Lana del Rey has already become one of the most chattered about artists out there without having really done too much yet. Her live appearance on SNL seemed to drawn more passionate remarks from viewers than that of the Academy members selecting this year’s Oscar contenders. Really the only question to ask anymore is – does she live up to the hype? Or maybe, does she suck as badly as people want her to?
The answer is … kind of both.
You have to consider some things before you listen: She’s a beautiful girl with curves, full lips and long flowing hair – almost an LES Marilyn Monroe. And that’s really what magazines, blogs, reviewers everywhere would make her out to be with nothing to really base it on yet.
She may have been around for a bit, but she just finally launched into the mainstream with “Video Games” – and then won a ton of awards as a breakout artist… though she had nothing else to show for it yet.
So here, finally, is the yet!
“Born to Die,” the title and opening track, is a great song. It gives you that full-heart, knot in throat feeling like a good tune will do as it crescendos. The sweeping symphony is instantly dramatic – immaculate production that dips and swells through every track on the album. It’s consistently beautiful – perhaps to make up for what the album lacks.
Del Rey’s sultry, sleepy Sunday afternoon drawl pulled me in from word one. The sex kitten whisper as she utters, “let me take a walk on the wild side/let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain,” had me thinking, “Get it girl. Show the haters they’re wrong!” Because really – she’s good. She’s got a great voice, and combined with those looks it is unsurprising that she is the center of conversation.
“Off To The Races” is a good too– fun, flirty, hipster pop girl friendly. Vocally she nails it – her almost Brittney-esque phrasing on the chorus just shows she’s ready to be a pop star and play the part without the glitter and dollar signs in her name.
It’s at track five that it all goes down hill. While she’s got the voice to stand up to critics, she was not ready for a full album and media blitz that she’s found herself in. “National Anthem” is nearly unlistenable.
And the rest just sound like worse versions of the good songs and all the same as the one before. It’s here that the “immaculate” production takes over — but instead of being great, it just weighs down your ears.
This is a good start to an album that didn’t need to be nearly as long. It will be interesting to see how Del Rey comes out of this – her voice is one I will welcome back with more attention to the song writing and less to supporting a voice that doesn’t need the firework to blow it up.
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