LADY GAGA RETURNS WITH AN ALBUM THAT PUSHES FORWARD BY TAKING US BACK.

 Inspired by 90's techno, industrial, 80's dance, 80's metal, Madonna, Whitney, and electro, Lady Gaga returns with an album of epic scale.  "Born This Way," christened "album of the decade" by Gaga herself is a mash-up in concept.  80's metal tracks from the likes of hair bands like Motley Crue and Bon Jovi collide with tracks from early 90's techno/rave groups like 2 Unlimited and 80's pure pop tracks from Madonna and Whitney.  On first listen, the edgy aggressive sound may be hard to swallow as it doesnt sound anything like her previous two, multi-million selling albums, but as you let the album unfold  and take you on its journey, you start to wonder if Gaga hit the nail on the head with this project and if this is where pop music is headed next.  You start to realize that you miss hearing grand and inspiring choruses and real vocal strength in music and then you realize that by breaking rules and not giving us another album of mainstream pop hits, Gaga just gave us the next pop sound.  I haven't heard a 74 minute album (if you get the deluxe edition) since the late 90's/early 2000s and as far as I'm concerned it is still not long enough.  This is a full story album...THIS is bionic.  Highlights on the album are:
Scheiße
Bloody Mary
Bad Kids
Fashion of His Love (Why isn't this fab track on all versions of the album?)
You And I
Edge of Glory

TRACK BY TRACK:
1- Marry The Night - This sounds like an amped up 80's metal/rock/dance version (claps and all) of Cutting Crew's 1986 hit "I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight."  
2 - Born This Way - Title track and first single from this album becoming Gaga's 3rd #1 Billboard Hot 100 and staying in the pole position for over 8 weeks. 
3 - Government Hooker - Electro pop dark dance track with blips and all.  I expect to hear this type of sound at an industrial/goth dance night.  Very metal, distorted vocals, She sings in a lower register, there are spoken vocals, cold male spoken vocals, creepy laughs throughout.  Its somewhat anti-climactic but does help to establish a cold industrial tone early on.
4 - Judas - This ones already been broken down and analyzed a million times.  Truthfully, I like it.  Its a faster Bad Romance with a highly addictive chorus.  She collaborates with "Just Dance/Pokerface" hit-maker RedOne.  The video on the other hand....hot mess. 
5 - Americano - This track is sung in a very annoying campy "broadway" style.  It's her one latin-inspired dance track with pulsating drum beat, trumpet, guitar, and violins in the far background but is just too busy with the distorted screamy vocals, the pulsating latin dance beat, the guitars, the horns.  Think Madonna's Deeper and Deeper on steroids meets "Me No Speak No Americano". This one goes to the bottom of the list for me.
6 - Hair - The first time we hear the sax on this album.  This was released before the album came out on iTunes so we've all had the opportunity to digest it.  Its a fun party track with  electric guitar, piano, hard pulsey drum machine and sounds like it came right out of the late 80's.  Throw your hands in the air dance anthem.  This track seems to fuse the industrial goth elements of the album with the 80's dance, metal rock inspired tracks.
7 - Scheiße - One of the strongest tracks on the album, once again, reminiscent of a previous Gaga track.  Great vocals, spoken, singing, takes me to an early 90's techno, industrial place ala "Twilight Zone" "Who Shot JFK."
8 - Bloody Mary - Mid tempo, operatic; the cold, industrial goth "Ladyton-esque" sister to "The Fame's" Ace of Base inspired "Alejandro." This is a major highlight on the album. A+ dark moody mid tempo synth dance track.
9 - Black Jesus - Amen Fashion - very electro-rock, distorted spoken chorus, meets very 80's sounding melodic verse/bridge meets an uninspired chorus that is almost reminiscent of Gaga's previous soundtrack song, "Fashion" mixed with title track "The Fame."  Another track I could easily live without.
10 - Bad Kids - pulsating disco beat with electric guitars reminiscent of Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff" and another disco gem that I can't think of at the moment.   Half-spoken, half sung verses meets a glorious synthy chorus which is mixture of 80's and 90's classic jams.  This track reminds us of Gaga's melodic sugary pop genius. A+ Highlight!
11 - Fashion of his Love - This one almost sounds like it was inspired by "Express Yourself" as well, but upon further listen you realize that it was THIS song where she pictured "Whitney Houston."  This is the young sister to classic 80's #1 track, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."  Lady Gaga sings fashiony lyrics over a hot 80's freestyle (think of Whitney's "Dance w/ Somebody" meets Shannon's "Let the Music Play."  One of the best songs on the album.  The double disc special edition comes with a Fernando Garibay mix which is completely dance/club ready.
12 - Highway Unicorn (Road To Love) - Another 80's dance rock track.  Not fond of the distorted vocals.  I feel like if she included more melodic softer vocals it could have balanced this hard track.
13 - Heavy Metal Lover - Dark sleek sexy dance track.  One of the most easily accessible tracks on the album.  Similiar in style to "Government Hooker" but much sexier.  This song is almost a culmination of the different styles that inspried this record and this song perfectly balances all elements and highlights all of Gaga's strengths.
14 - Electric Chapel - Electric guitars, pulsating electro beat, sexy dreamy vocals.  This could have been a track on Madonna's Confessions On A Dance Floor record and sounds similar to "Forbidden Love" from that album.
15 - The Queen -fast paced 80's pop dance track ala gogo's but the melody also reminds me of Cher's "Song for the Lonely."  The pace drops midway and this goes from being a dance track to a slow to mid tempo pop track with an electric guitar solo that closes the number.
16 - You and I - Epic, gem, the speechless of this album. Major highlight.  The only true "ballad" on the album and very similiar in structure to a Bon Jovi track or even actually reminds me of "What It Takes" from Aerosmith.  Showcases Gaga's stunning vocals and melodic mastery.
17 - The Edge of Glory - fast paced, hi-energy, feel-good electro dance track highlight and because it was so successful during the iTunes countdown to Gaga pre-release, it is officially the third single for this release.