Today is that day that Lady Gaga releases her second recording, The Fame Monster which is the followup to the wildly successful The Fame. Once again it’s a combination of Gaga’s contagious hooks, catchy lyrics, and cutting edge, yet retro dance beats.

For her second effort she takes on the personal monsters that have surrounded her during her rise to the top over the last year. It shows a much deeper and thoughtful look at life than the party atmosphere presented on her first recording, some perhaps the consequences of the life spoken of in The Fame. The songs reflect a new maturity indicating that Gaga may be around for many years to come.

My favorite songs on the new recording are Bad Romance, Alejandro, Monster, and Dance in the Dark. Bad Romance is the first single and probably the most similar the first recording. Gaga’s singing is very much counter to the beat of the tune, but it all kicks together on the sing along chorus. Alejandro reminds me of “la Isle Bonita” by Madonna. If you’re going to emulate a female pop artist, Madonna is definitely the one to do. While listening through this recording I noticed nods to many of my favorite artists over the last 20 which just shows that Gaga is smart, she know where pop music came from and she’s willing to incorporate many of these into her modern vision.

On a recent Saturday night live appearance, Gaga performed with a live band composed of only guitar, bass, keys, and drums, no DJ, no layers and layers of electronics.
This was Gaga raw and much of this shows through on this recording and I’m pretty sure we’ll see this on her upcoming tour as she brings her songs to her fans. I guess it took me quite a while to warm up to her, but now I’m convinced that Lady Gaga, unlike many recent pop stars is here to stay. At only 23 years old, she’s already demonstrated a command of song writing, dance, and sheer spectacle. I can only wait to see what the future will bring, but for now, I’ve got The Fame Monster to keep me company.

I like it. You will too! Now go out and buy it and spread the word.

Lady GaGa – The Fame Monster Deluxe Version

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