As the album cover indicates, it’s sunnier than Del Rey’s previous works – there’s a warmth to songs like the title track that wasn’t there before.Īs much as it’s overlong and unfocused, there’s a solid core of material on Lust For Life. Lust For Life feels unfocused with its large number of guest stars, including The Weeknd, Stevie Nicks, Sean Lennon, and ASAP Rocky. Rick Nowels is back in the producer’s chair, but it’s not a rehash of Honeymoon, more like an effort to try out different ideas. It’s difficult to summarise Lust For Life, as it feels like a sprawling collection of tracks with little coherent identity. Honeymoon is enjoyable but needs some pruning to be considered among Del Rey’s best records. The pointed cover of Nina Simone’s ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’ is more significant as a statement than as a musical piece – it had already been covered by Elvis Costello and The Animals. While none of the individual tracks are especially weak, cutting a few would have helped – I could live without ‘Art Deco’ and ‘Religion’ quite happily. Songs like the opening title track, ‘Salvatore’, and ‘The Blackest Day’ are lovely. The record works best when Del Rey leans into the grandiose orchestral sound. It’s a good sound for Del Rey, although the overlength is detrimental as Honeymoon runs for more than an hour. Her main collaborator is producer and songwriter Rick Nowels, who also worked on parts of her previous two records, producing ‘Summertime Sadness’ on Born to Die. The rock guitars of Ultraviolence are replaced by cinematic strings, bringing out her retro glamour. Ultraviolence is the strong record that Del Rey needed to establish her career.ĭel Rey’s always had a lot of the glamorous torch song in her musical DNA, and it’s brought to the fore on 2015’s Honeymoon. My favourite song though, is the opener ‘Cruel World’, dripping with atmosphere as Del Rey’s voice is impressively low and crackly in its low registers. ‘Money Power Glory’ plays like a subverted hymn while the record closes with ‘The Other Woman’, first popularised by Nina Simone in 1959. ‘F***ed My Way to the Top’ isn’t just memorable for its title – Del Rey’s use of her high register is lovely. ‘West Coast’ employs hip hop textures more successfully than anything on Born to Die. The title track references The Crystals’ 1962 Goffin-King penned hit, ‘He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)’. The deluxe edition, with 14 tracks, dulls the impact of Ultraviolence – with little diversity, it would have worked even better as a 40-minute record. Despite the changing musical texture, Del Rey hasn’t lost her knack for provocation – ‘F***ed My Way to the Top’ is a memorable song title. Auerbach’s abrasive guitar adds edge to these tracks, although it’s session player Blake Stranathan who’s responsible for the thrilling climax of ‘Pretty When You Cry’. Wisely she teamed up The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, giving Ultraviolence a tougher sound and lending Del Rey indie credibility.
Lana Del Ray | Born to Die | Ultraviolence | Honeymoon | Lust For Life | Norman F***ing Rockwell | Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass | Chemtrails Over The Country Club | Blue Banisters Lana Del Rayĭel Rey required a solid follow-up to Born To Die in order to prove that she was a substantial artist. As much as she’s fascinating, I find many of her records overlong and lacking in diversity – if you’re a dedicated Del Rey fan you’ll probably find my ratings too low. She’s continued to attract attention with each new release, each album with its own distinct identity.
While some questioned Del Rey’s credibility after a shaky performance on Saturday Night Live and a somewhat uneven album Born To Die, she established herself as an artist with 2014’s Ultraviolence. This slice of “Hollywood sadcore” attracted instant attention, and was later named by the Q Awards as Song of the Decade. An unsuccessful debut record, released as Lana Del Ray in 2010, was quickly withdrawn from circulation.ĭel Ray uploaded ‘Video Games’ onto Youtube in 2011, a homemade video that combined webcam footage with vintage film montage. She adopted the name Lana Del Rey, derived from actress Lana Turner and the Ford Del Rey sedan. She studied philosophy at University shortly after graduating in 2008, she released her first EP, Kill Kill, as Lizzy Grant.
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After finishing school, she spent a year waitressing and living with her aunt and uncle, where her uncle taught her how to play the guitar. She was raised Catholic and sang in Church choir. Lana Del Rey was born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, in Manhattan.
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