October 24, 2008
Radio GaGa
Lady GaGa is as gay as a human being can get without having a penis. Flaunting a style that’s pure drag, the former NYC club kid’s first two singles (“Just Dance,” “Beautiful, Dirty, Rich”) are like radio-ready twists on those sassy drag-queen tracks you hear in the wee hours. Now comes the singer’s first album, The Fame (out October 28), with its supremely queer philosophy: You ARE fabulous. You ARE famous. Even when you’re just walking down the street.
Alas, the album is only half as persuasive as the Lady’s attitude. Like those breakout singles, much of The Fame apes the techno-laced beats of a gazillion R&B hits, which makes sense given how Ms. GaGa’s clearly aiming for the top. But the girl is beat-savvy, and most of her imitations contain a tiny innovation or two, like on “Poker Face,” she crisscrosses Usher with Euro-disco cheese and vocals that caterwaul like that chick from Evanescence.
Since New York hasn’t produced a smart, alt-minded diva since the days of Grace Jones and you-know-who, one does wish The Fame sounded a little more like the city that bore it, rather than Dirty South. But Lady GaGa is still young. Stay tuned.
The Fame will be available October 28 from Interscope Records.
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