Superstar Standouts: Lady Gaga's Harlequin

    If you would have told me back in 2010 that Lady Gaga would do jazz music, I would have laughed. Still, she's done it many times, and two of those times was with her partner-in-crime Tony Bennett. I figured she'd stay in her electropop lane until retirement, and I honestly wouldn't have complained. But Gaga is multifaceted. She's really an artist that lacks nothing, vocal talent, performance, musical sensibilities. She's got it all. 

    She really shows off her voice in this offering, her 6.5 album, Harlequin. It's big band fun. And a nice little venture for her. It sounds so crisp and is produced so beautifully. I love jazz myself. So this was a nice treat. I honestly didn't expect it. Especially for her to to cover some songbook standards such as "Good Morning." 

    And Gaga also flirts with other genres here such as rock and doo-wop. The album really has a lovely vintage feel. 

    The two brand-new Gaga songs are nice. "Folie à Deux" features gorgeous strings and a polished, vintage band. It's a beautiful, cinematic ballad.

    "Happy Mistake" is acoustically driven. It's a sad ballad that builds up into something grand.

    You know, I can't help but wonder where Gaga's career would have headed if 2013's ARTPOP shared success with her former records. Would she have continued down an electronic path and kept her outlandish image, or would she have still changed everything up? I've actually thought about this a lot seeing where Gaga is still having chart hits and Katy Perry has struggled to find an audience. To think that used to be reversed. 

    Anyways, if you like jazz standards from the Great American Songbook, give this album a spin!

Rank: B Rank

Recommendation: when you're the Joker but also like to sing.

Standouts:

    The first 3 tracks are killer!