Lady Gaga-Born This Way

Lady Gaga (2011). Born this way [CD]. Los Angeles, CA: Interscope Records. ASIN: B004K4AVAG

Summary

Born This Way is another installment to keep Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters jumping on the dance floor. Its play list includes “Marry the Night,” “Born This Way,” “Government Hooker,” “Judas,” “Americano,” “Hair,” “Scheibe,” “Bloody Mary,” “Bad Kids,” “Highway Unicorn,” “Heavy Metal Lover,” “Electric Chapel,” “You and I,” and “The Edge of Glory.” Her single, “You and I,” earned her a 2012 Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance and the album is nominated for Album of the Year.

Critical Evaluation

Lady Gaga was born Stefani Germanotta on March 28, 1986 in Yonkers, New York. She attended private all-girl Catholic school in Manhattan, Convent of the Sacred Heart, and then began studying music at New York University at age 17. She was influenced by David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, and her stage name is drawn from “Radio Ga-Ga,” a Queen song. Other influences are Madonna and Michael Jackson. These influences are apparent in her songs, which have been described as pop and dance with theatrical performances. Her songs often have controversial messages.

 

Lady Gaga launched onto the music scene in 2008 with her debut album The Fame. Her song, “Born This Way,” promotes self-acceptance regardless of race or sexual orientation. Her vocals are expressive and emotional, and many lyrics have themes dealing with love, sex, sexuality, materialism, money, drugs, religion, freedom, and individualism.

 

Information about Lady Gaga was obtained through Wikipedia.

Genre

Music

Pop

Dance

Why did I include this title?

Lady Gaga is fascinating. I didn’t know much about her before researching for this blog entry. She is hard to miss, though, with her outlandish costumes. Her music is fun to listen to and she is entertaining to watch.

Adele-21

Adele (2011). 21 [CD]. London, England: XL Recordings Ltd.

Summary

Adele has recently won Grammy Award 2012 nominations for album of the year for 21 and song of the year for “Rolling in the Deep,” which is featured on 21. The album was co-produced by Rick Rubin and Paul Epworth of Florence and the Machine, and it was released in 2011. The photographer for the album art is Lauren Dukoff. As her second album, 21 is a coming of age collection of deeply personal songs. It is weaves together musical moods and settings that tell the story of the “power and glory of real love and real heartbreak,” according to the biography on Amazon.com. The CD’s track list includes “Rolling in the Deep,” “Rumour Has It,” “Turning Tables,” “Don’t You Remember,” “Set Fire to the Rain,” “He Won’t Go,” “Take It All,” “I’ll Be Waiting,” “One and Only,” “Lovesong,” and “Someone Like You.”

Critical Evaluation

 

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, known to music fans as Adele, herself explains the song “Rolling in the Deep” as a dark bluesy gospel disco tune. In fact, many of the songs, all written by Adele, have a gospel feel to them. Other words that could describe the music on this album include orchestral, jazzy, and fierce. Rolling Stone magazine comments, “Adele has toughened her tone, trimmed the jazz frippery and sounds ready for a pub fight....When the grooves are fierce, Adele gives as good as she gets." While her first album, 19, expressed a young woman’s turbulent adolescence, this album, her second (the numbers correspond to her age at the time they were created), chronicles a woman coming into her own. Inspiration for 21 came from a very influential love relationship with a man who taught her about life and love, and the lyrics of the tracks represent that. Of 21, Adele says it is about love’s rocky road and finding peace in life’s turmoil: "That's what the record is about," says Adele, "and I'm just more forgiving because of it." 

http://www.amazon.com/Adele/e/B00197GQ5Q/ref=ac_dpt_sa_bio

More information about Adele, her albums, and tour dates can be found on her official website:

http://www.adele.tv/

 

Genre

Music

Pop

Adult Alternative

Why did I include this title?

Music CD’s are available for check out for $1 at my local public library, and the due date is one week from the rental date; when iTunes sells rights to the music for $9.99, this is a fantastic deal. Laura’s iPod, prepare yourself to upload more music. Adele’s lyrics put into words feelings that I cannot express as eloquently in an achingly powerful way.