" and "Paparazzi" also appeared as singles
before Gaga released The Fame Monster in time for the holiday season of 2009. The mini-LP, available separately and as a package with The Fame,
contained the single "Bad Romance" whose popularity soon rivaled "Poker Face" and helped kickstart a stellar year for Gaga in 2010. That year,
the hit singles "Bad Romance," "Alejandro," and the Beyoncé duet "Telephone," along with the successful Monster Ball Tour, put Lady Gaga front
and center with the public as she worked on her sophomore album, announcing the May release of Born This Way on New Year's Day 2011. The steady
march to its summer unveiling was preceded by the release of three singles --"Born This Way," "Judas," and "The Edge of Glory"-- all leading up
to the highly anticipated Born This Way. Arriving to mixed reviews, the album was a hit but didn't quite live up to its high expectations, yet
it produced more genuine hits with "Marry the Night." A full remix of the album, naturally called Born This Way: The Remix, appeared at the end
of the year, as did a holiday television special called A Very Gaga Thanksgiving and an accompanying EP, A Very Gaga Holiday.
Gaga continued to promote Born This Way throughout 2012, appearing at various star-studded events and television programs while continuing her
international tour. The tour came to a halt in February of 2013, when she announced that she had hip surgery to repair a labral tear. As she was
healing, she worked on her third album, Artpop. Preceded by the singles "Applause" and "Do What U Want," the latter a duet with R. Kelly, Artpop
was released in early November 2013.
Album Review - from allmusic
If Born This Way was made for the Little Monsters, its 2013 sequel ARTPOP was made for the world. Lady Gaga has grand designs for her third
album, to pull a "reverse Warhol," which presumably means she wants to channel high art into pop instead of pop into high art, but it's a little
difficult to discern Gaga's intent, either in this statement or ARTPOP as a whole. Willfully existing simply on the surface, a surface that
perhaps (or perhaps not) signifies a greater depth, ARTPOP is teasingly garish, its bright colors and brittle beats attacking with glee, the
emphasis always on big, pulsating beats, shattered reflections, and sound cascading over song in every instance. Inevitably, this emphasis on
production means the pop in ARTPOP winds up diminished; perhaps it's "pop" in the pop-art sense, as it's shamelessly intentionally populist, but
as pop music it's stiff, relying not on hooks in either its melody or rhythm, but rather a full-on glitz blitz that can dazzle as often as it
tires. Lost in her self-generated mythos, Gaga doesn't much care whether her music sticks as long as she's not ignored -- even such seemingly
soul-baring moments as the single-spotlight showcase "Dope" aren't confessional so much as gear shifts designed to capture attention -- and
ARTPOP continually demands attention as it eschews the notion of love, right down to how all the sex songs deliberately separate the body from
the soul. This isn't limited to Gaga's exhortation to R. Kelly to "do what you want with my body" on "Do What U Want," either. At times --
particularly through the album's first half -- ARTPOP is a non-stop erotic cabaret, Gaga contorting herself to fulfill any desire, switching
roles between a guy and a girl, and a bottom and a top, her ambidextrous sexuality signaling power, not sensuality. This same arrogance glides
her through songs about style -- the ludicrous "Donatella," a tribute to Versace that borders on character assassination; "Fashion!," which
isn't a David Bowie cover, no matter how much it longs to be -- and through the songs about drugs, a cycle that takes her toward a concluding
coda where Gaga stands resplendent in the applause. The concept is artful and logical, yet ARTPOP never insinuates or settles in the
subconscious; it always assaults, determined to make an impression even when all it has to say is that it doesn't have much to say.
since we've already posted the singles
I thought this was interesting:
[video=youtube;MX9ZlmxtwC8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX9ZlmxtwC8[/video]
Track Listing
1. Aura
2. Venus
3. G.U.Y.
4. Sexxx Dreams
5. Jewels N' Drugs
6. MANiCURE
7. Do What U Want
8. ARTPOP
9. Swine
10. Donatella
11. Fashion!
12. Mary Jane Holland
13. Dope
14. Gypsy
15. Applause
