ALBUM: Lady Gaga 'Joanne' - GigslutzGigslutz

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She may have been living for the ‘Applause’ in 2013 when she released Artpop , but on her fifth studio album Joanne, Lady Gaga temporarily hangs up her mermaid bra and lays bare her ‘Diamond Heart’. The album marks another shining moment of metamorphosis for the American pop superstar.

Renowned for her shock factor visually and aurally, the most shocking thing about Gaga’s Joanne is how bare it is. Critics and fans seem surprised that her voice adapts to country music so easily, but she has always been the owner of a fine soulful voice (even though it was often hidden under pop verses and dresses made of meat).

Whilst award-winning executive producer Mark Ronson has helped bring this voice to the forefront on the record, Joanne still belongs entirely to Lady Gaga. The album is named after her aunt who passed away at the age of nineteen, and Gaga has spoken about how she wanted to be a “good girl” like Joanne, but her naturally rebellious nature meant she was destined for something different.

It’s this rebellious streak that’s inspired songs like opener ‘Diamond Heart’. Gaga sounds jubilant as she sings “I’m not flawless, but you know I’ve got a diamond heart” and this powerful pop-rock tune is a real aural confidence boost. If ‘You & I’ ranks highly amongst your favourite Gaga tunes, then ‘Diamond Heart’ is going to tick your boxes.

Make sure you get your Marlboro lights out so you can puff along to ‘A-YO’ with its poppier beats and general sassiness, and keep your lighters burning for the acoustic-led and eponymous ‘Joanne’. Gaga is adamant that despite the sad context from which the record springs this is “not a sad album”, and she’s right; Joanne sounds like a positive affirmation of endurance and redemption.

Gaga also spoke of the record being “very revealing” for her “as a woman” – something she has embraced in recent years since coming to terms with being sexually assaulted. After her incredible performance of ‘Til It Happens To You’ at The Oscars this year, It feels like she’s still shunning the “asshole who broke me in” (‘Diamond Heart’) and embracing speaking out and ‘Dancin’ In Circles’ instead.

Lead single ‘Perfect Illusion’ is further proof that innocence and experience have taken their toll on the singer’s heart. Gaga was “caught up” in the “show” of romantic love, but with the aid of a simple stomping dance beat she declares “I don’t need ecstasy, I’ve felt the touch of me” and stands defiant in the face of loneliness and disappointment. Following track ‘Million Reasons’ slows things down once again with its acoustic guitar, and is probably best appreciated on a long drive home in the desert on a cold desolate night (or if you’re delayed on a train on your commute home from work).

‘Sinners Prayer’ and ‘Come To Mama’ pass by relatively easy before ‘Hey Girl’ kicks in. Gaga has collaborated with Florence Welsh on this track, and it’s a lo-fi shout out to female friendship. Closing track ‘Angel Down’ ends things on a bitter sweet note, but if you’ve got the deluxe version make sure you skip straight to ‘Grigio Girls’. It’s a tune for girls “on the pinot” who want to watch their “blues turn gold”. It’s good to see Gaga’s still embracing her partying ways, even if she has switched the club lights for the camp fire and a vineyards worth of wine here.

Joanne might appear to be tame on the surface, but it’s as wild as the rest of Gaga’s back catalogue. Gone are the disco balls and lightning bolts, replaced by rhinestones and cowboy hats. The packaging is different, but the expression and style are still delightfully Gaga.

Joanne is out now via Interscope Records.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut