Best of 2011: Albums

1. Adele - 21. This year, Adele's 21 proved resolutely that the pop album is not dead. That a young woman from Britain can release an album to near universal acclaim and appeal is really something, recalling the great pop albums of the '80s. In an era where tastes are sliced, diced, dissected, genred and market-tested to death, it's nice to know we can still all come together around something that we all like because it's just that good. Best: Someone Like You.

2. Lady Gaga - Born This Way. Lady Gaga is basically the polar opposite of Adele, but I have plenty of space for her and her dazzling third album in my year-end top 10. Born This Way was funkier and more ambitious than The Fame or Fame Monster, ultimately proving to be her best and most cohesive work yet. Even if the singles aren't all hitting #1 anymore, she's still got the touch. Best: Born This Way.

3. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake. This was the critics' favorite album of 2011, but don't let that stop you from enjoying it too. History buffs will appreciate Harvey's historical references to specific World War I battles. Music fans will just enjoy her eclectic mix of sounds and clever lyrics. Best: The Glorious Land.

4. The Strokes - Angles. This is the one album among my favorites that I'm surprised to see missing from most other year-end lists. I thought Angles, The Strokes' fourth album, was a winning return to form form the band many consider the most "important" of the '00s indie rockers, putting in some of their trademark simple arrangements but also exploring new wave and other territory. Best: Machu Picchu.

5. Foster the People - Torches. I'll give Torches the award for the year's best debut. Foster the People--aka this year's MGMT--dominated pop radio this fall with "Pumped Up Kicks," but their lively debut has lots of other gems from the indie band. I'm surprised they haven't scored a follow-up hit yet. Best: Helena Beat.

6. Will Young - Echoes. Here's one I'm not surprised isn't on a lot of year-end lists, but it's a shame, for Will Young turned out another fine pop album with Echoes, employing producer Richard X to give his love-spurned pop songs a pleasing electronic veneer. Best: Jealousy.


7. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto. Coldplay continue to earn their keep on this fifth album. Although at times it feels that Chris Martin & company are too eager to please, they still churn out their brand of pop/rock uplift effectively. Best: Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall.


8. Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials. On their second outing, Florence Welch & co. rocked out with even bolder and better songs than on their 2009 debut Lungs, with a larger than life sound that proves everything and the kitchen sink can be a god thing. Best: Shake It Out.


9. The Weekend - House of Balloons/Thursday/Echoes of Silence. The modern R&B mix tape became a staple of 2011, as artists too cool for things like labels, albums and selling their music, took to the internet to give us free tastes of their remakes, remixes and original songs. The Weekend's House of Balloons was the best of that set, but his follow-up Thursday was interesting too, and although I'm just starting to enjoy his third set, Echoes of Silence, it's clear already that it ranks up with the other two. Best: What You Need.

10. Beyoncé - 4. With I Am...Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé proved she could put out a blockbuster two-disc concept album that stocked radio with hits and earned her critical acclaim at the same time. With her fourth album, 4, she didn't have to prove anything, freeing her to buck the electro trend and put out a mostly acoustic set ranging from the manic "Countdown" to the Prince-worthy "1+1." Although it didn't sell as well, it showed a great deal of artistry and continued growth. Best: Countdown.

11. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light. Along with Adele and Lady Gaga, this is one of three albums released this year nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Although some said it was a surprise, I thought it was totally deserving, representing a solid set of muscular guitar-rock. Best: These Days.

12. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead. Gotta love a good indie band from my hometown, especially when they start the year off with putting out a great album like this. When I reviewed this album, I said they reminded me of a folksier, more backwater R.E.M. Best: Down by the Water.

13. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy. This was my first exposure to American musician St. Vincent, who put out this highly compelling set of eclectic and deftly produced tunes. Best: Chloe in the Afternoon.



14. James Blake - James Blake. Another important trend this year was dubstep, which, frankly, I still have trouble identifying, but apparently this was one example. Whatever you want to call it, I thought it was crafty, soulful electronic that recalled both The XX and Bon Iver. Best: The Wilhelm Scream.

15. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes. Joining the long line of Swedish pop tradition (Abba, Roxette, Ace of Base, Max Martin, Robyn) this year was Lykke Li, whose lo-fi production style was, in many ways, the antithesis of the usual Nordic gloss, but still with an ear for a good pop tune. Best: Sadness Is a Blessing.

16. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. Sure, Oasis split last year, but they all kept making music. You'll find the rest of the gang further down this list. Both were very good, but I felt that Noel Gallagher's songwriting skills meant that his album was just a little bit better. Best: If I Had a Gun...

17. Take That - Progressed. Take That's album Progress was one of my favorite albums of 2010. In fact, it's one of my favorite pop albums of all time. This follow-up EP was a welcome second helping of that album's greatness. Best: When We Were Young.



18. Amy Winehouse - Lioness: Hidden Treasures. Posthumous releases should always be viewed with suspicion, but thankfully this one manages to be an appropriate tribute to an amazing singer gone before her time. Her modern take on '60s soul remains one of pop music's most interesting tricks in recent years. Best: Our Day Will Come.

19. Jessie J - Who You Are. Jessie J received so much hype that it would be hard for the singer to live up to it. And yes, her album wasn't "all that," but it was still pretty decent pop from the strutting "Do It Like a Dude" to the affecting title track. She's got a lot of people in her corner. Album #2 could be even more interesting. Best: Who You Are.

20. The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow. Like Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, The Civil Wars achieves a beautiful alchemy with the tried-and-true formula of a male/female vocal harmony over a lovelorn folksy sound. And then they kicked up their heels with the album's title track. Moving and fun. Best: Poison & Wine.

21. The Black Keys - El Camino. These southern-influenced blues rockers from Ohio shifted their sound more toward classic rock & roll for this seventh album. More and more they sound less like the stopgap for The White Stripes' absence and more like that duo's worthy successor. Best: Dead and Gone.


22. Ed Sheeran - +. I didn't get around to reviewing this album, since I only recently got it (consider it a 4/5 rating). Although I wasn't initially sold on Sheeran via "The A Team," in the end, I was ultimately won over by his acoustic-leaning pop debut, particularly its more upbeat tracks. Best: Lego House.

23. Radiohead - The King of Limbs. That Radiohead's eighth album is more of an exercise in sounds than in songs means this album won't be for everyone, but for those who like Kid A and Amnesiac because of that, then should be up your alley. Best: Bloom.


24. Kasabian - Velociraptor!. Fourth album by British rockers Kasabian finds them mining familiar '60s territory but with a bolder take than on their last album. Best: Days Are Forgotten.



25. Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys. For their seventh album, these indie rockers from Bellingham, Washington, make their sound lighter and more modern than their recent works. Hints of Arcade Fire permeate the buoyant title track with its deep mix of strings, piano, guitar, bass and drums. Best: Codes and Keys.

26. Bon Iver - Bon Iver. The last thing Wisconsinite folk singer Justin Vernon probably thought when he released his 2008 debut, For Emma, Forever Ago, was that a few years later he'd be a major influence in alternative rock music. Even Kanye West got into him. On this second Bon Iver album, he gets a little more adventurous and manages to still please, even despite the deafening hype. Best: Towers.

27. Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX - We're New Here. Serving as an effective stopgap before the hotly anticipated second album from The XX, its member Jamie XX remixed nearly every track from the late soul and jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron, reinterpreting his quirky, final spoken-word album into a satisfying dose of late-night electronica. Best: The Crutch.

28. Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra. Singer Frank Ocean has been tipped to be a major breakout star next year. This year, however, he's already racked up a lot of acclaim for his self-released mix tape, a winning mix of original songs and remakes where he sings over popular songs with his own new lyrics. Best: Strawberry Swing.

29. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues. Like Bon Iver, this is another indie act that achieved significant acclaim with its folksy debut and followed it up this year with a second album of similarly great material. Title track "Helplessness Blues" proves that, like Mumford & Sons have shown, folk music doesn't equate always with slow and quiet. Best: Helplessness Blues.

30. Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'. Retro R&B is a trend right now for sure, but with so many great examples of it, like this eclectic set from Raphael Saadiq, I'm not ready for it to end. Stone Rollin' is an eclectic, decade-jumping work with a of heart and soul. Best: Go to Hell.


31. Wilco - The Whole Love. Wilco's eighth album delivers much of the same from the band as what we've heard before--accomplished alt. rock with influences from country and '70s rock. But it's the dynamite 7-minute opener, which dabbles a bit in Radiohead Kid A electronica and delivers a 2-minute guitar solo, that makes this album worthwhile. Best: Art of Almost.

32. The Naked and Famous - Passive Me, Aggressive You. Although "this year's MGMT" ended up being Foster the People, New Zealand's The Naked and Famous auditioned for the role with this lively, at times moody debut of new wave revival pop. Best: Young Gun.


33. Kanye West & Jay-Z - Watch the Throne. Two kings of rap show they can effectively share the throne with this collaboration, one of the year's most hotly anticipated albums. As you'd expect, modesty is rarely displayed on this album chock full of ego and big-name guests (including two acts named above). Best: Why I Love You.

34. Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding. One fourth of the former Oasis is up at #16 and the rest are here at #34. It might sound corny to say these albums sound like brothers, except for the fact that they literally are made by brothers, so its fitting. Oasis fans should find solace in the fact that both albums are pretty great, with this being the bolder and more upbeat of the two. Best: If I Had a Gun...

35. Rihanna - Talk That Talk. Another year, another Rihanna album. On her sixth outing, the Barbadian singer continued global chart domination with her most risque work yet, continuing to churn out frothy dance pop and laid back island-inspired grooves. Best: We Found Love.

36. Britney Spears - Femme Fatale. Britney got her career back on track with 2008's Circus and she continued her hit streak this year with this unabashedly frothy dance pop album. She slowed down a bit for the album's final track, "Criminal," and that proved to be interesting too. Best: Till the World Ends.

37. Katy B - On a Mission. Those needing a lesson on contemporary dance music styles could do worse than listen to Katy B's debut album, on which she explores a variety of contemporary and (recently) retro dance styles, including dubstep, garage and drum 'n' bass. Best: Lights On.

38. Real Estate - Days. On Days, Brooklyn-based Real Estate's second album, the band churns out mellow and melodic rock. They don't produce much in the way of variety, but have a pleasant sound--the kind of music that's a nice soundtrack to a sunny Sunday afternoon. Best: Green Aisles.

39. Washed Out - Within and Without. Washed Out wears its influences on its sleeves--its ambient electronica evokes names like Moby and Chemical Brothers. Another "chill" album that lives up to that nickname. Best: Eyes Be Closed.


40. Glee: The Music Presents - The Warblers. With The Warblers release, Glee came as close as it may ever come to putting out a proper album, since the group, which is really actor/singer Darren Criss and Tufts University's male singing group The Beelzebubs, sing all these songs a cappella, effectively imitating a bevy of instruments. Best: Teenage Dream.

Worst Album of the Year

Moby - Destroyed. I supposed it's unlikely this is actually the worst album of the year. Hopefully I never had a chance to hear that. Still, I was awfully disappointed by this bland release, which only recycled his old sounds.

Grammy Awards 2012: Album of the Year

The Nominees:

The nominating slate of Grammy's biggest award held more surprises this year than usual. Remember all that ink I've bled the last few years with my theories about AOTY spreading its nominations across popular music's biggest genres? You can throw that argument aside this year, as four pop albums made the cut this year with not a an R&B, country, rap or folk album in sight (at least my insistence that a rock album always gets nominated held true).

Adele - 21

This is one of two albums I picked as sure-bet nominees this year, so it's no surprise to see it here. Certainly she's the favorite to win, as 21 is the year's best-selling album (and the fastest-selling in the last 6 years)--a true phenomenon of the likes that hasn't been seen in a long time. The album has achieved a level of cultural consciousness few have reached in recent years, sending singles on to multiple radio formats, appealing to all ages, and getting props from the likes of Saturday Night Live and Glee (both in the same week even). Naysayers who say the album is dead were proven wrong this year.

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

Some people might be surprised to see the Foo Fighters' Wasting Light on the list, but I wasn't. The album was heralded as their best work in years, surpassing the acclaim of their 2007 album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, which was also an AOTY nominee.




Lady Gaga - Born This Way

I must admit to a little bit of surprise to see Lady Gaga's Born This Way on the list. Gaga experienced a bit of backlash this year, with "Born This Way" being called an "Express Yourself" rip-off and "Judas" flopping on the charts. And the album didn't sell as well as expected. Nonetheless, "The Edge of Glory" and "You and I" generated positive buzz, and "Marry the Night" is quickly looking it could be massive, so I'm glad to see it here, since I think it's her strongest album yet.

Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Hooligans

Two months ago I said that since Adele was a lock that if voters were willing to nominate a second pop album, it would likely be Bruno Mars' Doo Wops & Hooligans, a solid album that generated three big hits this year. Grammy proved last year that it liked Mars, nominating his productions of B.o.B's "Nothing on You" and Cee Lo Green's "Fuck You" for Record of the Year.


Rihanna - Loud

The biggest surprise of what's on the list is Rihanna's Loud. Although Good Girl Gone Bad was a bigger commercial hit and Rated R a more artistic album, neither managed an AOTY nod. Loud, which I would consider inferior to both of those albums, nonetheless scored three #1 hits, and so I think it's commercial appeal is what put it on the list (akin to last year's nod to Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, which has since proven to be one of the all-time biggest producers of big pop hits).

The snubs:

• Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. After 21, this was the other album I was sure would be nominated. West has been nominated three times before, and his latest album was just as acclaimed as those--if not more so, with "masterpiece" being bandied about to some extent. Still, the album produced no major hits on par with a "Gold Digger" or "Stronger," which may have been what sank it against this pop-heavy slate of hit albums. Nevertheless, I consider this a snub on par with the recent omissions of Bruce Springsteen's Magic and Bob Dylan's Modern Times.

• Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What. This isn't a snub against Simon so much as it is against Grammy pillars. Nostalgia has long played an important role in the Album of the Year category (see Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Herbie Hancock, Robert Plant, etc.), but not so much this year or last, when Carole King and James Taylor's album was similarly snubbed. Foo Fighters have been around for awhile, but like 20 years, not the 40+ years for the artists listed above.

• Taylor Swift - Speak Now. This was tipped by some as a pretty hot bet, but frankly, I'm not surprised she didn't make it in. Speak Now wasn't nearly the crossover success that Fearless was and Swift was so well-decorated 2 years ago that voters may feel like honoring someone else this time.

• Bon Iver - Bon Iver. Bon Iver showed up in Best New Artist (despite having put out a popular album 3 years ago) and this was the year's hottest alternative album. So after a win by an alternative album last year (Arcade Fire's Suburbs), I thought this had a good chance of making the cut. Surprisingly, he shows up in ROTY instead for "Holocene."

• Tony Bennett - Duets II. There was some talk that he could get in there, but I'm glad it didn't turn out that way in the end. He's not really that interesting to me.
  

Grammy Awards 2012: My reviews of AOTY nominees

One of the best things about this year's slate of AOTY nominees is that they are all winners--I recommend all of them, an improvement over the last 2 years' slates, which each contained only two albums I gave at least 4 stars to.

Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Hooligans (Reviewed October 10, 2010). "At just 10 tracks, Doo-Wops and Hooligans feels lean and mean. As I always say, I'd rather have a tight album of high points than a longer one with filler. With his debut, Mars firmly solidifies his pop music cred and raises expectations as one to watch in the coming years." (4/5)

Rihanna - Loud (Reviewed November 24, 2010). "Fittingly titled Loud is an assertive pop record from its high-octane production to its leading lady's vocal. Rihanna sounds different these days--there's definitely more heft in her voice, evident from the get-go on first track 'S&M,' a brassy dance pop number over which Rihanna sings that 'sticks and stones may break my bones by chains and whips excite me.'" (4/5)

Adele - 21 (Reviewed February 5, 2011). "In a way, 21 is a concept album like 19 was, documenting a year in the life of a young singer. This time around she's famous of course, but that doesn't mean the heartbreak stings any less. Still, the ability to transform a dead relationship into top 40 gold has to provide some level of consolation. It's certainly given us 2011's first fine pop album." (4.5/5)

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light (Reviewed April 17, 2011). "I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Wasting Light, the group's seventh studio album. Dave Grohl and company excel at muscular guitar rock that doesn't need to result to trends and tricks to be enjoyable." (4/5)

Lady Gaga - Born This Way (Reviewed May 29, 2011). "Frankly, it's not the best pop album ever, or even the best pop album released so far this year. But compared to her prior work, it definitely exceeds expectations. Against any meaningful measure, Born This Way is a triumph, continuing to push the boundaries of pop music (as well as a few buttons)." (4.5/5)

Grammy Nominations Announced

Grammy nominees were announced last night, with Kanye West scoring the most nominations (7); however, surprisingly not netting an Album of the Year nod for last year's critical darling, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

In a decidedly pop-heavy slate, Album of the Year nominations went to Adele, Foo Fighters, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Rihanna (for last year's Loud).

Record of the Year nominations were snagged by Adele ("Rolling in the Deep"), Mars ("Grenade"), Katy Perry ("Firework"), Mumford and Son "(The Cave") and, also surprisingly, Bon Iver ("Holocene"). All but Perry were also honored in Song of the Year, where Kanye West's "All of the Lights" was also nominated.

As expected, Nicki Minaj tops the list of Best New Artist nominees, where she'll compete against The Band Perry, Bon Iver, J. Cole and surprise nominee Skrillex.

More to come later!

10 Videos

Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris) - We Found Love
How long before Rihanna shows up in a movie? She seems interested in acting, with many of her videos depicting stories. "We Found Love" is the most fully formed we've seen from her yet, the story of a passionate but deeply troubled young couple on a drug-fueled course to self destruction. It has the look of a grimy art house film.



Beyonce (feat. J. Cole) - Party
Wow. This video is really cool and kind of shameless. It takes the beautiful (and filthy rich) Beyonce and recasts her as a trailer park girl. Love the grainy '80s look. The best bits--the girl who drinks from a hose, Beyonce smiling with the frying pan, the crimped hair, and the yellow faux fur jacket. Look for cameos from lil sis Solange and cousin Kelly.



Beyonce - Countdown
This video, dressed in '60s chic, couldn't be more different from "Party." As fun as that one is, this is really the better of the two, with a lot of interesting and retro visual film elements. The Audrey Hepburn homage works great. Check out the clearly pregnant Beyonce at 0:36.



Olly Murs - Dance with Me Tonight
I hadn't even heard this song yet until I just watched this video. What can I say? Great '50s swing-influenced song and a super cute video. Olly's looking better than ever.



Lady Gaga - You and I
This isn't exactly recent, but I hadn't watched it yet. It's definitely worth checking out. After the lo-fi production of "The Edge of Glory," "You and I" sees Gaga return to a more typically epic video. It's inspired by the song's lyrics about returning to Nebraska to salvage a failed relationship, but takes that story to an extreme, with imagery of a cybernetic chic Gaga, mermaid Gaga, and even a male Gaga, along with a ripped mad scientist (Taylor Kinney).



Nero - Crush on You
At first blush, it looks like this is going to be some gauzy teen love story set at a boarding school. Then--bam! It morphs into a '70s style horror movie, complete with cool lo-tech effects and lots of creepy images.



The Saturdays - My Heart Takes Over
Beautifully shot on location in Iceland with imagery that compliments the ballad nicely.



Loick Essien - Me Without You
"Me Without You" tries to do for Los Angeles was "How We Roll" did for London, but unfortunately doesn't pull it off. I think this video is dull, which is a shame, because I really like this song.



Labrinth (feat. Tinie Tempah) - Earthquake
This is mostly uninteresting computer animation with a blatant Mini product placement. Although I do like the weird robed guys that show up at about halfway.



David Guetta (feat. Usher) - Without You
Speaking of earthquakes...This video is awfully silly. The premise is that people all over the world dancing simultaneously to David Guetta's irresistible music cause massive tectonic upheaval that sends the continents on course to merge, allowing the people dancing on the various shores to unite and dance together in harmony. Of course if this were to really happen, they all wouldn't be smiling, they'd be dead.

Lady Gaga: The Edge of Glory

The video for "The Edge of Glory" came out late last week. It's probably the least interesting video she's made. It's certainly simple by comparison to most of her others, which maybe serves to actually make it seem pretty unique for her. Definitely fits in with the '80s influence--videos were generally so much simpler then and we still loved them.

Album Review: Lady Gaga - Born This Way (4.5/5)

Raised expectations can be a bitch, and sophomore albums are notoriously difficult, especially after a first album is so well received. Lady Gaga's 2008 debut, The Fame, produced four massive hits and created the most recent pop superstar, a game-changer of an artist who has redefined what it means to be a pop performer while taking a page or two (or more) from acts like Madonna and Elton John--artists who previously served in that role.

With the release of Born This Way, Lady Gaga's second album, the pop singer shows no fear in the face of those typical stumbling blocks. In fact, prior to its release, she talked the album up so much herself that it seemed impossible it would be as good as she thought it was. And frankly, it's not the best pop album ever, or even the best pop album released so far this year. But compared to her prior work, it definitely exceeds expectations. Against any meaningful measure, Born This Way is a triumph, continuing to push the boundaries of pop music (as well as a few buttons).

"Marry the Night" starts the album quietly with brooding synths and vocals and then quickly transforms into one of the album's biggest powerhouse dance pop tracks. It's a great song--one I expect will be a future single. The albums' highlights tend to be these high-energy numbers, particularly the songs we've already heard (the title track, "Judas" and "The Edge of Glory"). "Born This Way" is particularly great, better for its incessantly addictive rhythm than its social message (we're all born the way we are, so let's just all accept it and love one other--well-intentioned, but hardly groundbreaking).

As you would expect, the production here is top-notch electropop, churning out every conceivable type of electronic beat, bleat or synthetic keyboard creation you can imagine. "Judas" bristles with fuzzy synths and booming bass. It's such a great power pop song; I still can't fathom why it's become her first single to flop. That she's still drinking from the '80s synth-pop well is not surprising. She continues to do so effectively, even making a compelling argument for bringing back the saxophone on songs like "Hair" (which I'm liking more and more lately) and the current feel-good hit single "The Edge of Glory," which closes the album on a high note. "Bad Kids" and "Fashion of His Love" derive their appeal from the pulsating sound of mid-'80s dance pop--the kind that Madonna and Whitney Houston excelled at circa 1984-1988.

Gaga is a strange lady, so there are quite a few weird numbers in the mix. "Government Hooker" is an odd one for sure, sounding a bit like Britney Spears' "Gimme More." I've listened to it several times and read the lyrics and still can't tell you what it's about. It references JFK, so is she trying to pretend she's Marilyn Monroe? Well, Marilyn never sounded like this. I'm not sold on it yet, and neither am I really digging the Latin turn on "Americano," although I do appreciate the effort to mix in some Flamenco styling. I do, however, quite like "Scheiße," her foray into '90s European techno ("sheiße" is German for "shit"). "I don't speak German but I can if you like," says Gaga during the energetic dancefloor-ready tune before launching into a few lines of German a good source tells me is mostly nonsense, but fun nonetheless.

There are a few slower-by-comparison songs on the album to help break up what would otherwise be a pretty exhausting listen, although I wouldn't call any of them ballads. "Bloody Mary" is ominous synth-pop, but one suspects in a tongue-in-cheek way similar to what the Pet Shop Boys were doing in the '90s. "Black Jesus + Amen Fashion" also sounds kind of PSB-ish with its grandiose posturing and '80s keyboard melodies. "Electric Chapel" is in this vein too, maybe a little more toward Depeche Mode in its nod to gothic synth pop. Mutt Lange shows up to produce "You and I," which, with a different arrangement, could have been sung by his ex-wife Shania Twain. It's the only song that feels out of place here.

Lyrics aren't Gaga's strong suit, although she frequently turns out some memorable phrases. On "Judas," she uses Christian imagery to portray her love of the bad boy ("Jesus is my virtue, but Judas is the demon I cling to"). Hardly the religious statement some believed the song would be, it's just a simple metaphor. That her songs' substance frequently fails to achieve a deeper level of meaning isn't necessarily a bad thing. Do we really want dance pop music as social commentary? Seems like it can strive to be merely fun and really achieve exactly what it should. So when religious icons show up in other songs ("Bloody Mary," "Black Jesus + Amen Fashion" and "Electric Chapel"), they're there more for window-dressing than to make some big statement.

The album can be a bit grueling to get through. At 14 tracks (17 if you get the longer version), it's not a quick listen. That was one of the things that was so nice about Fame Monster--all eight of its tracks were winners. At this length, you're more likely to encounter a few duds. That said, Born This Way is an overall stronger listen than her first album, The Fame, which lost steam quickly beyond its mega-hit singles. Born This Way offers up gems and surprises all over the place, broadening the singer's sound while solidifying her dance pop base. It's a solid effort, one destined become one of the year's defining hit albums.

Best: Born This Way, Judas, Marry the Night, Scheiße, The Edge of Glory, Fashion of His Love, Black Jesus + Amen Fashion

Lady Gaga: Born This Way

Lady Gaga's second full-length album arrived in stores today (for as little as $1 at Amazon.com, which is a pretty amazing deal). I listened probably 3 times through today. Generally I'm pretty pleased, although it's not perfect. It's a pretty relentless album but it has a lot of variety, so I'm not suffering listener fatigue as yet. Here some initial impressions:

Marry the Night: Great choice for an opening track. Starts quiet and dramatic before bursting forth with a charging beat drenched in '80s electro dance-pop. An instant favorite and certainly a future single. Produced by Garibay, who is the most prominent producer on Born This Way, showing up on 11 of the 17 tracks.

Born This Way: It has its detractors, but I still love it.

Government Hooker: This is an odd one. Not sure how I feel about it yet. The JFK reference doesn't seem very natural. It sounds a bit like Britney Spears' "Gimme More."

Judas: This is the first RedOne-produced tracks on the album. Another one that I really love.

Americano: It's got a Latin thing going on, which is different for her. Still a bracing piece of dance pop. Quite over the top.

Hair: The saxophone makes its entrance on this second RedOne production. Nice melody and I like the little touch of piano, but the lyrics are pretty silly even for her.

Scheiße: "I don't speak German, but I can if you like" says Gaga at the top of this harder club-oriented song. Got a real '90s dance music sound to it, which is fun. Among the tracks so far that aren't singles, this is probably my second favorite after the opening track.

Bloody Mary: There's a lot of religious imagery on this album, but that's it--it's just imagery and nothing really deep (I don't think, will have to check out the lyrics to know for sure). Slower and theatrical. Reminds me of Pet Shop Boys in a way.

Black Jesus + Amen Fashion: This is one of the extra tracks on the longer edition ( after buying the $1 Amazon version, I cherry-picked the three additional tracks from iTunes, so we're looking at about $5 total for this). Surprised this isn't just on the album proper. It's pretty cool. A bit disco-ish. This is produced by DJ White Shadow, who shows up as co-producer on several other tracks.

Bad Kids: This is another self esteem pop song in a vein similar to "Born This Way." Her message of universal love for all the outcasts doesn't really seem that genuine, but I guess it's a good sentiment.

Fashion of His Love: Another bonus track. This is very '80s, like Frankie Goes to Hollywood style '80s. Fun song. Again, this is better than some of the album proper tracks, so I definitely recommend getting the 17-track version of this.

Highway Unicorn (Road to Love): Kind of messy production here, making the song go all over the place. Then the very melodic chorus breaks through the mess like a breath of fresh air. Not sold on this one yet, but it does have a pretty good beat.

Heavy Metal Lover: It's got a synth-based beat like "Born This Way," but otherwise sounds pretty different. Despite the title, this is dance pop through and through.

Electric Chapel: Here's the electric guitar along with some strings. Nice musical intro that segues into some pretty strong electronic keyboards. This song has a lot going for it actually, despite being buried back toward the end.

The Queen: Another bonus cut. Odd chimes at the beginning--like the sound the trolleys make in San Francisco. Then the tempo speeds up and we get upbeat dance pop.

You and I: Mutt Lange produced this song and it totally sounds like it, riding that country/rock/pop sound he does so well. I wonder if, in another world, this appeared on a Shania Twain album. Tempo wise, this is probably the slowest the album ever gets.

The Edge of Glory: The current single. I like this song, but not as much as "Born This Way" or "Judas." Still, I find myself singing it odd times, so it's definitely sunk in.

So, there you have it. It's pretty long, but I wouldn't characterize much of it as filler. Certainly far less so than The Fame. A proper review should follow this weekend.

Singles Serving

Judas - Lady Gaga. Clearly the big new single of the week. Lady Gaga returns with the second helping from her upcoming album, Born This Way. It's edgier than "Born This Way," although still very much in her usual vein of electro-dance pop. This "Bad Romance" only a bit dirtier ("Fame hooker, prostitute wench, vomits her mind"). Definitely another winner.

Turning Tables - Glee Cast feat. Gwyneth Paltrow. Gwyneth Paltrow tackles an album track from Adele's 21 and manages to pull the song off quite well. It makes me hope Adele releases this as a single soon. Such a beautiful song. It is odd that I think Gwyneth sounds a bit like Chris Colfer?

Unorthodox - Wretch 32 feat. Example. Wretch 32 is the year's hottest new British rapper. He hit #5 earlier this year with "Traktor" and returns with this superior single. It doesn't move the Earth, but it's enjoyable enough upbeat hip-hop track with a little taste of reggae melody underpinning it.

Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair - Arctic Monkeys. Remember when Arctic Monkeys delivered tight little explosive bombs masquerading as rock songs? Well, they don't do that anymore. Not that this is a bad song--the deep bass guitar growl recalls '90s-style alternative--but they aren't as much fun anymore. This is the first single from their upcoming fourth album.

Telling the World - Taio Cruz. This song is pretty cheesy, but I actually kind of enjoy it. Taio Cruz backed with piano and soaring synth-based melodies is a winning enough combination. Then the chimes come in...and you know you're in for the kind of song that works well in advertisements. It is, after all, from the soundtrack to the film Rio. Enjoy it for what it is.

Stop and Stare - Fenech-Soler. Fenech-Soler is a British electropop group from Northhamptonshire (isn't that a great name for a place to be from?). Not a bad bit of dance pop. Still, it's a genre that's been worked over of late, and while enjoyable, this isn't adding anything new to the conversation.

Singles Serving

Lady Gaga - Born This Way. Lady Gaga's new single has taken the world by storm as I expected it would. Tomorrow, it will become the 1,000th #1 hit in America. It will also debut at #6 on the Billboard Radio Songs chart, the highest a track has ever debuted on that chart, beating the #9 debut in 2001 by Janet Jackson's "All for You." It's an epic dance pop track, which is what you would expect. Some people are disparaging it for sounding like Madonna's "Express Yourself," which I think is silly because 1) I don't think think it sounds like "Express Yourself" and 2) even if it did, so what? "Express Yourself" was a great song...and so it this.

The Strokes - Under Cover of Darkness. The Strokes are getting ready to release their first album in 5 years. This sounds remarkably like anything they would have done in 2001 and that's probably a good thing, given that their popularity took a dive with their third album. I enjoy this song, but it's not a classic. It does have a nice guitar solo and a carefree feel.

Chromeo feat. Elly Jackson - Hot Mess. "Hot Mess" was not a standout track for me on Chromeo's Business Casual, but this new version with Elly Jackson of La Roux, which adds a new chorus with her vocals, is top notch synth pop. Really loving this single this week. It also fits right in with all the '80s music I've been listening to lately.

JLS feat. Tinie Tempah - Eyes Wide Shut. With this new single, JLS continues to prove the unfortunate fact that their music can be hit or miss. Last summer they released the pretty dreadful Sound of Music-inspired "The Club Is Alive," followed by the rather grand pop ballad "Love You More." Now we're back to mediocrity with this single, which sounds just like a slew of other upbeat synth-based, electro-tinged, dance-pop leaning, R&B-ish pop. When I try to recall in my mind what this song sounds like, I often end up with Chris Brown's "Yeah 3X" stuck in my head instead, since the songs are so interchangeable (and they're not even produced by the same person).

Black Eyed Peas - Just Can't Get Enough. I was expecting this to be another remake of Depeche Mode's classic single. Too bad that's not what we get with this tepid ballad. Yes, you heard me, ballad. Not what you usually get with BEP, but they try a slow song here, and it really isn't very interesting. Even the video game sound effects can't save it.

Radio Gaga for 'Born This Way'

Lady Gaga's new single has zoomed up the radio airplay charts in the U.S. this week. If you thought Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" was impressive during it's first week, this is an order of magnitude bigger.

At top 40 radio, Britney's track opened with 619 spins on day 1, gaining an average of about 660 spins per day during its first week to clock in at 4618 on day 7, which put it at #16 on the chart.

"Born This Way" started with 1838 spins on day 1--about 3 times what Britney did--and 2 days later is up to 5190 spins after just 3 days, meaning she's gaining over 1700 spins per day right now. If she can keep that up over the next few days, the track should end up in the top 10--maybe even the top 5--at the end of its first week of airplay. That's pretty amazing. The top 40's second fastest gainer right now is Pink's "Perfect," which has gained about 1400 spins in the last 7 days. So Gaga's daily increase in radio plays is more than any other single's weekly increase at present. Very, very impressive.

Billboard has reported that the track is set to debut at #14 on the Pop Songs chart this week.

Grammy Album of the Year

The Grammy Awards are tomorrow night, so like many observers, I'm thinking about who might win, as well as who should.

Album of the Year seems pretty sewn up this year, but I'd love to see a spoiler here. Three of the nominees are pretty easy to dismiss. Katy Perry's Teenage Dream didn't deserve the nomination in the first place, and I think a lot of Grammy voters would agree it is not deserving. Lady Antebellum's Need You Now isn't really my style, but from what I've read, it's not even the frontrunner for Best Country Album, let alone Album of the Year. And Arcade Fire's The Suburbs, despite being the best album here, isn't popular enough to generate widespread support.

That leaves Eminem and Lady Gaga duking it out for the win. Although relative newcomer Taylor Swift won the award last year, most recent honorees have been veterans, and believe it or not, Enimem is the most veteran act nominated this year. He was twice nominated before in 2000 for The Marshall Mathers LP and in 2002 for The Eminem Show, leading some voters to possibly view it as his "turn" to win. Recovery was also viewed as a comeback for him, giving him his biggest hit in years. It was also the best-selling album of last year, a factor that may have also worked in Taylor Swift's favor last year, as the music industry continues to struggle with album sales in the post-CD world. These factors will likely lead Recovery to victory tomorrow night, and it won't be Eminem's only statue either.

Yet, wouldn't it be grand to see an upset here? Yes, Eminem generated a lot of sales, but 12 years into the limelight now, he's just not that interesting. The figure who has most arguably reinvigorated pop music the most in the last 2 years is Lady Gaga, who just this week unleashed her latest sugary pop confection. Fame Monster was a lean and mean set of great pop songs. That it's considered an EP is probably a strike against it, as is her still "newcomer" status, but still, it's a much better album than most of the nominees.

Will win: Eminem
Should win: Lady Gaga (or Arcade Fire)

What I Said...

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (4.5). "The Suburbs is infused with that special type of youthful angst that the suburbs are adept at producing: an unholy blend of rage and boredom. Although the concept gets a bit heavy handed, particularly on closing duo 'Sprawl,' it serves to provide an interesting thematic thread through these songs, which deliver as much musical variety as we’ve heard from the band."



Eminem - Recovery (3). "Recovery has a lot of pop appeal, although it's an interesting twist of how hip-hop can appropriate pop into something dark and sinister. The kind of wicked goofiness that he showed on his earlier work, such as "Without Me" or "The Real Slim Shady" is missing here. Instead, the album is dominated by plodding, dark, guitar-driven songs that hybridize rap and pop, often with a great sample."



Lady Antebellum - Need You Now (3.5). "I'm not a big country listener, but I don't need a broad grounding in the genre to know this sounds very commercial. It's clearly meant to generate hits, which is a double-edged sword. Sure, it sounds slick, and there are some winners here, but there's also nothing really different or interesting that hasn't been done before."



Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster (4). "As much as anything, The Fame Monster advances Lady GaGa's apparent bid to become the new Madonna, taking several pages from the singer's '80s and early '90s playbooks. With Madonna moving on to do who-knows-what with the Live Earth people, its a role I'm happy to see someone take on."




Katy Perry - Teenage Dream (2.5). "With Teenage Dream, Katy Perry establishes herself as the poster child for prolonged adolescence, taking us through a carefree romp of drinking, flirting, and partying with hardly an adult consequence in sight. After [a] strong opening, the album goes downhill pretty fast, from a few more songs of mild interest, to quite a few that are just...well, dull."