7/10
After newcomer Lana Del Rey performed on Saturday Night Live without an album out, critics and viewers had a lot of things to say. People who knew about her, like me, were a little let down by her performance. People who had no idea who she was hated her the moment she took the stage, and to this day when Born To Die has been officially released, still rant about Lana and the fact that she isn’t “all that”.
Unlike many critics who have slammed the album, it was what I expected. After listening to some of the songs from the album on her YouTube channel, I knew that Born To Die would be meticulously produced trip-hop beats, a feel of retro but futuristic sound accompanied with breathy melodies about broken dreams and love-you-til-the-end-of-time lyrics.
Meanwhile, on Del Rey’s behalf, I feel like she could have done a far better job, but I can’t judge her music so harshly because this is her first album, and because she has such an unique sound and it’s so different from everything we’ve heard so far, it is no surprise that this album ended up being one of the most overhyped records of 2012. Lana Del Rey, born Elizabeth “Lizzy” Grant, reached the indie blogosphere by storm, per se, with her homemade music videos of Blue Jeans, Diet Mountain Dew and predominantly Video Games, which now has around 24 million views, so my guess is that it was this same buzz that landed her the gig at SNL, that to me was a bit premature. It was too early to tell if she was ready for a large audience like SNL, they should have waited until Born To Die was released, but at the same time I bet it was exactly what Del Rey’s team wanted. Even if it was bad press for her performance, the buzz about Lana was everywhere, and the album leaked a few days ago before the official release, I guess to check what people would say about it.
Furthermore, Lana Del Rey has the trait of using both high-pitched vocals and breathy vocals sometimes in the same song, maybe this acts against her favor, I feel like people are not used to the transition and might even find her to be a joke and not point her as a “real” singer. In addition, something that I really liked about BTD was the production behind it, led by Emile Haynie (Kid Cudi, Eminem, Lil Wayne) who is exceptional and manages to submerge listeners in an aura of rapper themes (fame, sex, drugs, money) performed by Del Rey, who seems to be living in a melancholic teenage dream-esque universe. Some people might even find no substance in her lyrics, but then again, does Party Rock Anthem has any substance? I can’t escape the catchy melodies and lyrics of Born To Die. Why? Because I’m fascinated with an artist that is completely different from everything we’re being thrown in mainstream music today. But I must admit that some of the songs are not that much radio-friendly, but I would be gladly surprised if they start playing them at radio stations.
Must listen: Video Games, Off To The Races, Born To Die and Blue Jeans
Whether you hate her because she reached fame so quickly, or whether you think that she’s just all an act, you have to give the girl props. She’s a different sound and is bringing something unique to the music industry. She’s an artist, and while Born To Die isn’t her masterpiece, there’s a lot of room for growth. Now she has the spotlight on her, bad press or good press, now you know who Lana Del Rey is.
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