Album Review: Lady GaGa - Chromatica (Deluxe Edition)

This week I have decided to review American singer songwriter Lady GaGa's sixth album Chromatica, released a few weeks ago. This album furthered GaGa's success worldwide, it went to number 1 in the UK becoming her fifth number 1 album and her eighth top 10. In the US it became her sixth number 1 album in a row and her eighth top 10. In Australia it became GaGa's fourth number 1 album and seventh top 10 album. Chromatica went top 10 in twenty six other countries, of them it went to number 1 in fourteen. The album has also spawned three hit singles so far, in the UK all three have gone top 20 with two going top 5 one of which hit number 1 (there was also another top 40 entry upon the albums release). In the US all three singles went top 40 with two going top 5 and one  hitting number 1, while in Australia all three went top 10 with one hitting number 1.

I have been a fan of Lady GaGa since day one, as soon as I heard Just Dance I knew there was something different and special about this woman. With her incredible voice, which turns out is super versatile, her clever lyrics that convey so many messages and the artistry across several genres all combine to make her one of the most unique artists around today. This album was a triumphant return to the dance style that launched her career giving strong vibes of her first two albums, her debut being my favourite of her albums so far, which it easily matches in quality. There are three collaborations on this album and all are incredible in their own way, the collaborators are American singer songwriter Ariana Grande, South Korean girl group BLACKPINK and British singer songwriter and legend Sir Elton John. Rain On Me with Ariana is the first collaboration on the album and, although I am not a fan of Ariana herself, is an incredible blend of the two artist voices with GaGa showing how powerful her voice is and using some of the different styles she used on her Born This Way album, then there is Ariana bringing a big vocal to match GaGa with the two bouncing off of each other really well. Next we get Sour Candy with BLACKPINK which is an ingenious collaboration, I have liked everything I have heard by BLACKPINK so I knew this would be great, all four members of the band bring clear powerful vocals matching GaGa's power perfectly and all five women give the sass and attitude needed to pull this off. As if the collaborations weren't incredible enough already here comes the best one yet Sine From Above with Elton is a perfect collaboration where GaGa again brings a powerful and emotional vocal really making you feel the lyrics and Elton matches her perfectly bringing his flawless vocal over the intense dance music and then the harmonise and it is even more incredible. Everyone was expecting this to be a ballad but it is one of the biggest dance songs on the album and it is exactly what we needed, a super emotional sublime performance from both.

Now when it comes to favourites it is equal between Alice and Sine From Above with Elton, as I have already gushed about Sine From Above i'll tell you why I love Alice (not because it's my wife's name). I love the powerfully impacting theme of Alice in Wonderland as an escape from whatever issues being faced in normal life, GaGa brings all the emotions attached to that into her voice while she belts the lyrics powerfully and artistically showing off the different layers to her voice. The music perfectly matches GaGa's voice as they rise and fall together making for a symphonic feel which really hits and brings across the emotions and meanings even more.

Honourable mentions for this album are an interesting one, they are Chromatica I, II and III, Plastic Doll and 1000 Doves (Piano Demo). I will start with the Chromatica interludes, each an orchestra piece of music working brilliantly with the rest of the album and I personally love them, they bring something to the overall album that you don't usually get with dance music, they break the album into three parts but also combine it into one complete body of work. Next we have Plastic Doll which is about not treating a woman like a doll because she is human with feelings and value, GaGa brings this across brilliantly with her emotive performance singing the verses more calmly but emphasising everything with the tone of her voice showing the emotions linked to each lyric, then she belts the chorus powerfully while still keeping that emotion and intensity. Then we come to 1000 Doves (Piano Demo), which is a bonus track on the deluxe edition, a powerful song of struggling with various things in life and asking for support but also offering it, enabling two broken people to rise up together. This is literally GaGa and a piano, with slightly different lyrics to the standard album track, it is a completely vulnerable performance allowing GaGa's pure voice to take centre stage and show every single emotion attached to this song, you really get a sense of how she felt when writing it.

To finish then here are the ratings for each song on the album;

1. Chromatica I - 8.5/10

2. Alice - 10/10

3. Stupid Love - 8/10 

4. Rain On Me ft Ariana Grande - 9/10

5. Free Woman - 8/10

6. Fun Tonight - 9/10

7. Chromatica II - 8.5/10

8. 911 - 8.5/10

9. Plastic Doll - 9.5/10

10. Sour Candy ft BLACKPINK - 9.5/10

11. Enigma - 9/10

12. Replay - 8/10

13. Chromatica III - 8.5/10

14. Sine From Above ft Sir Elton John - 10/10

15. 100 Doves - 9/10

16. Babylon - 8/10

Bonus Tracks

17. Love Me Right - 8.5/10

18. 100 Doves (Piano Version) - 9/10

19. Stupid Love (Vitaclub Warehouse mix) - 6.5/10