Oh Stefani, what would daddy think? If he were dead, he'd certainly be rolling in his grave. I certainly doubt he pictured his daughter performing scantily clad in high fashion, with a man in tights on stage, despite the afterthought of Julliard and all those nights in jazz bars. Mom supported your singing, but what about the crazy costumes? Or the burlesque shows? I'm sure you've mentioned that in some interview or another, but does it really matter? Well, in a way, yes. After all, fashion is easily what makes the most of your whole 'deal.'
If you haven't heard of Lady Gaga, or at the very least heard a track from her debut album The Fame, somewhere out in the scary place we call the real world (i.e. not in your parent's house playing World of Warcraft) you probably... well, live in your parent's house playing World of Warcraft. If you were to ask most people about Lady Gaga you might find they are sharply divided between thinking she is the "best new pop star, doing something fantastic for the gay movement," or something along the lines of, "that bitch should die of AIDS." (Thanks to the local KFC patrons for these thought provoking comments.)
Sure, I too was skeptical at first. After all, the album's flagship single "Just Dance" isn't exactly the manliest track. But, if you have any love of pop music in general it's hard to not get sucked in by the song–even Colby O'Donis shines, and I for one can't look at a picture of him without wanting to shout obsceneties and start punching things. One might cringe at lyrics like "wish I could shut my playboy mouth," but the beat in the track is undeniable. Hell, the same could be said for all the tracks, especially "LoveGame" which starts out with Lady Gaga chanting "Let's have some fun, this beat is sick / I want to take a ride on your disco stick" and then bursts into a sort of yelp followed by said sick beat.
Every track from The Fame on the deluxe version of The Fame Monster (the later being The Fame in its entirety plus a new eight song EP - confusing, I know) is just absolutely catchy and fun with absolutely no downsides. The sunny, tropical track "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" is just a delight while even the ditzy "Boys Boys Boys" (a play on Mötley Crüe's "Girls Girls Girls") is a lot of fun. Not to mention the piano tracks "Brown Eyes" and "Again Again" are absolutely outstanding with a strong rock throwback to the days of Queen and David Bowie (two of her most frequently cited influences); nights of standing on stage in bars and jamming on an electric piano. And the fact that Lady GaGa actually can sing and her voice isn't smeared by a whore's worth of makeup in studio production is something in itself.
Taking a u-turn, we have the new tracks that make up the 'Monster' in The Fame Monster. Synths burst in your ears along with a pounding beat and Gaga saying her name in funny ways along with saying "bad romance" over and over; the repetition is easily the most irritating thing about some of her tracks, but it certainly isn't new in the pop world (right, Soulja Boy?). Regardless, "Bad Romance" and "Dance in the Dark" could easily fit in the best of any dancefloor playlists for those New York DJs out there. It's the last three tracks that falter; despite having Beyonce featured in "Telephone" the track is mostly uninteresting and aimless. The last two tracks are just bad. Both "So Happy I Could Die" and "Teeth" have little variation and leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.
I can feel Lady Gaga loving the dance pop she indulges in, but she has so many strong rock influences that in some tracks I can't help but wonder if she had rather have put out a album purely influenced by the likes of Elton John and Billy Joel. My hat's off to her for the future - my only hope is that she doesn't pull a Whitney Houston and sabotage her own career (and her voice). The Fame Monster falls into a genre I don't typically dabble in, and it's a testament to the album's power that it has maintained such an unwavering hold over me. This is truly a pop record for the decade and I salute you, Lady Gaga.
Track List:
Disc 1:
1. Bad Romance (4:54)
2. Alejandro (4:34)
3. Monster (4:09)
4. Speechless (4:30)
5. Dance In The Dark (4:49)
6. Telephone ft. Beyonce (3:40)
7. So Happy I Could Die (3:55)
8. Teeth (3:40)
Disc 2:
1. Just Dance ft. Colby O'Donis (4:01)
2. Lovegame (3:38)
3. Paparazzi (3:29)
4. Poker Face (3:57)
5. I Like It Rough (3:24)
6. Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) (2:56)
7. Starstruck ft. Space Cowboy & Flo Rida (3:36)
8. Beautiful, Dirty, Rich (2:53)
9. The Fame (3:42)
10.Money Honey (2:50)
11.Boys Boys Boys (3:20)
12.Paper Gangsta (4:23)
13.Brown Eyes (4:03)
14.Summerboy (4:15)
15.Disco Heaven (3:42)
16.Retro, Dance, Freak (3:22)
