After all the hype that was coming out about how revolutionary Lady Gaga's new album was going to be, a lot of fans were left disappointed. Both the lyrics and the music seemed shallow and generic on Artpop. I was very upset to hear that Manicure was butchered in the studio. This wasn't the song I fell in love with when I saw Gaga perform it at the Itunes festival. Aura and S*** Dreams also sounds over produced and vapid. I thought the demo of Aura (Burqa) had a lot more soul and expression in her voice than the final studio version.
I was surprised and disappointed that the only song Redone was credited with was Gypsy. Gaga has written some of her best songs with him (Bad Romance, Judas etc.). I think his presence was needed once again on this record.
In the end what matters to me is the quality of music. Artpop did not have the quality and charm of her past albums. I still consider The Fame Monster Gaga's best work. I thought Born This Way was a step down, but not a bow out. I personally feel Artpop is by far Gaga's most forgettable record.
My Best Buy number: 2693531533
What's great about it: Great price, Production
What's not so great: Lyrics, Hip Hop tracks, R. Kelly, Lack of songs with Redone
I've been a Kittie fan since 2002 when I got my hands on Oracle at age 14 and it has been a wild ride ever since. The producer of this album was actually an engineer on Oracle and you can feel the dark heavy Oracle vibe on this album. This is much heavier than the previous album Funeral For Yesterday which was also a great album. To see Kittie in their entire essence you must see them live. In The Black will bring in new fans and please old fans alike. A must buy.
What's great about it: Tara's solos, Morgan's scream and clean voice are both enchanting, nice heavy bass
What's not so great: i really don't have any complaints other than people not giving this band a chance.