Review: Lady Gaga – ‘A-YO’

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Promising

Certainly the best thing we have yet heard from Joanne, though it still doesn't have me eagerly awaiting more.

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With Joanne set for release this Friday, its third single trades the dramatic electropop of lead single ‘Perfect Illusion‘ and the slow nature ‘Million Reasons‘ for a noticeable country vibe that consolidates a move away from her previous pop work, blending an authentic feel with a fun-loving character. This, however, lends ‘A-YO’ an overwhelming lack of originality, although its purpose is likely to distract attention from surrounding the ballads and weird country-rock conjunctions features on the record as a whole with constant clapping a nice addition for a sense of movement and a well-deployed backing.

‘A-YO’ does manage to restore a little trust in Gaga’s lyrical capabilities, showing she still knows how to construct a lyric that fits this type of rhythm without overbearingly repeating it à la ‘Perfect Illusion.’ In places, however, lyrics match the beat without having any clear meaning – “Light me up and breathe in/ Mirror on the ceiling / A-YO, A-YO,” a choral line, is particularly perplexing as it’s unclear as to what exactly it all means. That said, her convincing vocal is accompanied nicely by a guitar solo for a vibrant touch, thus giving it at least some differentiation from the crowd.

‘A-YO’ is out now via Interscope

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Philosopher and Historian and major pop-fan. You can find me listening to most pop in the charts (Beyoncé and Sia are most certainly goddesses), as well as some modern jazz and classical and enjoing the occasional trip to the theatre. I'm also interested in the repurcussions of the representation of sex in modern-day media! And I might be a fan of the X Factor. Sorry, I can't help it...

2 Comments

    • Sorry about that – just spotted it, I’ll change it. Though I’m not sure that helps the line make any more sense :p

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