If you loved the Star is Born soundtrack and Joanne, then Chromatica may sound like a step backward to you. Unlike those albums, Chromatica isn’t an evolution or depending how you look at it, a return to her singer-songwriter roots. This is Lady Gaga’s rebirth as a dance-pop disco queen. Don’t fight it — grab your hairbrush and dance around your bedroom.
These may be new songs, but they mostly sound familiar without sounding like a copycat, except for “Babylon.” There’s no escaping “Babylon’s” similarity to Madonna’s “Vogue.” It’s “Vogue” with autotune for dramatic effect.
While there’s not a bad song on the album, there is filler. Sadly, that includes the opening instrumental “Chromatica I” and it’s follow ups, “Chromatica II” and “Chromatica III.” All three songs are string heavy masterpieces. Conversely, they are completely out of place on a dance pop album. It would not be surprising if the Chromatica trilogy was a sign of Lady Gaga’s future side-gig as a movie composer.
Once “Chromatica I” finishes setting a cinematic tone, “Alice” makes you want to hit the dance floor. Like “Enigma,” “Replay,” and “Stupid Love,” it sounds like a more mature interpretation of The Fame’s themes.
Lady Gaga also revisits her Born This Way era with “Free Woman.” “Free Woman” has Lady Gaga walking the streets again. It’s a successor to “Marry the Night.” Essentially, the song is what “Marry the Night” would be if it took place in the daytime and had the darker undertones removed. That’s not a bad thing. Any Lady Gaga bop that celebrating freedom and individuality is a winner. Those are the songs she excels at writing.
“Plastic Doll” continue themes explored on Artpop. Throughout the song, Lady Gaga sings about herself as something boys enjoy looking at, yet this time she tells the boy not to play with her.
When Lady Gaga isn’t giving nods to her earlier works, she’s collaborating with other artists. Ariana Grande, K-pop band Blackpink, and Elton John make appearance on “Rain on Me,” “Sour Candy,” and “Sine From Above,” respectively. Two of those songs have been released as singles — one as an album kickoff and one as a promotional single, while “Sine” one can’t be far behind as a single. “Sine From Above” is exactly what you expect from a Lady Gaga/Elton John collaboration and it is glorious.
In a world that has gone crazy, Lady Gaga unleased a little ray of fun. Time will tell if this album will join the ranks of The Fame and Born This Way or fade away like Artpop and Joanne. I suspect Chromatica has staying power.
Rating: 7 out of 10
