So these last three Lady Gaga tracks...

 
To say Project: Born This Way has gathered steam ahead of the album's release on May 23rd is a huge understatement. Before the album has even been released, we've already heard four songs from Lady Gaga's third album in two and a half years. So moving past our thoughts on the title track, how do we rate Born This Way so far?

Judas

Ladies and gentlemen, it doesn't really get much better than this (apart from Bad Romance, obv). If ever there was a track to answer back to concerns about the album's lead single sounding a little too similar to the output of the previous generation's iconic pop star par excellance, this is it. Gaga delivers one of her most compelling vocals on the verses, before piling into a chorus which, to our mind, creates an amazing triptych with Bad Romance and Poker Face.

It's the video, however, that's the most gratifying part of the Judas campaign. Compared to the ludicrous bombast of the Born This Way video (a song which cried out for a down-to-earth feel-good disco style video) Judas actually sees Gaga having some bloody fun again in a video. At first we were surprised there wasn't a whole lot more sacrilege on offer (lest we forget, Alejandro had Gaga dressed as a nun being set upon by a gaggle of semi-naked men). But then, we were just relieved that the temptation to drape the whole thing in 50 minutes of religious symbolism didn't take over, and the drive to deliver a fun promo video that complimented a great, interesting track won the day.

The Edge Of Glory

To move from the frenetic energy of Born This Way and Judas to the comparatively sedate The Edge of Glory was, in our opinion, an absolute masterstroke. A touching dance-oriented track with a soft rock vocal immediately, Edge of Glory is the perfect reminder that when she chooses to, Gaga can strip away the aesthetics and deliver a reflective and poignant pop song which resonates just as deeply as her more attention-grabbing up-tempo repertoire. To put it another way "It isn't hell if everybody knows my name tonight" is probably one of our favourite Gaga lyrics to date.

Initially, we were a little concerned that the track put us immediately in mind of Cher's Song For The Lonely. But then we stopped and thought "you know what, we can't think of a more fitting thing for Gaga to do on her third album than to reference the members of the pop aristocracy who have paved the way for her. Well done everyone." 

Hair

And this is the point we have to get a bit cynical *puts on critical face*. In one sense, we can completely see how Hair kind of wraps up some of the themes (both lyrically and musically) being expressed on the three tracks that have preceded it. And believe us, no-one appreciates an artistically contigious set of single releases as much as we do. The only problem is, Hair doesn't quite work as well as the other three tracks does it? There's something about the understated backing track, and the somewhat crammed-in-there vocals which screams "album track". 

In itself, that's no bad thing. Let's face it, no-one is expecting Born This Way to yield 14 singles, do they (although how fucking amazing would that be)? It just wouldn't be the final taste we left in "the market's" mouth before we chucked the album out there. But we suppose there's a reason why we're not heading up the marketing team at Interscope Records (although how fucking amazing would that be?)

The Verdict

It's probably safe to say that Gaga can expect her bank balance to rise by £10 at the very least on May 23rd. Have one on us, why don't you?

Charlie Atlantic returns

In a bit of a Pop Web exclusive, we are thrilled to announce that one of our favourite unsigned singer-songwriters Charlie Atlantic is launching a solo career. Following on from his impressive career as the frontman of Oxford-based band Inlight, Charlie is looking to recapture the buzz that surrounded his vocal and songwriting talents with The Lost Generation EP which will be released in August (further details and preview snippets can be found at his website www.charlieatlantic.com).

First impressions of the tracks we've heard thus far indicate that Charlie is going down a moodier and more atmospheric path than he traversed in his Inlight tenure. The tracks on the EP are largely piano, rather than guitar led and lyrically, Charlie very much plays up the despair in one of the lead tracks Paranoid with anguished cries of "Nobody tells me what's going wrong/ What do they have to lose?" permeating the haunting track Colours. For new listeners, this may all seem a little daunting and oppressive; those of us aware of Charlie's wider range of work, however, will be pleased to see him settling on a sound and exploring a mood in one coherent piece. A little light against the shade is the country-tinged Why Oh Why? which bubbles along beautifully and neatly counterbalances the sombre tone of the rest of the EP.

One of the key tracks underpinning this EP campaign is the sublime Dido and Aeneas. Referencing classical mythology and weaving it into an accessible and emotional ballad is no easy feat, but Charlie's deft musicianship and raw vocal reels the listener in and results in a beautiful and reflective piece. 

Underpinning Charlie's motivations behind this EP, is a considerable dissatisfaction with the present state of pop music, expressed in an open letter on his website. Some of Charlie's points hit a real nerve (pop's current infatuation with "the club" or "the floor", for example - although we'd also like to point out that for every "Club Can't Handle Me" there's a "Telephone"). As the campaign for the EP continues to roll out, however, we'd like to see Charlie highlight some of the positive contributions he can make to the field. Being the talented songwriter that he is, we have no doubt that his aim of recapturing music for the "poets" over and against "the programmers" is one well within his reach.