LANA DEL REY’S INITIAL TALENT LOST IN
FIRST FULL-LENGTH ALBUM by Sarah Soenke
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ex, drugs, regret and glamour – the main themes composing Lana Del Rey’s new album, Born to Die — and not much else. To those suspicious of the last six month’s hyped following of Del Rey (a.k.a Elizabeth “Lizzy” Grant), the emotional letdown of the singer’s second full-length studio album might not come as a surprise. But to those who were looking for a follow-up to what had been suggested in her previous singles “Video Games,” “Blue Jeans,” and “Born to Die,” it comes as a considerable disappointment. The January 30th release of Del Rey’s Born to Die arrived with plenty of expectation. Her first release, an EP called Kill Kill in 2008 under the name Lizzy Grant, followed by her first full-length studio album Lana Del Rey A.K.A. Lizzy Grant in 2010, both warranted little following. It wasn’t until she signed with Interscope Records in October 2011 to release her song “Video Games” that she became an internet success. Following the release, Del Rey cultivated a large fan base through a stream of interviews and musical performances with mainstream media outlets, such as Pitchfork Media, MTV and The Quietus, building the hype for Born to Die’s 2012 release.
And, at the time, it was well-deserved. A “self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra,” Del Rey presented a rich, breathy vocalist with intent on bringing back classic Hollywood looks. Her first two singles, “Video Games” and “Blue Jeans,” were captivating hybrids of emotional vulnerability and American escapism fantasies, all built upon melodic lines that highlighted Del Rey’s vocal range and talent. What really made these songs deserve recognition though was the commentary they seemed to have on modern American dreams and their detachment from reality. Mirroring the fall of her impressive live performance streak, with her Saturday Night Live debut, the disappointment of her album comes without warning. It seems as if Del Rey and her producers tried to recreate what “Video Games” delivered without considering what made the single so good in the first place. What happened to the potential seen within the album’s previously released singles? Nearly every song on Born to Die is constructed with the same orchestral strings, trip-pop beats, and chorus-delivered hooks, but with no substance. It seems the parts of the album that are on the way to ringing true to her original musical talent are only ruined
later by the album’s overproduction. In one of the album’s opening tracks, “Off to the Races,” the build up of verse is ruined by the chorus with Del Rey’s voice swinging its pitch so high that she sounds like an adolescent girl trying to sing in the shower. The major disappointment of the album is its lack of complexity. While the sexual, love-lusted naivety may be part of her persona, her music should at least attempt to go beyond that bubble, but it fails to even try. The lyrics of “National Anthem” are particularly disheartening (“I’m your national anthem, God, you’re so handsome. Take me to the Hamptons, Bugatti Veyron.”). The album tries to paint a romantic picture of escape fantasies but creates it so shallowly that it becomes unappealing and predictable. Maybe if Del Rey had taken more time to perfect the direction she wanted to go in, she would have crafted a better album, one with less production and more emotional depth. Possibly, with a third album, she can deliver on her previously appraised talent and potential. Or, alternatively, use her talents somewhere else. According to NME, Del Rey signed a deal with Next Model Management agency on January 4 – a career path she might be better off sticking to.