By day she is Stefani Germanotta, but by night she becomes the very sexy Lady GaGa. Her new album The Fame lives up to its name. Perhaps she’s just another rich party girl from New York but I give her credit for admitting it. It makes the album believable.
But don’t take my word for it alone, just listen to the track Beautiful, Dirty, Rich. It’s pretty self explanatory.

Interestingly though, this singer/song writer isn’t an overnight success and shouldn’t be underestimated. She’s written songs for some of the biggest pop acts to ever exist such as the Pussycat Dolls, Britney Spears, and even New Kids on the Block.

The album opens with the very popular super hit Just Dance produced by RedOne and Akon. It’s a perfect beginning to a series of very infectious tracks. We then take a ride on her disco stick all the way to Love Game where she calms you down just enough to make you think that the best had been and gone. But tracks like Paprazzi, Poker Face and Money Honey are up there with the opener. They just suck you in. Yet Paparazzi had my head spinning for a while trying to work out where I had heard that intro before. If it bugs you too check out Britney Spears’ Perfect Lover. The similarity is uncanny. It made me realize that although Britney was trying to head down the same path it is Lady Gaga that has the ability to sell this style. She’s a perfect cohesion between electro and pop.

Meanwhile, Poker Face has elements of Robyn. Similar play with vocal distortions to give the illusion that this girl is tough and not one to be reckoned with. Lady Gaga leaves little room for imagination with her vocals. They are fun, audible and blunt; much like her image. And it is really nice to be able to open the inside of an album booklet again and find the complete collection of lyrics. She softens with tracks like Brown Eyes and Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) – a song that makes you feel like you’re in Hawaii, sipping Pina Coladas in an attempt to recover from a messy break-up.

The piano, in all its forms, plays a big part in this album. Tracks like Again, Again utilize its ability to dramatize any song. She makes another reference to brown eyes in this track. Does this mean there’s a pop artist out there who actually writes about real people and real situations? And no electro pop album is complete without the inclusion of 80s synths. Boys Boys Boys takes you there; with a cheeky mention of The Killers, retro sneakers and making out in the bleachers. Summerboy picks up where Gwen Stefani left off. Lady Gaga throws her voice around playfully and sweetly, preparing us for the end of the album.

There is great potential for over-kill airplay for several of the tracks on this album. It’s positively catchy and could be a guilty pleasure for many dance music fans.