Lady Gaga – Joanne

As a musician one always had a feeling that Lady Gaga was not long for the music world. What I mean is that a personal that restless, explorative and creative would look for other outlets rather than stay within the same art form. So when acting came calling it was not a great shock to many. It took five years for the siren call of music to pull her back in. She is back with a stripped down and more intimate album named after her deceased aunt. It is very different from the dance music operas she has churned out previously. This incarnation is personal and has a sound that would have fit right in on Nineties soft-rock radio. With all the acoustic guitar that crops up Lady Gaga would have been sought after as a headliner on the Lilith Fair tour. Sarah McLachlan, Paula Cole and Shania Twain (yeah, there is even a little country twang to be heard) could have recorded this album. Gaga has discarded all her big beats and glam to reinvent herself as a singer-songwriter. That is reinforced by many of the guests she has on the album like Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) and Kevin Parker (Tame Impala). Mother Monster just wants us to listen to the music and does not allow any fluff to get in the way. The best thing about the album is that it showcases her undeniable talent. The worst is that is probably will not do monster sales like Born This Way or Fame.