Lady Gaga flops with ‘Joanne’

“Million Reasons” is repetitious, but Gaga’s range and dedication to the vocals is apparent. Much like “Joanne,” its placement on the record is confusing, coming off of the high- energy conclusion of “Perfect Illusion.”

“Sinner’s Prayer” is my least favorite song on the album, despite the inclusion of Father John Misty. It’s the most country-sounding thing on here, but that’s not why I don’t like it. I have nothing against country; this song is just very, very boring.

“Come to Mama,” one of my favorites on the album, is a very classic-sounding rock song, sounding like something right out of the early ‘70s, managing to put Gaga’s impressive range to good use while quietly protesting current events.

“Hey Girl,” featuring Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine, is another solid track on the album, despite the almost criminal reworking of “Benny and the Jets” that introduces the song. Florence and Gaga’s voices complement each other very well and help launch this song to great heights.

“Angel Down,” a protest- track referencing the loss of Treyvon Martin in 2015, seems oddly-placed on the album, but stands out as a powerful example of Gaga’s songwriting and vocal talent, excelling on a more reserved instrumental behind her.

Following the sadness of “Angel Down” comes the party song “Grigio Girls,” which I think is supposed to be an empowering anthem, but falls flat.

The final song, “Just Another Day,” comes quite literally out of nowhere with more old-school songwriting and production, ending with a bombastic band-display featuring an entire brass section. It’s sad when the best part of a song is the end, but that’s how I feel about this one.

Half the album just falls flat, but the highs are impressive.

“Joanne” just never really finds a sense of self, and while it has a handful of solid songs, something just feels off, for lack of a better term. You can hear in Gaga’s voice that she had a lot of fun recording these songs, so I guess if you’re a fan, do your best to have fun listening. 

Britton Rozzelle is the Executive Editor for The Spectator. He can be reached at edinboro.spectator@gmail.com.