In only a year and a half, Lady GaGa has established herself as an international pop star, delivering hit after hit of electro-pop with catchy tunes “Just Dance,” “Poker Face” and “LoveGame.” Her debut album, “The Fame,” has garnered her five Grammy nominations this year, including the holy trio (Record, Song and Album). Lady GaGa has just released an even better follow-up EP, “The Fame Monster.” The EP only includes eight tracks, but all are just as good, if not better, than the songs from her debut.
Her first single, “Bad Romance,” from the EP has shot to the top of the charts, and with good reason. The song is a pop gem that perfectly blends the sounds from her hit singles off the first album, “The Fame.” The thumping chorus is reminiscent of “Poker Face,” but instead of “P-p-p-poker face, p-p-p-poker face,” GaGa treats the listener to the seemingly nonsensical “Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah / Roma, roma-ma / GaGa, ooh la la.” But, Lady GaGa sells the song, especially at last month’s American Music Awards where she strutted around the stage wearing nothing but a flesh-toned body-suit with gems similar to Britney Spears’ ensemble at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
GaGa’s second single off the EP, “Telephone,” features international pop star Beyoncé. The song takes a few listens to get into, due in part to hearing the two superstar voices on one track . They are a force to be reckoned with in the pop world.. It is rumored that Lady GaGa originally wrote “Telephone” for Britney Spears, but there was no interest in the song from Spears’ management. Lady GaGa then kept the song for her own EP and wanted Spears to accompany her on the track. However, as luck would have it, Beyoncé stepped in after Spears’ management wanted it to appear on her “Singles Collection” as opposed to Lady GaGa’s EP. Beyoncé completely tears into the song with full passion and commitment.
Lady GaGa sounds somewhat like Madonna on “Alejandro” and the song is reminiscent of Ace of Base’s “Don’t Turn Around.” With the beats of mid-’90s pop, the singer is resurrecting a sound that seemed dead and gone. But, it is a welcome change of pace from the unoriginal rap tunes and country pop that have remained a present force on Top 40 stations since the beginning of the decade.
“Monster” begins with Lady GaGa talking in a somewhat dullish voice, but as soon as she begins to sing “he ate my heart,” (which repeats continuously throughout the track) the song becomes completely infectious. This little ditty is an excellent option for a single if Lady GaGa and Interscope Records choose to release it.
One of the strongest tracks on the immaculate EP, “Speechless,” sounds completely different from anything the pop star has sung before. Lady GaGa is almost channeling her real-life persona, Stefani Germanotta on this slow-burning ballad. The auto-tune and electronics heard on her other songs are absent. Lady GaGa had “Paparazzi” off “The Fame,” but “Speechless” is easily more relatable and further stripped of production.
Only Lady GaGa could get away with referencing Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Sylvia Plath and JonBenét Ramsey all in one song. “Dance in the Dark” is an innovative mid-tempo song that fits well with the other seven tracks on the EP. “So Happy I Could Die” seems like a filler and loosely sounds like a cousin to her own song, “Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say).” The last track on the EP, “Teeth,” oozes sex and unabashed promiscuity. As GaGa sings in the song, she just wants “your sex.”
As the decade concludes in a few short weeks, Lady GaGa can rest assured knowing she has had a vast impact on the music industry, from outlandish live performances to crazy outfits to the dynamite pop tunes that have defined the las-t year of the decade.
