This should honestly be no surprise for most of the readers of this blog. It is no secret that Lady GaGa took me by storm this year, and the fact that she is FINALLY blowing up is a great indicator of just how amazing she is. Before the summer had even started, I heard the MASSIVE track, Just Dance, and it was at that moment that I knew that I wanted to know everything about Lady GaGa, because she was clearly the fiercest thing I had heard or seen in a very long time. Well, Just Dance was such an earworm, that I went on to declare it my song of the summer, and rightly so; I couldn’t get enough of the track. This led to a build up of extreme anticipation for more GaGa, which should have been met with elation upon the late July release of her debut, The Fame.
In this day and age, that proved to be a fatal mistake; once the record hit shelves in Canada, the album leaked onto the internet, and it was everywhere overnight. They should have released it everywhere at the same time, which would have probably helped album sales, but once again, the record companies have proven that they don’t know what they are doing. Regardless of record company politics, I couldn’t resist, so I downloaded the album, and let me tell you, that it was everything that I could have hoped for and then some. Led by the amazing pop party anthem Just Dance, The Fame contains some of the freshest, most innovative pop music of 2008. It is clear that Lady GaGa is a powerhouse when it comes to song writing and when she teamed her efforts with Red One, the result was some amazing pop music. For the better part of this year, Lady GaGa has been the one that I could not say enough about; and when I FINALLY got my hands on her debut, The Fame,
It is almost funny, though, that it has taken this long for people to finally sit up and take note of this pop diva; her massive first single Just Dance has only just recently found its way to the top of the charts. While it was annoying to see so many ignoring this amazing album, I am glad that people are finally catching on to what is clearly the next biggest thing to happen to pop music (seeing her on TV last night for New Years really made me smile!). Seeing her perform live, only further increased my love and adoration of her music and her talent. She has proven with her album and her continued act of pure disco fueled rock glam that she has the talent and the drive to bring the best pop music possible to the table; and with The Fame,
Lady GaGa has an uncanny ability to write a hook that is so sharp and so crisp that it will get inside you like nothing else, and it will not let go until you are dancing about. The only misstep on this album, for me, is the inclusion of the complete filler track, Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say), which isn’t at all what I consider bad, but is completely overshadowed by the innovative, in-your-face brilliance of every other track. Also, it really deserves noting, that given the aforementioned issues with her record release date(s), Lady GaGa has proven that she has a few tricks of her own up her sleeve to keep it fresh, and to keep herself from succumbing to record company politics; she managed to release her album with additional tracks in almost every market, and each one only added to the brilliance the album already showcased (Starstruck is one of the best songs on the album). Without any duds (even Eh Eh is catchy and by all standards, a very good track), this album soars above many of the other pop records that were released this year, and if her recent surge in popularity is any indication (Grammy Nod!), it looks like 2009 might be a very, very good year for Lady GaGa; hopefully, better than 2008 was.
Sparkle Factor: 
Standouts: Poker Face [audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/ladygaga-pokerface.mp3]
Just Dance, Starstruck, The Fame, Love Game, Boys Boys Boys, Brown Eyes, Money Honey.