Lady Gaga — Chromatica (5/29/20)
I remember as a 16/17-year-old seeing Lady Gaga start taking over Much Music with her hits “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” and “LoveGame.”
I can’t say I was much of a fan, though “Paparazzi” actually managed to impress me a bit. I still wasn’t getting anywhere near her albums.
But here I am, over ten years later, getting my first taste of a full Lady Gaga album.
The pop superstar has proven to be a much more diverse artist then her “Poker Face” days had me believe.
She paired up with Tony Bennett for the 2014 jazz album Cheek to Cheek, which you couldn’t pay me to listen to (well, we could negotiate).
And she continued to defy expectations with 2016’s Joanne, an album that featured a more stripped-down country-leaning style.
Oh, and there was that thing she did with Bradley Cooper…I never did watch it.
Now, in 2020, we have Chromatica. Chromatica is an all-inclusive world Gaga and co-exec producer BloodPop created for the album. The album has Gaga taking on the role of the warrior leader of the “Kindness Punks.”
Chromatica is split into three segments, each introduced by an orchestral interlude. “Alice” opens segment one and sets the stage with what you can expect for the album: a set of massive electro-pop hits with the main focus on dancing away the pain.
Gaga definitely sheds her fair share of pain through these songs. “Alice” has her admitting that she, like the fictional character, is still looking for her Wonderland.
And while these songs are shedding light on pain, they’re about overcoming that pain.
“Free Woman” is wonderfully empowering. Gaga was sexually assaulted by a music producer, and the song has her breaking free of the weight of being a victim of sexual assault. She chooses to no longer define herself in that way and to celebrate being a “free woman.”
“Rain On Me” with Ariana Grande follows a steady clap beat and a tiresome hook. And the message of standing up strong against troubles in life isn’t awe-inspiring by any means.
Lead single “Stupid Love” sets up a great groove with deep, rolling synths in the verse. I was trying to put my finger on what it reminds me of and I’ve determined the familiarity comes from Gaga herself with the musical tones she displayed on her hit “Born This Way.”
“Fun Tonight” closes segment one and it goes down as my favourite song of the whole album. The song’s a battle with herself and has her trying to break away from negative thoughts. The melody behind the line, “I can see it in your face/You don’t think I’ve pulled my weight” rips into me and it’s pushed this song into the running for my top 100 of the year.
Segment two kicks off with a dominating standout of the album in “911.” The song’s in reference to an antipsychotic drug Gaga takes. It uses the EDM formula of a building snare roll that drops into a bouncy and infectious hook, Gaga sounding robotic as she sings “My biggest enemy is me, pop a 911.”
Gaga brings on the K-pop group BLACKPINK for “Sour Candy,” one of the more run-of-the-mill house tracks. I do however like the Grimes vibes I get from members of BLACKPINK in the first verse.
“Plastic Doll” impresses with a vibrant sound and one of Gaga’s finer vocal displays. She acknowledges how she can be seen as nothing more than a doll, the archetype of a perfect pop star, and how that dehumanizes her.
The final segment begins with the album’s biggest venture, the Elton John-featured “Sine From Above.” The song is a tribute to the healing power of music; Gaga and Elton’s vocals making for a powerful pair. The drum-and-bass breakdown that leads the song out is the most out-there moment on the release.
“1000 Doves” has a wickedly fun dance-floor breakdown of a post-chorus and closer “Babylon” chooses to end the album on a light note with a short and playful track about gossip.
I’m no pop stan and this album doesn’t change that but Lady Gaga is certainly a dominant voice for this generation and this album displays how truly powerful that voice is.
