Lady Gaga – Mayhem

When Lady Gaga appeared on the pop music scene in the late ’00s, I was dismissive—I judged her as a Madonna wannabe. Then I saw her live when she headlined Lollapalooza in August 2010 with her The Monster Ball Tour—I was blown away—she was a rock star! I witnessed a musician, artist, and performer in Grant Park that night. Most pop stars are one of three, the best are two of three, and the greatest are three of three. Gaga was all three.

Lady Gaga’s new album, Mayhem, is being hailed as a return to the dance-pop form of her early career; a less charitable take is that she is reheating yesterday’s leftovers. I have been re-listening to her catalog, and except for her alter-ego as an American songbook big band singer (e.g., her Tony Bennett albums), she has been playing dance pop all along. Born This Way had a sprinkle of arena rock, and Joanne had a dash of singer-songwriter vibe, but both were predominantly dance-pop. Mayhem is a good Lady Gaga pop album (vs. an American Songbook album). I don’t need her to reinvent herself; I just need to make an album of songs I don’t want to skip – there are no skippers on Mayhem. The only quibble I have with the album is the collaboration with Bruno Mars (“Die with a Smile”), which is a great single but doesn’t fit the vibe of the rest of the album.

Mayhem is an update of her Fame Monster self with a few nods to her pop star contemporaries. For example, “How Bad Do U Want Me” is Gaga’s version of a Taylor Swift impression, and “Don’t Call Tonight” sounds like Daft Punk. I don’t need Gaga to reinvent herself; just do what she does best, and on Mayhem, Gaga is at her best.