Tweet

To say that Lana Del Rey is a performer that has had a lot of media attention recently would be a complete understatement. Rarely has a pop star had this much attention prior to the release of her first studio album, but with YouTube videos which have generated a large fan base and a controversial Saturday Night Live appearance, Del Rey has been dominating headlines. After all of this talk, the true test will be the success of her first album, Born to Die which will be in stores Tuesday.

Born to Die takes listeners on an epic, dramatic ride filled with catchy choruses in most of the tracks. This would be the album’s biggest strength – almost every song creates vivid imagery and the instrumentals in combination with her haunting voice effectively engage listeners. She may not be a singer that demonstrates an incredible range in every song (yeah, we mean you Mariah), but her voice is distinctive and identifiable, which makes her a standout amongst today’s sea of pop divas.

The beginning of the album is exceptionally strong, with the title track, and her other popular tracks “Blue Jeans” and “Video Games” (which started it all for the singer) following. “Diet Mountain Dew” is also a standout on the album due to its catchy lyrics and retro sound. Other tracks which are sure to be fan-favourites are the hipster “National Anthem” and pouty “Summertime Sadness”. Unfortunately, the album hits a bit of a dip near the middle of the album with a couple tracks which lose the momentum that set up the album. Del Rey redeems herself however with her final tracks, most notably “Without You” and the closing “Lucky Ones”, which conjures up an image of a ride off into the sunset, nicely closing out the journey.

For a freshman album, she shows that there is definitely a place for her in the industry and that this most likely won’t be the last we hear of Lana Del Rey. With vocals and an unique image that separate her from the countless copycats heard on the radio, in addition to all of the hot-and-cold press coverage she has received, Del Rey’s album is the one that we will undoubtedly see in the spotlight for the next little while. It’s a lot of pressure to be placed on a person, but the true test will be whether she handles it well and fights for her music or fades into the background. Based on her Born to Die release, we’re hoping she’s around for much longer!

Check out the video for the title-track, “Born to Die”!

Track-listing for Born to Die:
1. Born to Die
2. Off to the Races
3. Blue Jeans
4. Video Games
5. Diet Mountain Dew
6. National Anthem
7. Dark Paradise
8. Radio
9. Carmen
10. Million Dollar Man
11. Summertime Sadness
12. This Is What Makes Us Girls
13. Without You
14. Lolita
15. Lucky Ones