‘Ultraviolence’ is Lana Del Rey’s much anticipated sophomore album. While she divided music critics with ‘Born to Die,’ her stunning debut, this time the singer-songwriter has mostly won them over. Find out what they have to say.
Lana Del Rey has quickly risen from indie music scene favorite first touted when her ‘Video Games’ music video went viral. Later came her 2012 debut album, ‘Born to Die.’ While the singular talent of the singer who originally used the stage name ‘Lizzie Grant’ has been recognized by many, it has also drawn her share of detractors both the aforementioned critics as well as the public who have not all taken to the searing lyrics and subject matter of such songs as “Born to Die” and “Summertime Sadness” and “National Anthem.”
Yet such a notable debut — which went on to strong international sales of more than 7 million — has left untold numbers clamoring for the sophomore album that did not seem to be exactly a given, based on a number of public statement Lana Del Rey herself had made. Most bluntly, she told Vogue, ‘ “I don’t think I’ll write another record. I feel like everything I wanted to say, I said already.”
But thankfully, she has had a change of heart. Following a number of singles released in rapid succession — including the brooding and powerful lead single ‘West Coast’ — the album is here.
Ultraviolence’ was produced by The Black Keys’ guitarist Dan Auerbach, and it boasts a tracklist with some provocative titles once again, from ‘F–ked My Way Up to the Top’ and ‘Pretty when You Cry,’ to the title track itself, which is taken from ‘A Clockwork Orange,’ the groundbreaking dystopian novel by Anthony Burgess which many may known from the Stanley Kubrick screen adaptation of the same title.
For the most part, critics have given the album overwhelmingly positive reviews, and even if not 100 percent on board with the effort, they do recognize Lana Del Rey’s unique artistry. Here’s a roundup.
“….The music on “Ultraviolence” sets her further outside whatever passes for current pop mainstream. While radio playlists are full of futuristic electronic dance beats and Auto-Tuned testimonials to self-esteem, Ms. Del Rey, 28, has taken a contrary path, melodic and melancholy. Much of her music has been lush and downtempo, invoking vintage movie scores and echoes of the 1950s and 1960s; it opens quiet spaces. Her voice sounds human and unguarded, offering sweetness and ache even when she sings four-letter words…..” — New York Times
“…..There’s not a song here as good as Video Games, but you could have said the same thing about Born to Die, and overall, the writing feels sharper and stronger. Every chorus clicks, the melodies are uniformly beautiful, and they soar and swoop, the better to demonstrate Del Rey’s increased confidence in her voice. It’s all so well done that the fact that the whole album proceeds at the same, somnambulant pace scarcely matters….” — The Guardian
“….Del Rey — a highly stylized vixen who romanticizes fatalism to near-pornographic levels, creating fantastically decadent moments of film-noir melodrama. It’s an aesthetic that demands total commitment from both artist and listener, and it would be difficult to buy into if she didn’t deliver such fully realized cinema. Ultraviolence masterfully melds those elements, and completes the redemption narrative of a singer whose breakout-to-backlash arc on 2012′s Born to Die made her a cautionary tale of music-industry hype……” — Entertainment Weekly
“….On Born to Die Del Rey’s dead-eyed moll-playing made for some interesting character drama. But here it has nowhere left to run, and the quasi-transgressive mixture of hopeless passivity and coquettish sexuality running through songs such as “Sad Girl” (“I’m a sad girl/ I’m a bad girl”) feels ever more tired and uninspired.
Beyond a second album, what Lana really needs is a second act. ….” — The Independent
“….The bad news is that the most accomplished track from Ultraviolence has been out for some time. The engaging West Coast improves on every hearing, a clever two-in-one track rich with detail, rhythm, atmospherics and class. It’s hard to gauge the input of producer Dan “Black Keys” Auerbach here, a man more skilled at focusing energy rather than diffusing it. He’s working against type, as Ultraviolence prefers to glide and swoop and reverberate around an idea rather than ramming it home. Even though there are half-a-dozen high points here, the stylistic shifts that kept Born to Die complicated are missing. The end result is stylish and cogent but, as a consequence, perhaps a teensy bit samey…..” — The Observer
Critics have spoken for now affirming ‘Ultraviolence’ as worthy of a listen. The question remains, will Lana Del Rey’s followup to her remarkable debut once again find its fervent worldwide audience. As the visuals have been an important element to her success, her music video for ‘West Coast’ did not disappoint. You can see it beelow.
Pictures: PR Photos
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/CDpQidkRjDU/
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