ALBUM REVIEW: Something To Go GAGA For

By Broadside Staff Writer Daniel Odom

If you merge Madonna’s style, Gwen Stefani’s vocals, and throw in a dash of glitter you have the makings of pop music’s next big thing, Lady Gaga. At only 22, Lady Gaga, aka Stefani Germanotta, has developed a sound an image that seamlessly merge together in a total package that will resonate with club goers, across all genres. However, the techno melodies and latex-clad androgynous persona so deftly created by Lady Gaga heralds her as the gay community’s next pop culture icon.

In her solo debut album, Lady Gaga takes her audience on a tour into the flashy and fabulous New York club scene where she developed her techno-stylized sound. Opening with her hit single, “Just Dance,” we meet Lady Gaga as a girl who’s just had “a little bit too much” and just wants everybody to dance their butts off. With a signature synthesizer sound, Lady Gaga then evolves the same beat from “Just Dance” into a fourteen track album that talks about her getting ready for a night out, seducing a man, feeling fabulous with her friends and shunning the paparazzi.

While no doubt the lyrics to many of these songs feel remarkably superficial, Lady Gaga does not exclude listeners from getting a better sense as to who she is; not just as a cartoon-like musical character, but a genuine person. In her song, “Brown Eyes,” the superficial loving shell of Lady Gaga loosens up and we hear exactly who Stefani Germanotta is, a girl who uses her melodies not just to escape from the harsh realities of the real world but someone who channels her feelings of love lost in a deeply personal way. Yet “Brown Eyes” only provides a glimmer to the reality of who Germanotta is and Lady Gaga takes full force again and the fun melody and crazy beat of “I Like It Rough,” comes on and reminds listeners that they’re supposed to latch onto the cartoon Lady Gaga – not Germanotta.

Clad in shiny black latex pants, a sleek hooded shawl and oversized rhinestone-studded sunglasses, Lady Gaga has the makings of the next gay icon of pop music. Much like Madonna’s deconstructed leather and lace ensembles and Britney’s school girl outfits; Lady Gaga has a unique persona that sets her apart from other pop starlets. Couple that an over-the-top public image with songs about rough sex, dance parties, and famous friends and you have the makings of the next techno pop diva. Lady Gaga will surely resonate with gay audiences everywhere. However, for the rest of us, in order for her to find lasting impact with listeners, Lady Gaga will eventually have to let her guard down and show more of Germanotta.