The Fame

by Lady Gaga

Overview

Fueled by heavy dance tracks and popping electronic beats, The Fame, the first album by the glamorous Lady Gaga, is a well-crafted sampling of feisty anti-pop in high quality. Already a famous female DJ in her own right, Lady Gaga (nee Stefani Germanotta) pulls out all the stops on The Fame, injecting hard-hitting synthesizers and crashing slicks and grooves. From its opening track until it closes, The Fame fails to come up short on funky sounds to amuse fans of this dance genre. However, what carries this album to new heights is the combination of voice and the razor sharp lyrics which accompany it. Gaga's sound is no different than that of Gwen Stefani, however her coy delivery of each cooing note gives the album a laid-back slick feeling of ease, which meshes with the dramatic beats that back the album up. In addition, the lyrics which feed the album, especially on the desirous "Paparazzi" or the boastful, vain "Beautiful Dirty Rich," salt and pepper the album with a nasty, club-friendly feeling of fun and feistiness that an excellent, well-produced dance album should have. The lyrics are not any more deliciously entertaining than they are on the title track, which feeds the listener savory lines like "Give me something I wanna be, retro glamour, Hollywood yes we live for the fame." There are a couple of missteps, such as the rock-tinged non-dance piano track "Again Again" (which would be a nice track had it not been sandwiched between such meaty ones). Plus, the The Fame has it's "ballad," however the breezy "Eh, Eh" doesn't hold water on this album; rather, it feels dry and lifeless, something which holds this album back; however, the infectious "Poker Face" and title track which follow it successfully rejuvenate the vibe on the album for its second half. Gaga has stated that the eighth track on each release of the album will be different, however "Money Honey," is a galactic number susceptible to comparisons to the album's lead single, the well-known summer smash hit "Just Dance." That's not necessarily a bad thing, since the lead single is a powerhouse of dance waves and infectiously produced beats, but the album doesn't always stand out as definitive, even though it's consistently fresh and innovative. As the album winds down, the tracks start to slow down, but Gaga's frosty tones and sickly hooks end the album satisfyingly. Ultimately, the beats need to end up repeating themselves in places, but in the long-haul, The Fame is in excellent standing for establishing Lady Gaga with a solid career. ~ Matthew Chisling

Product Details

Release Date:	10/28/2008
Label:	Interscope / Streamline
UPC:	0602517891388

Tracks

1. Just Dance
2. LoveGame
3. Paparazzi
4. Poker Face
5. Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)
6. Beautiful, Dirty, Rich
7. The Fame
8. Money Honey
9. Starstruck
10. Boys Boys Boys
11. Paper Gangsta
12. Brown Eyes
13. I Like It Rough
14. Summerboy

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Lady Gaga   Primary Artist,Piano,Synthesizer,Vocals (Background)
Flo Rida   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Space Cowboy   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Akon   Vocals (Background)
Dave Murga   Drums
John Hummell   Drums
Dave Murge   Drums
Tom Kafafian   Guitar
Colby O'Donis   Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Joe Tomino   Drums
Victor Bailey   Bass
Calvin Gaines   Bass
Beyonce   Featured Artist
RedOne   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Josh Schwartz   Composer,Producer,Composer,Arranger
Pieter Henket   Photography
Andrea Ruffalo   A&R
Akon   Composer
Liam Ward   Design
Nick Dresti   Composer
Vicki Boyd   A&R
Javon "4mil" Thomas   Engineer
Tramar Dillard   Composer
Bilal Hajji   Composer
Charlotte Thersen   Composer
Monvict   Producer
Tom Kafafian   Composer
Aliaume Thiam   Composer
Martin Kierszenbaum   A&R,Composer,Producer
Rob Fusari   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Executive Producer
Robert Orton   Mixing
Calvin Gaines   Programming
Gene Grimaldi   Mastering
Dave Russell   Engineer
Space Cowboy   Producer
Vincent Herbert   A&R,Executive Producer
Lady Gaga   Composer,Producer,Additional Production
Tony Ugval   Engineer
Earl Cohen   Mixing
Brian Kierulf   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Lisa Einhorn-Gilder   Production Coordination
Jennifer Paola   A&R
RedOne   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming,Instrumentation,Executive Producer
Joanne Germanotta   Poetry