Album of the week: Lana del Rey laughs on "Lust for Love"
21/07/2017
written by Christoph Soltmannowski
Is everything going to be alright with Drama Lana now? on her new album cover, Lana del Rey smiles at us. However, "Lust For Life" is not quite so cheerful. Nevertheless, the album is a joy.
The artist
The new album "Lust for Life"
Lana Del Rey - as a mysterious, unapproachable creature somewhere between Hollywood diva and emo queen with grungy trailer park chic, she brought herself into the spotlight in December 2011 with her song "Video Games". Prior to that, the former New York social worker had played under her real-life name Lizzy Grant with average success in the clubs of Brooklyn and the Lower East Side. With self-made video clips of footage from the Sunset Strip and a deep, meaningful voice, she successfully staged herself as a mystery girl - and suddenly the whole world was listening. Her second hit, "Born To Die", was supposedly about her own death wish. In Switzerland, she has so far visited us at the Montreux Jazz Festival, among others.
With growing success, Lana shouldn't really be a child of sadness - but sadness is the concept. "Summertime Sadness" (the name says it all) was another melancholy tearjerker in 2012, and she also contributed a bittersweet title track to the melodramatic fairy tale "Maleficent" with "Once Upon A Dream". The albums "Ultraviolence" (2013) and "Honeymoon" (2015) did nothing to lift her spirits.
The new album
What a surprise: Lana is laughing - and the album is called "Lust for Life". Will everything be okay now? It's mixed. Apparently she still suffers from heartbreak ("Cherry") and devoutly adores bad boys ("Groupie Love"). But the zest for life is also there, clearly visible in the song "Love" and in the dreamlike video.
Then it becomes diverse, mostly theatrical and dramatic as usual. Guest vocal partners include The Weeknd, A$AP Rocky, Stevie Nicks and Sean Ono Lennon. Which suggests that Lana is setting off for new shores - but obviously doesn't know where the journey should take her. While she previously placed so much value on timelessness, she is now pandering to current trends with rapper A$AP Rocky - and the duet with R&B shooting beauty The Weeknd is also suspected of being a marketing ploy.
Recommended tracks
"Beautiful People Beautiful Problems"with Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks convinces with naturalness, and the title suggests self-irony. Obviously, dear Lizzy doesn't take her stage alter ego, the lamenting Lana, so terribly seriously herself.
"Tomorrow new came"is a tribute to the Beatles - and Lana is audibly proud that she was able to win John Lennon's son Sean Ono Lennon as a partner for this song.
"Get Free", with the charm of a sixties pop song, is the best track on the album alongside "Love". There are also points for "Coachella -Woodstock in my Mind" and for "Heroin", mainly because of the moving lyrics.
Verdict
Just like Mystery Girl Lana herself, you can't quite figure this album out. Very moving at times, but obviously shallow in places. But what is real - and what is just a cheap calculation and artificial character? For fans, this uncertainty is okay - after all, they want their Drama Lana and not Lizzy from the Block.
Only one thing is clear: that oaf A$AP Rocky would have been better off banning Lana from the studio. With his completely inappropriate raps on "Summer Bummer" (the album's low point) and "Groupie Love", he's the bull in the china store.
