Deluxe Edition Track List
1. Cruel World
2. Ultraviolence
3. Shades of Cool
4. Brooklyn Baby
5. West Coast
6. Sad Girl
7. Pretty When You Cry
8. Money Power Glory
9. F****d My Way Up To the Top
10. Old Money
11. The Other Woman
12. Black Beauty
13. Guns and Roses
14. Florida Kilos
15. Is This Happiness
It was hard to go into this without bias, due to the fact that I really enjoy all of Lana Del Rey's previous work, and also because the album title references one of my favorite books/films (A Clockwork Orange). But I attacked this 15-song album with an open mind, hoping that Lana would stick to the mellow, almost dream-like sound she had on her fantastic debut album Born to Die, rather than trying to produce formulaic pop hits.
Lana (apparently we're on a first name basis) did not disappoint. She didn't sell out, or succumb to producing accessible music for the sole purpose of being accessible. She took her massive success, and made a sophomore album that feels even more personal, and more organized then her well-received first album.
My main criticism would be that she recycles a few ideas here, especially in the first two songs. Cruel World has a mention of the red party dress that she's talked about in a few songs. Every time I hear her sing about it I think, "She's got some money. Can't she buy some different colored dresses?" She also uses the adjectives "Young", "Wild", and "Free" again here in the early songs like she has done a lot in Born to Die.
Other than this, her lyrics are great. Del Rey uses her unique voice to talk about unusual relationships (such as being the on-the-side girl in Sad Girl), her new fame (in Money Power Glory), and enough sadness and loneliness to fill your twitter feed with quotes for days.
Something that's evident in the beginning are the bluesy riffs that are in all of these songs. Co-producer of the album, Dan Auerbach, is also the lead singer/guitarist of rock band The Black Keys. The combination of Black Keys style music behind Lana's soft, echoey voice is fantastic. They're two kinds of sounds that you wouldn't expect to enjoy together until you actually hear them mixed.
Overall, Lana Del Rey follows up her great first effort with a great second effort. Ultraviolence feels more complete and lyrically it is superior to Born to Die. Lana fans, you can breathe a sigh of relief. She's done it again.
Grade: B+
Favorite Song: Brooklyn Baby
You can listen to these songs on Youtube right now. You can also listen to the singles West Coast, Ultraviolence, Shades of Cool, and Brooklyn Baby on Spotify or iTunes. You can and should pre-order the album on iTunes now, or buy it when it is released on June 17th.
-Ryan
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