Many female artists have found great musical inspiration in the wake of a breakup. On Sunday Adele won a boatload of Grammys from her album about her ex. If I was a guy in my twenties, I wouldn’t even date Taylor Swift (although I’m sure she’d want to date me) because the ensuing breakup would no doubt be played on Top 40 radio stations worldwide at some point.
But if Adele’s voice is too strong for you or Taylor’s demeanor is too chirpy, there is a new go-to girl when you’re feeling low: Lana Del Rey. Whereas the other gals can occasionally muster some enthusiasm, I picture Lana singing while lying on her bed curled up in the fetal position. I don’t believe she has ever smiled.
All of that is not to say I don’t like her new album, “Born to Die.” I do like it, but it must be listened to with caution. If you are susceptible to feeling blue, Lana might just put you over the edge. Lana Del Rey has a beautiful voice and she doesn’t always use it in precisely the same way from one song to the next. Her sound reminds me a little of a brooding Fiona Apple.
The reviews of “Born to Die” were not overly favorable, and her recent performance on “Saturday Night Live” was a bit shaky, which critics were quick to note. Perhaps for those reasons, she came off as very defensive in a short interview I read in Rolling Stone, assuming the interviewer only wanted to talk to her so he could write something negative about her. Her vindication is in the fact that “Born to Die” debuted at the top of the charts on iTunes, although as I write this it has slipped to #31 only two weeks after its release.
Perhaps the general public can only handle Lana Del Rey in small doses, and listening to "Born to Die" in its entirety is a bit too much. Lana’s songs are heavy on bad relationships, drinking and drugs. She says she was sent to boarding school in Connecticut after partying a bit too much and now hasn’t had a drink in many years, but she may be satisfying that void by singing about it instead.
Aside from “Video Games,” which has been getting heavy radio play, I really like “Radio” and “Diet Mountain Dew.” Here is the video for “Video Games” in which you will see why Lana Del Rey signed a modeling contract last month.
Filed under: Album Reviews
