Album Review: ‘MAYHEM’ by Lady Gaga

By Colleen Glass

Disease: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This song is a perfect way to start an album. First, it kind of begins with an ominous echo. As the track goes on, the passion in the vocals increases and adds so much energy to the song. “Disease” clearly had a lot of work go into it. It includes lots of layering of vocals with different effects. There are also binaural elements as well which keep the track interesting. I thought it was flawless. 

Abracadabra: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Abracadabra” is a very fun and upbeat track. I’ve heard a little bit of this song before on social media, but never listened to the full track. I can say it will definitely be stuck in my head after listening to it. It gave off an 80’s vibe to me and I can tell that it was fun to produce. I thought this sounded more like Lady Gaga’s old music because of how upbeat it was. Overall, it is a good track. My only complaint is that I think she can be hard to understand especially in the chorus. I want to be able to sing along and say the right words without having to look at the lyrics.

Garden Of Eden: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This has to be one of my favorite vocal performances on this album. Lady Gaga’s range of voice shows how talented she really is. It almost sounds angelic in “Garden Of Eden.” This song starts off very strong with a heavy drum and synth beat and immediately goes into this alternative-sounding first verse. By the time the chorus comes around, it has a different sound. This sounds more poppy and what I am more used to with her music. The only element I don’t care for is the repetitiveness of the line “Take me to the Garden Of Eden.” But I am just someone who doesn’t like a lot of repetition in songs. Despite this though, this is one of my favorite songs from the album. 

Perfect Celebrity: ​​⭐⭐⭐

“Perfect Celebrity” is very well made. However, it isn’t my favorite on the album. I love the layers Lady Gaga incorporates into her songs, and “Perfect Celebrity” displays that very well. I have no complaints when it comes to the vocal performance whatsoever. The problem I have with it is that it feels very normal. I didn’t see anything stand out to me about this song. I don’t hate it by any means, but I wish it had more flare like some of the other tracks from “MAYHEM.”

Vanish Into You: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved the vibe of this song. With most of the songs I have heard from this album so far, they have been heavy and kind of dark. “Vanish Into You” has the opposite feel. It is chill and doesn’t have a lot of distracting sounds in the background. I can see myself relaxing at home with this song. I thought the beat was simple but effective, the vocals are strong as always, and overall it is a strong song. 

Killah (feat. Gesaffelstein): ⭐⭐

My favorite part of “Killah” was the instrumentals. I really liked how different it sounded from a lot of the other songs off the album. I also really enjoyed the harmonizing of the vocals, it was very pretty. However, I thought the vocals and chorus were the weakest part of this song. I felt that there was very little range in this song, everything felt very stuck in one place. I also didn’t really like how repetitive the chorus was. After the first verse, I felt bored with the song. So overall, this is probably my least favorite song on the album.

Zombieboy: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This song was so much fun! The very beginning reminded me of Gwen Stefani’s, “Hollaback Girl” or like a cheerleader routine. I can just tell that making this track was a lot of fun. I loved the funky instrumentals and all of the clapping. This song was super upbeat and I wanted to dance the whole time. This is another great song that showcases Lady Gaga’s range of vocals. A lot of energy was put into this song and it shows. The way the song ended sounded very mysterious, almost like the end of a horror flick. This might be my favorite song on the album.

LoveDrug: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“LoveDrug” is a very fun and upbeat track. I love the synth, it sounds super lively and dreamy. This song feels like summer to me. The instrumentals were so much fun and the vocals were amazing as always. I don’t really have any complaints about the quality of the song, I kind of wish it was a tad bit longer actually. Maybe have a key change? I want more of this song.

How Bad Do U Want Me: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This song is so pretty! It isn’t too chaotic which is nice and it is one of the more chill songs on the album. Lady Gaga kills it with the vocals, I am convinced she can sing anything. This is a song that you absolutely have to listen to with headphones though. It has binaural elements to it which makes everything more fun. I would be interested to see an acoustic version of this song. I love it.

Don’t Call Tonight: ⭐⭐⭐

“Don’t Call Tonight” had some really cool and interesting effects thrown into it. I personally liked the voice effect on the bridge. I enjoyed listening to all of the different elements of this song, there are many layers to listen to. I also really liked the guitar, I thought it worked really nicely with the track. I will say though, it was a bit repetitive for my liking and I would’ve liked more of a buildup or drop when the chorus came. It felt underwhelming. Not a bad song, but I wish it was taken further. It doesn’t seem like risks were taken. 

Shadow Of A Man: ⭐⭐⭐

This track was fun and exciting to listen to. The chorus was upbeat and had a lot of energy; the best way I could describe it is a strut song. The bass in the background was my favorite part, it sounded different than the bass on all the other tracks. While it is a good track, nothing really stood out to me. I would listen to it again but it isn’t my favorite on the album. It will be stuck in my head though.

The Beast: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I think this is a very underrated song on the album. “The Beast” has the 2nd least amount of streams on Spotify, but I think it is one of the better ones of “MAYHEM.” It is a slower track, but it is really pretty. There isn’t as much synth in the background so this gives the stage to Lady Gaga’s vocals. This song was very powerful and I think Gaga executes it very well. I want more justice for “The Beast!”

Blade Of Grass: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Speaking of underrated, “Blade Of Grass” exceeded my expectations. This song on the album has the least amount of streams on Spotify, so I expected it to be the “worst one.” However, I shouldn’t have assumed that. This song is one of my favorites. I absolutely loved the instrumentals! It wasn’t too busy at all, it was mainly just piano, guitar, and a drum beat in the second verse. The vocals were fantastic as always. In her slower songs, I think her voice really shines. This track was just so pretty and I hope more people listen to it.

Die With A Smile: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Die With A Smile” is the perfect end to “MAYHEM.” I loved the instrumentals and how simple it was. Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga’s voices meshed really well together and made a beautiful song. Normally I don’t really listen to Bruno Mars either, but I think he did a great job. I also really enjoyed the lyrics. It really overall was a beautiful song and I can see why people love this track so much.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, “MAYHEM” was well worth the listen. I’ve always liked Lady Gaga and admired her for her music career, but I only really listened to her older music. It was nice to hear what she is making now and how it compares to her past work. I am pleasantly surprised with how many songs I enjoyed off of the album and I will definitely be adding some of them to my playlist. If I were to add up all of the stars and give the album an overall rating, I would give it 4 stars. I highly recommend listening to “MAYHEM,” you will definitely find some songs to enjoy. 

“MAYHEM” - Lady Gaga

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