50 albums: 2011 - Born This Way by Lady Gaga

Now I knew very little of Ms Gaga before listening to this album. Obviously she's been hard to avoid over the last few years but I'd done as best as is possible, not for any snobbish reasons but just because it was something that wasn't really on my radar.

I didn't know what she sounded like, although I'm fairly sure I must have encountered some of it at some point (although I didn't recognise anything on this album), I didn't know what she looked like, although I was probably somewhat aware that how she looks (or how she is perceived) is very important.

I decided as far as possible to listen to Born This Way, her second album, before I started to find out more about her. Here are some thoughts...

I think that she undoubtedly endures endless comparison with Madonna, occasionally this is quite clear within her music, most notably on the album's title track, I also get the impression that she probably doesn't care a great deal about these comparisons. I'd suggest that Born This Way may even be an intentional not to Madonna, possibly to stir things up a little. I think the comparisons are fine, she's clearly not trying to mine a Madonna seam, but she's certainly working in the same industry.

And then she used a bit of Bernard_Herrmann's Vertigo overture in the video for it...

(play on YouTube)

I think if I wanted to dance (and believe me I NEVER do!) that this is the music I'd want to dance to, it's also worth noting that this is music I didn't mind listening to in a way that dance music generally doesn't. It feels quite rich.

I don't hate this... in fact I'd go so far as to say that I actually quite like this (more than I liked the Daft Punk album).

(play on YouTube)

OK, I just looked at some pictures on flickr - she's bonkers!