Preface 2: I'm so so sorry that it's been so long since I wrote a review! Hurricane Matthew knocked my internet out for 19 days, and I haven't had a chance to write. I really wanted to review this album on the day that it came out, but I'm back in full force. Here are a few of the next albums and EPs I plan to do: Mad Love, Nemesis, Emotion Side B (a bit late, I know, but I want to do it), and Lady Wood (maybe).
Joanne is a rock/country/dance pop/gagacore(because really, some of these songs can't be grouped into an existing genre) album released by Lady Gaga, on October 21st, 2016. It's completely unlike any of her past albums, with some great production on every track from Mark Ronson and BloodPop. The lead single was "Perfect Illusion"; a track that received very mixed reviews, and left me kind of cautious about where Gaga could go with an album led by that. I certainly didn't expect what Joanne turned out to be. Even though some tracks drag on, Joanne has a very decent amount of highs, and I appreciate what she's trying to do with this.
"Diamond Heart" headlines the album. The first verse is slow and almost boring, but the pre-chorus explodes into sound, as Gaga powerful shouts "Young, wild American/ C'mon baby do you have a girlfriend?". These lyrics suit the song perfectly; it's a song of empowerment and flirtatiousness, and at the same time it's distinctly American. Though the verses are lackluster on this track, it's a good start to the album and it really showcases the American feel that she's attempting to portray on Joanne.
"A-YO" is an adventurous cross between honky-tonk and dance music, complete with guitar arrangements and handclaps. It's infectiously catchy and singable, as Gaga chants "A-yo, a-yo, we smokin' them all". Gaga's voice in the verses is flirty and dangerously confident; this song can make the nerdiest city kid feel like a cowboy. This song is probably the most upbeat on the album, and is a great choice for a single in my opinion.
The eponymous track "Joanne" tones down the energy from the preceding two tracks in the form of a country ballad. The vulnerable songs tells the story of Gaga's late aunt; an artist that she never met. Even though I enjoy this song to a certain extent, it has that niche country feel that some Gaga fans might not appreciate, and there really aren't any highs in this song, mostly lows.
The titular spoken line of "Can I just, hang off the back of your horse, and can you go a little FASTER?" opens the next song, "John Wayne", a soft-rock song about her apparent lust for adventurous "cowboys". The pitched and cut vocals in the chorus frames Gaga's plea of "Baby let's get high/ John Wayne!". Ronson and BloodPop really go all out in the production on this track to make it sound like something that you might hear on a jukebox at a western bar; it's certainly not a bad sound.
"Dancin' In Circles" is the song most similar to any of Gaga's past work; the production, however, incorporates elements from both country and dancehall. It's this type of unique style that I expected from Beck, who helped make this song. In particular, the whisper-sung pre and post chorus reminds me of something off of 2010-era Gaga, and something about this song is particularly reminiscent of "LoveGame". The lyrics are lewd, as the song is about, uh, "self-love", but in a rather endearing way, as Gaga doesn't try to use metaphor or subliminal messages to try to get the point across; she just goes right out and says it without hiding anything. The boppy (not a word, I know) production and the chorus of "Baby don't cry/I'm singin' dancin' in circles, feels good to be lonely" actually make this song the most enjoyable song off of Joanne to listen to, at least for me. It certainly has the most "replay value".
"Perfect Illusion", the lead single of the album, is best described as a "hot mess". I don't usually have a problem with oversinging, but her constant screeching of "it wasn't laaaaahve" is a real turnoff. The format of the song is a bit strange, with two bridges. When the first bridge comes on, you're thinking that the song is too short, but when the second bridge comes on, the song is just dragging. At the end, the four (more like 3.5) choruses just smear the song into a shapeless mess, with none of the unique country influences from the rest of the album. This album wouldn't lose anything at all if this song simply dropped off.
"Million Reasons" is another country-pop power ballad, but this one doesn't have the flaws that "Joanne" had. It's less country than the former track, but it still has those key influences that ties it into the rest of the album. Gaga sadly drawls "I've got a hundred million reasons to walk away/but baby, I just need one good one to stay". Hillary Lindsey's songwriting is apparent and admirable on this song; "Million Reasons" is just one of those songs that makes you sit back and think about life after listening to it in the right mood.
"Sinner's Prayer" is a slightly religious song that sounds VERY much like a lot of Madonna tracks; it's that kind of gospel/pop mix. The rugged production is nice, and though this track may appeal to those that grew up with gospel and country, I just can't enjoy it. The following song, "Come to Mama" is kind of bizarre, but child's play compared to some of the songs that Gaga has created in the past. It promotes peace and love to each other, set over a jazz instrumental that just seems out of place. Though this song may be average at best, it's simply too preachy and boring to drive me to listen to it more than once.
"Hey Girl" is a smooth and jazzy pop song about growing into early womanhood. It's the highly anticipated feature with Florence Welch that we heard about, and though I think that it could be better, I'm satisfied for the most part. Welch's voice seems to outshine Gaga's on this one; her voice is just more silky-smooth, like the instrumental. However, I think that it's fair to say that overall, Gaga and Welch have great chemistry and their two voices work better for the subject matter of this track.
"Angel Down" is a fitting closer, a somber and chilling track about the modern world, her religious stance, and (according to her twitter) Trayvon Martin's untimely shooting. The orchestral instrumental is reminiscent of Lana Del Rey, but Gaga brings her own soulful vocals and style to the track. It's powerful and sad, and it ends the album on a very good note.
I feel like just reviewing tracks off of this album doesn't give it proper justice, Overall, Lady Gaga set out to make a tribute to her late aunt and a great country-pop album, and I think that this album is both of those things. The album is remarkably well put-together and flows well; I think that it could have used another more upbeat song instead of "Come to Mama", but that's the only complain I have about track listing. I'm not a big country fan but I did enjoy this album while it lasted, at least the first couple times that I listened to. This album ISN'T any of Gaga's earlier albums, but it's certainly not bad at all.
Best Tracks: Dancin' In Circles, A-YO, Million Reasons
Worst Tracks: Perfect Illusion, Come to Mama
Final Verdict:
69/100
What do you think about Just Another Day?
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly not bad at all! I appreciate the big city vibes I get from this song, and the kazoo-trumpet combo is actually really nice addition to the song. I also like how she shows off her voice more than the other songs on Joanne. (is that a kazoo???)
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