Lana del Rey

For the past year, I have been listening to Lana del Rey's music and wishing that I didn't love it so much. I like to hold some value of importance to a musician's ability to perform well in concert. I keep things like auto tune and intricate studio voice layering in mind so as not to create the unrealistic expectation of an exact copy of the studio sound. However, what I do expect is the singer or musician to possess a certain level of vocal talent. Let's define this 'certain level' as someone talented enough to not be laughed off stage if their performance were to be judged on one of those dime a dozen American Idol style singing competitions. With that parameter defined, I do not think that I'm shooting for the stars when I say that I want a 'talented performer'.

Shortly after I began listening to Lana del Rey, the SNL debacle of 2012 unfolded. I'm not even sure if you can find the video on youtube anymore of Lana del Rey giving her ridiculously embarassing rendition of Blue Jeans and Video Games off of her debut album Born to Die. Of the people who witnessed Lana del Rey's horrific SNL performance, I'm sure that I wasn't the only person scratching my head and asking myself "How does this girl have a singing career?" Anyone can have a bad night and find that their voice is not performing up to their typical level but---in del Rey's case...she had an atrocious night.

After having seen Del Rey's performance, I assessed the idea of continuing to buy into both Lana del Rey's music and image, despite the fact that it sounds as if she lacks any real vocal talent. I came to the conclusion that what does it really matter. Lana del Rey is certainly not the first artist to ever obtain a singing career without having a strong voice. She's not even the first female artist to embarrass herself during a live performance on SNL...Ashlee Simpson did a pretty good job of that in 2005 when she threw an impromptu 'hoe down' after her lip synched vocal track failed to play properly. Ultimately, in the mainstream music world, an artist's vocal talent is not something that will make you sink or swim. As long as the music is catchy and the image is interesting enough to keep people coming back, the studio can autotune away any and all perfections.

So, if you're interested in listening to Lana del Rey go right ahead. Both of her albums (Born to Die and Paradise) sound very similar so if you like one you'll almost undoubtedly like the other one. Her songs are catchy and combine an old world Nancy Sinatra club singing feel with a very dirty-mouthed and modern take on what is acceptable in today's musical culture. For example, del Rey sings that her 'pu**y tastes pepsi cola' on her single 'Cola' off of her sophomore album, Paradise. Most every song off of her two albums is peppered with sexual innuendo and four letter words so this is not the album to listen to while transporting children or easily offended friends.

At the end of the day, I like my musicians to be entertaining and Lana del Rey is nothing short of that. She has a beautifully sculpted image of a rebellious modern day 1950's Americana. She is gorgeous, even if she may have had the help of some surgeons along the way. She is young and sings about things that are beautiful and dirty almost simultaneously. Her music is catchy, mellifluous and can easily be listened to over and over again. Would I buy tickets to see her perform live? NO. But will I watch and listen from afar? Absolutely.