What may come as a shock to some people I know, I’m not as big of as a music elitist as I seem. I’ll listen to anything, except for country, which made me hesitant to listen to Joanne when the public consensus was that the album sounded ‘very country.’ Well, I’m glad to say that I disagree with the public, in that it does not sound very country-inspired, instead the album seems to have roots in folk music and traditional Americana-style influences, such as Bruce Springsteen.
Perhaps the most Bruce Springsteen sounding vocals is in “Diamond Heart,” where the opening verse shows Gaga using techniques and lyrics to bring forth of an image of the singer. However, she puts her own twist on it, as the pre-chorus switches into a more old-school Gaga sound. Unfortunately, this change comes off slightly jarring. The song seemingly regains more control over itself, in the bridge, with a fantastic melody. Although the lyrics of the song aren’t exactly my favorite, it’s a somewhat solid tune.
“A-YO” is possibly the most fun song on the album, with an infectious beat and a catchy chorus you can only expect from the Mother Monster herself. The song infuses dance music with a blues rock vibe that we’re starting to hear more of in popular music. It brings up the question if this is going to be the new top musical trend of the charts, along with the 80s-inspired music that’s been plaguing everyone’s influences it seems.
This leads into the title track “Joanne,” which possibly shows the most folk influence. Contrary to Gaga’s usually strong confident voice, she maintains an almost wispy vocal tone in the verses. This song almost sounds like a letter addressed to Gaga to herself, as Joanne is in fact her middle name. It sounds vulnerable, and as the rawest track on the album, I can see why she titled the album it. It’s personal in a way few pop tracks have been, but with Beyoncé’s Lemonade and now Joanne, we’re definitely seeing a shift in pop dichotomy towards vulnerability.
“John Wayne” is drum-heavy, reminiscent of any blues-rock song ever. Once again, I’m not crazy about the lyrics of the song, as I felt it was more of the same we saw in “Diamond Heart.” However, I found the synths in the chorus to be an extremely unique take to the usual twangy guitar found in those types of songs.
In regards to “Dancin’ In Circles,” I had no idea what the lyrics were about until I looked them up, and suddenly a lot of things made sense, to put it nicely. Lyrics and content aside, the song stands out amongst the other due to the Bachata-style Gaga takes with the song, which although I applaud Gaga for the experimentation, is overall forgettable.
I feel there’s not much to say in regards to “Perfect Illusion,” everyone’s already heard it before. Nevertheless, I’ll power through it. The lyrics are at often repetitive, and can often be classified as uninspired. I do enjoy the synth-work on this album, and this track was no different, and the “Flashdance” vibe I got from it was interesting to say the least. However, I did have a problem with the key change in the final chorus, as I often find them lazy work, and this one definitely fell flat on its face for me.
Pretty much all of my favorite Lady Gaga songs are all stripped down, just her and piano work, and “Million Reasons” definitely works extremely well. Her questioning lyrics about how to get out of a broken relationship are reminiscent of so many Americana artists, and the music accompaniment reflects that. My only critique is that I would have preferred for the piano track to be a little bit louder, as I thought it was quite lovely and should have been brought to be more to the forefront, and the guitar should have been quieter, as it felt like more of the same.
“Sinner’s Prayer” is another folk/Americana song, and reminds me ever so slightly of “Daddy Lessons” by Beyoncé. The lyrics are interesting in how it is about love in general, and about how Gaga feels guilty about a previous relationship, and about moving on. In this case, the key change in the final chorus actually works, making the song sound fresh and different from the normal songs it is styled after.
“Come to Mama” is one of my favorites on the album, and actually sounds like something that could possibly be played in a 50s diner. The theme of the song is quite heartfelt, and somewhat relates to the later track “Angel Down.” I’d really enjoy more songs like this from Gaga, as it seems slightly in the same vein as her other song “Again.”
Right after comes “Hey Girl,” another track I quite enjoyed. This track was a collaboration with the ever-ethereal Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine, and although their voices seem to be the exact opposite of each other, it mixed very well, although the constant trading off of singers may be jarring to some. This song reminds me of an 80s or early 90s R&B song, which seems somewhat odd when compared to the feminist critique of the industry the lyrics provide. Nonetheless, the song is great, and seems to gel on every level.
“Angel Down” is possibly the most political song of Gaga’s career, which was written in response to the shooting of Trayvon Martin in specific, but can be used for any of those cases. With lovely, thoughtful lyrics, Lady Gaga creates a sweet tribute to the boy and all the victims.
Gaga discusses feminist themes once again in “Grigio Girls.” Although a pretty song, its pretty much more of the same musically. But to hear a song glorifying female support of each other, and relying on each other and getting together is really beautiful, and I feel a song that is needed. I’m sure we’ll be seeing these lyrics as captions on Instagram pictures of female friend groups getting together in the near future.
“Just Another Day” closes the album, and although it doesn’t quite jive with the rest of the album, it makes for an interesting end to it. I absolutely loved the song, as it felt highly inspired by early Elton John songs, an influence we haven’t seen with Gaga in a while. The lyrics are quite positive, which is why I understand she closed the album out with it. The horns in the bridge are phenomenal, and overall this quite possibly the best song on the album in my opinion.
Coming after the mediocre Artpop, Joanne seems like a step in the right direction for Gaga after her exploration of other genres. Safe to say, I am personally excited as to what Gaga will do next, as she seems to be more sure of herself than she ever has been. Although it did not upset the ranking of my favorite Gaga album, Born This Way, it definitely earns its place at the top of her discography. Overall, I’d give it a light four out of five.
