A good or bad album can make or break a whole career, no matter how big the star is. Album eras often define the public perception of

an artist, by the music, its commercial performance or imagery. What are some albums you think were confusing choices for

an MPG to release at a given point in their career?

 

Here's mine:

 

Joanne

 

 

Joanne is a very confusing album to me. The hype in the run-up to this era was undeniable, Gaga had spent the previous few years

working hard to redefine her public image, fan theories for the project went anywhere from a return to BTW style "dark pop" to a full

metal record, there was an incredible amount of pressure to stick her landing after the drama surrounding ARTPOP and the

associated cleanup.

 

Joanne arrived as a scattershot fusion of genres. Soft rock meets Americana meets Pop meets Reggaeton meets Country. It was

like nothing Gaga had done before in her career, and to this day I've never heard another album like it, although I'm not sure

that's a compliment.

 

In my opinion Joanne drifts in and out of influences, sounds and genres too quickly to be good at any of them. These songs sound

like theme songs to images on a mood board, an old western movie, or the music that appears in your head if you picture a cowboy, rather

than craftily produced pieces of music in their own right. With instrumentation and production primarily handled by British producer Mark Ronson and EDM DJ BloodPop, I feel like the album was never given the proper resources to deeply explore the Americana influences Gaga was clearly aiming for with this project.

 

Receiving just-okay reception from critics, the public and fans alike, Joanne was not a disaster or even really an underperformance,

but it also didn't move her career onwards from where it was prior to the album's release, at least until she appeared at

the Super Bowl the following year.

 

To this day I'm not really sure if this album was intended to be a blockbuster or not. It was promoted like one, but the music is so

pointedly uncommercial, aiming for no specific demographic, that it makes me wonder who the intended audience were. The music was

too Hollywood for country fans, too country for pop fans, too superficial for the indie crowd.

 

In the context of what this album could have meant for the future of her career in that turbulent period, I think Joanne

is one of the most confusing releases by a major pop star.

 

 

Dangerous Woman lowkey 

The tonal shift of Solar Power was strange and definitely unexpected.

solar panel

how do you mix puppy grief + antarctic freeze and ends up being a cannabis ukelele beachy snoozefest?

Joanne was an odd release if you compare it to ARTPOP and her previous albums but considering the fact that for the past 2 years she had been rebuilding her public image and trying to move away from the perception the public had of her from 2008-2013 it's actually quite understandable. Musically it might be confusing but I feel like she tried to satisfy her fanbase while making a record that was more appealing to older generations and the general public.

 

OT:

 

I get that it's to commemorate the 20 years of Control but I think that after the almost career ending that the Super Bowl was for her she needed something that would remind the public why she became the superstar that she is... instead she decided to make a "looking back" album that marketed her as a has been and that's not even the worst part: the music was by far the worst thing she had done since her father was managing her and it's even embarassing that it's meant to be inspired by a masterpiece like Control.

I’m confused why Team Britney decided to release Britney Jean to coincide with the POM residency when it was clear Britney wasn’t involved with it enough, and the quality wasn’t there. They could’ve just released a 4 track EP if they wanted new songs for the show. 

In retrospect, Chromatica and Dawn of Chromatica

Joanne is a great example. I’m still very struck by something she said while promoting Chromatica — maybe it was on Zane Lowe? — about how (paraphrasing) she tried and eventually realized it was impossible to fix your dad’s trauma. Something like that. 

 

I once heard an artist sum it up very well in a critique: when the viewer/listener is confused, there’s a good chance the maker was confused too. That’s what I feel with Joanne. She was trying to do ~something~ different than ARTPOP and also trying to address daddy issues in some way, and it’s doesn’t really coalesce. 

 

I’m grateful for Perfect Illusion though. Still one of my favorite Gaga songs. 

Joanne truly reflects her career at that point in time - a mess. Maybe if Liddos didn’t let God Wayne flop we would have a cute lil expanded edition with some course correcting bops 

Joanne - just y

 

Head above water/luv sux- crushed my soul that i didn't like it

 

I thought of Joanne before even opening the thread. Don't get me wrong I get how the album was therapeutic for Gaga's family, especially her father as he lost his sister very young, but the album felt very random. I didn't really understand the country correlation and it lives in this very awkward intersection of being pop and american roots. I would've prefered her to just go all americano with this album it would've felt way more sincere. The songwriting on Joanne feel disingenuous as a result. 

 

Like why would she let Bloodpop produce a country album. If she went full blown Brandi Carlile on Joanne she would've been an AOTY winner by now. 

Are people really that baffled by Joanne? I understand why casuals might be confused, but it was clear Gaga needed a change of direction following ARTPOP, and she had a reputation for sonic risks. I always assumed we’d get a more stripped back Gaga album at some point, and the early Red & Blue songs, as well as Speechless, Brown Eyes, Yoü and I, as well as the country road version of Born This Way foreshadowed the album. 

16 minutes ago, BOOMBAYAH said:

Dangerous Woman lowkey 

I actually think DW is Ari's strongest selection of tracks still 

 

1 minute ago, GraceRandolph said:

Are people really that baffled by Joanne? I understand why casuals might be confused, but it was clear Gaga needed a change of direction following ARTPOP, and she had a reputation for sonic risks. I always assumed we’d get a more stripped back Gaga album at some point, and the early Red & Blue songs, as well as Speechless, Brown Eyes, Yoü and I, as well as the country road version of Born This Way foreshadowed the album. 

I wasn't really baffled by her decision to strip it back, I'd definitely enjoy an album of well crafted acoustic or rock music from her, my criticism at least is more targeted at how Joanne seems to position Gaga cosplaying as a deep south country act rather than an artist just making solid soft rock music. Maybe it was easier for her to wear that facade but the music is worse off for it. Songs like You and I are way better because they just feel like her.

Also really found 'Endless Summer Vacation' a very odd record. I don't understand the vibe she went for. The album has very little to say and again suffers from trying to be so many things at the same time that it just feels like an awkward record. People expected a pop album with dance / funk influences and it ended up being this very dull, muffled collection of songs that almost feel like "Grammy" pandering. Like she proofs to be a real musician or something but it doesn't feel like Miley Cyrus and it showcased absolutely zero growth compared to Bangerz and Plastic Hearts. It's like Younger Now's older cousin.

2 minutes ago, perpetual novice said:

I actually think DW is Ari's strongest selection of tracks still 

 

I wasn't really baffled by her decision to strip it back, I'd definitely enjoy an album of well crafted acoustic or rock music from her, my criticism at least is more targeted at how Joanne seems to position Gaga cosplaying as a deep south country act rather than an artist just making solid soft rock music. Maybe it was easier for her to wear that facade but the music is worse off for it. Songs like You and I are way better because they just feel like her.

My thought would be that Gaga was already in that mode for ASIB OST which was recorded around the same time. 

I'm surprised no one has said Bionic yet - such an odd and risky choice after the Back to Basics era (even if it wasn't a bad pop album). In many ways, I feel like Xtina has been going further and further backwards since her peak.

Edited September 3, 20233 yr by nostalgic

 

Following up Bangerz—her commercial peak—with a free, psychedelic album was definitely a choice! But it's one of her best albums, so I'll forever commend her for it. 🫂

ESV

Bionic

Joanne

Witness

Reputation

32 minutes ago, perpetual novice said:

Joanne arrived as a scattershot fusion of genres. Soft rock meets Americana meets Pop meets Reggaeton meets Country.

What?

Just now, 305 said:

What?

It's not a super neat tie-in but it's the best way to describe tracks like Dancin' in Circles 

26 minutes ago, x æ a-xii said:

solar panel

how do you mix puppy grief + antarctic freeze and ends up being a cannabis ukelele beachy snoozefest?

The first albums that came to my mind are Miley’s Dead Petz and Gaga’s Joanne. It definitely was very confusing. 

Not sure if it has been mentioned yet, but Endless Summer Vacation by Miley.

 

What was she trying to convey sonically? It is not cohesive at all, even with the split in two parts, those are not cohesive either.

 

I just really don’t know what she was doing. (I do like some songs individually)

Great write up on Joanne! I completely agree. The album tried to be too many things at once.