Gaga’s newest album deserves all the ‘Applause’ it will get

Showing a new side to the heavily-established Lady Gaga, “Artpop” will easily live up to listeners’ expectations. It’s a very brilliant album with good overall tracks that are fun to listen to.

The cover to the album is simultaneously weird, explicit and unique. It features Lady Gaga naked, hands covering her breast, giving birth to a crystal ball. In the background, her name is plastered across fragments of artworks.

Her single “Do What You Want,” is one of the album’s highlights with an electro beat and lyrics that unmistakably convey a sexual vibe in its hook: “So do what you want/What you want with my body.”

The lyrics reference what it would be like to be with her “Early morning, longer nights, time for private flights/Crazy schedule, fast life. I wouldn’t trade it in ’cause it’s our life (Now let’s low it down…)” The single has also appeared on a Best Buy commercial with John Wall.

Her first single, “Applause,” is a her most popular song. She performed it at the 2013 VMA’s Award Show. The performance references her artistic and personal shifts throughout the years. She changes outfit during the performance to show people how she and her music have changed.

“I stand here waiting for you to bang the gong/to crash the critics saying, ‘is it right or is it wrong?'”

The music video that accompanies the single is crazy, weird, and sexy like her previous ones for “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face.” The cinematography for the video is outstanding; the black and white scenes especially stand out for their smoothness.

The song “Dope,” for which she gave an emotional performance at the first ever YouTube Music Awards, lives up to its name. Behind its video are popular directors Spike Jonze and Chris Milk. That performance may have earned “Artpop” enough visibility for it to hit the platinum mark on the Billboard Hot 100.

This album does wander away from her previous dance-pop albums by blending genres like techno, electro rock, synth-pop, and urban pop, but it still contains the same great sound and captivating lyrics.

Finally, the features on this album are amazing: T.I. and Too Shorts make show-stopping appearances on her track “Jewels n’ Drugs.’

“Don’t want your jewels, I want your drugs/Don’t wan’t your money, I want your love.” The hook for the song rings out over others within the album. Not only is it great, but the verses from T.I. and Too Short are superb.

“A hybrid can withstand these things/My heart can beat with bricks and strings/My Artpop could mean anything.” The song “Artpop,” is a solid song and its lyrics beg the question: what does “Artpop,” really mean?

“Brushes with darkness wont help you create your destiny of self/but Artpop could mean anything.”

Overall, the album boasts quality good tracks, songs, and features. This is definitely the album of the year, but whether it goes on to surpass her other atmospheric works like “The Fame” remains to be seen.