Although my teenage self is cringing so hard while I write this, to be honest, I cringe pretty hard about most of what she did, so I couldn’t care less. Here it is. Joanne.
I confess, it took a friend’s recommendation of the title track to get me to listen to the album. I’ve always known that Lady Gaga has an exceptionally powerful voice, I just had my reservations as to how she chose to use that power. That’s what’s made the transition into recreational Gaga listening so easy – Joanne is so much more personal and considered than the artist’s previous offerings. I’m tempted to put my own narrative on the situation and tell you that Gaga did what she had to do to get international recognition, and now she’s got the platform to show us her true self. However, I’m not a fan of reading too much of an artist’s personal life into their work, so I’ll resist.
The opening track, Diamond Heart, reminds me of Marina and the Diamonds, and it’s not just the title. I really enjoy the contrast between the more reserved verses and the belted chorus. It shows that Gaga’s voice is not just powerful, but reveals the artist to have an enormous amount of technical mastery under her belt. I always find I’m more impressed by restraint than release, but Joanne is evidence of the beautiful things that can happen when you balance both. Or at least, when someone with the vocal prowess of Gaga does.
A-Yo is a really vibrant party track with a bouncy bass line and gloriously sassy lyricism – Gaga’s offering us a smooth R&B party anthem, once again showing us the extent of her vocal range. An electric bass line comes in with the chorus. It also plays an important role in terms of extending the emotional range of the album – it’s an upbeat, funky track that crosses genre lines and embraces a range of interesting live instrumentation.
Joanne is, of course, the most moving track on the album, a beautifully authentic spillage of Gaga’s feelings on losing her Aunt to lupus. This track did something like inform me with regards to the artist’s previous offerings. Gaga separates herself from the singer songwriter crew by creating a unique, edgy image like nothing else on the market. This is what sets her apart as the sensation that she is and it’s given her the room to do whatever she wants with her future. While Bad Romance and Poker Face are not likely going to make their way onto my playlist anytime soon, I am able to recognise them for the incredibly stylised and flawlessly executed and produced pieces that they are.
The role of Joanne in Gaga’s career is perhaps to show us the massive extent of her range as a musician. She wears many hats as the album progresses – with a strong singer-songwriter thread running through the album, she is sure not to disappoint long term fans because the brand new folksy sounds are tempered with big pop anthems. It can be argued though, that the lyrical content of each song is considerably more considered than previous offerings. The album feels real, like a reflection of the woman behind the artist, and that’s something that I really love to see. But at the same time, it’s taught me that vulnerability is not the only thing that sets an artist apart.
Hey Girl, Gaga’s collaborative track with Florence Welch, played a pretty big role in winning the album over to me. The vocalists are equally powerful, and their song is something of an explosion of girl power. This is appropriate, because the lyrical content promotes celebrating and supporting other women, which is a worthy cause indeed. The song itself has a gloriously retro feel. It opens with groovy synth sounds and percussion to match. Elastic string sounds form a gloriously odd thread that runs through the song – especially for the content and the artists involved. What’s cool about this is that it brings to mind the love songs of the 80’s, but it’s about friendship! More art should be about friendship.
John Wayne is perhaps the most similar to Gaga’s previous offerings, an explosive pop anthem with a strong electronic bassline and a colourful selection of synth melodies. It’s really fun to listen to, and it’s got me thinking that Lady Gaga might actually be the master of the pop anthem genre. Execution is key when it comes to these things, and as I listen I think I’m learning more about what the perfect pop hit entails: a strong vocal in the driver’s seat, and a selection of instrumentation and electronic production seamless enough that you don’t really need to think about it.
Dancin’ in Circles and Perfect Illusion keep the tempo upbeat, with each one different in content and style. It’s so much easier to appreciate Gaga’s belting in light of her restrained, acoustic style. At this point, once again, I’m pretty amazed by the emotional and vocal range that she has as an artist, crafting each song in a beautifully unique way.
Sinner’s Prayer seems to come straight out of a Country & Western film, and it’s so catchy! It’s like, the Black Keys meets Lana Del Rey meets, well, Lady Gaga. This song shows off the rich alto part of Gaga’s range, undercut by a catchy bass line and a foot tapping illustration. It’s got a vintage feel to it, in a totally different way to Hey Girl.
It’s difficult to explain what it is that makes the album work so well as a whole, with each track having such a different quality to the last. Gaga changes the quality of her voice and sings in a totally different style as the song requires it. It’s almost as though she’s a few different vocalists! And it’s exciting and somewhat inspiring to discover that she’s the one manipulating her voice according to what the track calls for. Come to Mama shows us a totally different side of Gaga – it’s a rousing, all American ballad, complete with trumpets and a catchy, film ready bass line. At the risk of over-analysing, I’m going to say that this song feels distinctly political, and that the musical style is quite intentionally placed. With the tenuous political climate of the past few years, it’s necessary for musicians and artists alike to encourage their audience to become more proactive in their approach, it’s empowering. “The only prisons that exist are the ones we put each other in”. Is Lady Gaga the female leader we truly need?
Versatility, vulnerability and a whole lot of colour reveals Lady Gaga to be an incredibly intrepid artist who is most definitely worth our time, not that she needs it. I’m just glad to have finally woken up to this reality.
