The follow up to Lady Gaga's 2008 smash album The Fame was originally planned as a simple re-release of that same album, but the eight brand new tracks stand out on their own and, in my opinion, deserved their own place to call home.
The Fame Monster is a completely different direction for Gaga, and a good direction at that. With up-tempo hit singles like "Bad Romance" and "Telephone" mixed in with songs with darker themes and somber lyrics such as "Speechless" and "Dance in the Dark", this album showcases the range and voice that Gaga has. From the lyrics, themes, and even the album cover art, one would be quick to realize that what they are in store for will shock them when the album they pop in is nothing like what they heard on The Fame, and that is certainly not a bad thing.
Gaga has established herself as a pop phenomenon and amazing performance artist in only two years on the music scene. This album continues her dominance in pop music. Each track is a well-crafted pop masterpiece with self-written lyrics to go along with. "Bad Romance" is a great opener for the album because it feels like it connects the two albums together in a bizarre way. Gaga even finds a way to incorporate her name into what has to be considered one of the year's catchiest hooks. The song, along with the music video, will go down as one of Gaga's trademarks, sitting nicely beside "Poker Face".
The next track, "Alejandro", has a quirky Spanish vibe to it with Gaga repeating the names of her lovers, Alejandro, Fernando, and Roberto. Although her accent may be quite comical, Gaga sings the song with intense emotion. Gaga proved me wrong when I said the song was not single material when she sent it to the top ten of the Billboard charts, her seventh consecutive hit.
"Monster", which I desperately hope is the effort's fourth single, contains a dark undertone about a man eating Gaga's heart. The song is another masterpiece for Gaga where she even references her first single "Just Dance". The only ballad on the album, "Speechless", is the type of song I wish to see more of from Gaga. The lyrics and meaning behind the song, along with her powerful voice, almost brought me to tears. Whether dance songs or ballads, Gaga can do it all.
"Dance in the Dark" follows and describes a woman who only wants to make love to her partner when the lights are off due to her fear of insecurity. This great song makes a reference to the famous women who have lost their lives in tragic ways, including Princess Diana and Jon Benet Ramsey. The collaboration that had everyone talking, "Telephone" teams Gaga up with Beyonce for the second time and what results is nothing short of genius. The stand out "pop" track from the album is supported by an amazing and unique ten-minute music video.
"So Happy I Can Die" deals with the same themes as those found on "The Fame", but belongs with this tracklist due to the somber emotion it evokes. Whether seen as a club song or sad song, the point is that this song works. Last but not least is "Teeth", which I considered the only halt on the album. With a first listen many may not take a liking to the weird track, I thought it was just her talking. A good song, but nothing very Gaga like, it should have been left off the tracklist.
The album as a whole is nothing short of perfection. While "The Fame" came off as an album of catchy singles, "The Fame Monster" sounds like a complete, thought out album. Even though "Teeth" goes a little off track, it still embodies the theme Gaga was trying to present with the album. The cover art says it all. These songs are still pop in every way, but show an almost Gothic tone as well. A good direction for an artist who is unique and different. What was suppose to be just a re-release became a second studio album, and with only eight tracks it still packs a stronger punch than most albums on the market now. Every song, one right after another, is pop perfection with the exception of the last. This album would have gotten a perfect score of 100, but since "Teeth" was hard to listen to the first time around my final percentage for "The Fame Monster" is an astounding 95%.
Tracks to hear: "Bad Romance", "Monster", "So Happy I Could Die" and "Dance in the Dark"
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