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REVIEW #1: 97/100

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So here we have Lady Gaga's first full album in CAL, "Can You Handle Me?". This was a surprise release on New Years Eve, and boy was it a surprise. Seemingly out of nowhere, Lady Gaga has completely ruined several year-end lists and Grammy Predictions, because this is one of the best albums released this year. Top 5 albums, I would say. This album is the follow up to her debut EP, "Rome is Burning", which itself was critically acclaimed. But "Can You Handle Me?" is on a different level entirely. 

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The album is nearly perfect, there are really no other words to describe it's quality in my opinion. "Can You Handle Me?" is a big departure from the experimental electronic music of "Rome Is Burning", and instead adopts a sleeker, more dance/pop-oriented sound, and does so with resounding success. Musically, it shines in every single track, with glittery synths and booming choruses that will leave you dancing within an inch of your life! The songs flow all as one, and do so expertly, with each song smoothly transitioning from one into the other to create a full listening experience. It is not something that we see often in music, but it works to create the story of the album, as if it were one cohesive narrative that we are following, flowing as one. 

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But it would be wrong to address the album's quality without addressing the exceptional lyricism. Gaga shines on several tracks on this album, but most of all, on the second track and supposed second single, The Party Song. Her lyricism on this song is something to truly be envied - it's some of the best of the year! She describes a horrific party scene where she emerges triumphant, and the story she tells is absolutely beautiful. Gaga has a way with words that allows you to truly put yourself in her shoes and envision what she is singing about as if you were experiencing it yourself. It also helps that this song has a killer beat, with the screaming bass and bright synths underscoring her fantastic lyrics to make for the standout of the album.

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However this doesn't mean she peaks at the beginning and never reaches those heights again, there are countless other highlights on this amazing album. There is the track Exhale, a collaboration with none other than Christina Aguilera, Gaga's label mate, with a sexy spoken word pre-chorus and infectious beat. There are also tracks On The Phone and Dancing Sober, which showcase yet more of Gaga's incredible lyricism and great production. If there was one dud, I would have to say it is Overdue, which is a catchy song but features slightly weaker writing on the album compared to the other songs. But this is not a true dud, it's still a complete bop and fits really well within the flow of the album. The final song on the standard edition, Good Goodbye, is a beautiful ballad, perhaps the only ballad on the album, and one of the best songs. Gaga's lyricism really shines along with the gorgeous instrumental, and it makes for a beautiful closer. There is also the song Oh Papa, which ends off the deluxe version, which is a fun, tango inspired nod to Madonna's Papa Don't Preach, and it is a worthy comparison to that song because it is truly truly amazing.

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Lady Gaga came out of nowhere, but in doing so, she delivered one of the most exciting debut albums of all time. I cannot wait to see what she does with her music going forward, because if this is anything to go by, we are in store for a really incredible career. 

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REVIEW #2: 77/100

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The surprise release album ‘Can You Handle Me?’ by Lady Gaga is almost the direct consequence of her ‘Rome Is Burning’ EP from back in 2019. As the album is short, I’ll be reviewing it track by track to fully indulge myself in what the project has to offer and if it’s turn-of-events Grammy buzz is worth the hype.

1. Echoes From Rome

Echoes From Rome offers a solid opening introduction to the project, initially catching my attention with its intriguing concept as being a continuation from the “..Burning” EP.  What I find most appealing about the song is it’s nature in distortion and autotune. It makes for a dramatic, intriguing introduction that’s reminiscent of ‘The Prologue’, for instance, from Halsey’s ‘hfk’. In fact, it HEAVILY reminds me of it (in the best way), both in the monologue-esque structure, the distortion, and the dark words paired over a breezy and light instrumental. This song serves very well its purpose as a narrative introduction. One thing I will critique, however, is that at times, the lyrics can feel a bit pretentious, as though Gaga tries just a little to hard to make it poetic and dramatic and overcomplicates the point at times, particularly the line ‘my art’s common thread’ which.. kinda doesn’t make sense at all? Either way, I think I kinda love and am obsessed with this track, great introduction and fully functions it’s purpose. 10/10

2. The Party Song

Pegged as one of the spearheading songs of the project, ‘The Party Song’, is in fact, one of the rare let downs of the album for me. Flowing in from ‘Echoes’, where this song lets me down the most is in its lyricism, whereas ‘Echoes’ had its occasional misstep, the introduction still managed to be poetic, purposeful and most of all - carried a certain sense of lyrical depth. This one, however, feels nothing more than a scratch of the surface. The idea behind ‘The Party Song’, in finding joy through debauchery, is nothing that hasn’t been done before, and unfortunately, this song has nothing new to add to the concept, either. It feels very cookie-cutter in terms of songs written about this topic. It carries a narrative from verse to verse, which I do appreciate, but it also demonstrates some of Gaga’s worst lyricism on the project, which isn’t saying all too much as it’s not bad per se, just not up to scratch. The production on this one is fun and light, but it’s nothing revolutionary or particularly interesting when put into perspective against the rest of the album, either. 5/10

3. Overdue

Overdue, pleasantly accomplishes exactly what ‘The Party Song’ could not. It is a high energy pop song, and yet, still manages to add it’s own perspective to the genre and to serve us something that’s interesting and fresh. Again, while the song’s concept which seems to address a relationship gone wrong - is nothing new or particularly reinventive, it’s still done in a way that feels original and well-conceptualised. The lyrics are nothing to complicated but they don’t need to be. This song is clearly a mantra, an injection of confidence after the failure of what sounds to be a toxic relationship - and it doesn’t need to be anything too wise or insightful. This song has what ‘The Party Song’ very much lacked - a good sense of it’s tone. Where ‘The Party Song’ took an idea that was dark and emotional, but oversimplified it and felt unoriginal, ‘Overdue’ knows just how simple or complicated it needs to be, and executes it properly. And lastly, I’m a sucker for a lyrical sample, especially when done right, and the La Roux sample in the chorus was a very welcome surprise that gave me a nice eyebrow raise and smirk when I first heard it. 9/10

4. Exhale

‘Exhale’ seems to carry on directly from ‘Overdue’. I will start by saying that I don’t think this one has just as much magic as its predecessor did. Lyrically, I find this song extremely conflicting. Some sections of the song are written so well and beautifully, and some are just ‘meh’, which confuses me as to the overall lyrical quality of the track. Another thing I will say is that I don’t think the production or the melody do much justice for the song - again, just like the lyrical content, there is some definite high moments, like the ‘breathe in/breathe out’ section which feels great both melodically and production wise, and I also quite enjoy the synths running through the second verse. I also quite like the trumpets. However, I can’t shake the feeling that it would’ve been best to leave ‘Overdue’ to speak for it’s self, as it seems both of these deal with the same relationship, and ‘Overdue’ just handles it a lot better. 6.5/10

5. Say The Right Thing

‘Say The Right Thing’ is by far the lyrical peak of the project for me, I honestly don’t have much, if anything to critique about the song. If we had cut out ‘Exhale’ and gone straight from ‘Overdue’ into this one, the narrative it would serve would have been truly immersive and immaculate. Gaga’s true lyrical abilities rear their head on this trap-inspired power ballad, and I must say, it is a treat. Production wise, it is great. There is not too much going on, which is just what the song needed. It’s a power ballad, so it still carries it’s catchy beats in the background and those guitar riffs are just gorgeous. The melody is nothing complicated, and that’s just what it needed to be, it’s simple, it’s meditative and it’s melancholic. Everything about this song is on point, and is by far one of my favourites on the album. To reference back to ‘The Party Song’, this song accomplishes what the aforementioned song tried to - addressing a darker topic and managing to do it effectively, eloquently, and well. 10/10

6. On The Phone

‘On The Phone’ is not one of my favourite tracks and that is because it’s identity as a track feels a little bit lost. The production feels a little as though it doesn’t quite know where it’s going at times - the verses are soft and repetitive, while the choruses build up and build up but then never really go anywhere. Melodically, I think it’s a bit monotonous and never really builds on it’s self, Gaga’s voice remains kinda stagnant through the verses and the choruses and never really seems to change which can make the song feel a little one-note. Lyrically, the song also feels a little lost in it’s concept. At first, it seems like it’s about trying to communicate with a distant lover over the phone, and then it feels like it’s about trying to feel alive by sending explicit messages, and it feels a little muffled and confused. I have to say it is a lower point for the project - not bad, but nothing particularly outstanding, and does not hold a candle to the song that came before it. 5.5/10

7. Dancing Sober

‘Dancing Sober’ is another example of Gaga’s effectiveness in writing just a good-quality, fun pop song. Wherein she lets herself down through the moments where she tries to overcomplicate things (“The Party Song” and “On The Phone”), she excels in the songs where she keeps things simple, light and fun. ‘Dancing Sober’ is an example of this at it’s finest. Production wise, it is one of my favourites, it’s reminiscent of 80s synth pop and disco, the melody is fun and smoothe and compliments the production. Again, the lyrics are simple and not much needs to said about them other than they are written well and are effective in accomplishing what they set out to do - which is to create a fun, energetic and danceable track. 8.5/10

8. Can You Handle Me?

The title track falls into the same pitfall that ‘The Party Song’ does, which is taking a concept written about often before, and unfortunately, not adding much to it. This song appears to be about the same thing as ‘The Party Song’ and does not offer anything new that it’s predecessor did not give us already. There are good parts, but there are also parts of this song that feel incredibly dissonant and entirely lose the point of the song. For example, the ‘I will ghost you if you fuck up my high’ lyric in the chorus may have been Gaga’s idea of a polarising, eyebrow-raising moment, but in all honesty, it is nothing more than jarring, ill-fitted and completely takes you out of the fantasy of the rest of the song, especially hearing it surrounded by other, well-written lines. Again, there is not much to say about the title track, other than it does not give us anything that ‘The Party Song’ hasn’t already, which is not saying all too much to begin with. 6/10

9. Good Goodbyes

‘Good Goodbyes’, amidst a turbulent album of high highs, and a few lows, offers a successful closer to the rollercoaster that is ‘Can You Handle Me?’. The lyrics - again, demonstrate what Gaga has excelled at on this project, which is writing simple, but well. This track had all it needed, as the slower, balladic closer to the project, to offer Gaga yet another trap to overcomplicate herself and make it convoluting, but thankfully, it does not do that in the slightest. It is beautiful production-wise, the piano details added in amidst the synths make for a gorgeous composition that makes perfect sense as the closer to the album. It is mysterious, and feels almost like the direct opposite to ‘Echoes’, which should be exactly how the opener and closer serve the album. Something about the ‘Goodbye, goodbye’ at the end of the chorus, despite it’s simplicity, is haunting and beautiful, and gives the song the somber and solemn edge that it needed. Again, what excels about this track the most is that it manages to be emotional, yet simple, which is not something that can be said about select other songs on the project. This song makes for a wonderful closer and overall, ends the album just how it needed to. 8.5/10

All-in-all, ‘Can You Handle Me?’ Is a successful project by Lady Gaga. While some tracks are definite lows and often fall under the same issues as each other, there are thankfully more success stories on the tracklist to talk about, and one thing is certain - Gaga’s concept and idea shines through the whole way, both in the lyrics and production, no matter which songs might overcomplicate themselves or give us weaker moments.

Favourites: Echoes From Rome, Overdue, Say The Right Thing
Least Favourites: The Party Song, On The Phone, Can You Handle Me?

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REVIEW #3: 94/100

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Lady Gaga has been quite an elusive figure since she first appeared on the scene with her innovative ‘Rome is Burning; EP last year. Since, she’s been in a state of relative teasing of her debut (which, when factoring in her tenure on the now rebranded Blood Entertainment, has been gestating for the better part of three years) but her name has been attached to some impressive high profile projects such as writing credits on an album of the year winner. She showcased a unique and exciting vision on her EP but making the transition from EP to a full length album is not always an easy task. 

But Gaga does make it look easy. 

‘Can You Handle Me?’ is one of the most tightly constructed and slick debuts of recent memory. The album is described as dance house ambient and it rides the rails of each of those genres with ease. The soundscape of the album is quite dark, but also quite dense. Whereas high profile artists such as Beyonce and Maluma have recently made the move toward more serious and grounded sonic and thematic landscapes, they left a lot of empty space in the middle which made tracks feel empty. Here, each song sounds thick, detailed, and like every empty space that she and her producers could find was filled with some sort of brilliant production flourish. The album inspires some dancing, but it also inspires introspection, two things that don’t always come hand in hand. 

Lyrically the album is one of the strongest projects of the year. Every song feels labored over, every word acting as a brick that builds an impressive castle. No phrase feels wasted or unintentional, all contributing to the bigger picture. Some standout moments include a section on one of the album’s best tracks, The Party Song, that goes “When the weekend comes again, I’ll go through the same motions/At my worst, I’m a good friend/At my best I don’t have emotions” and a section on another album highlight Say the Right Thing that goes “‘Cause when the feeling sinks in/He’ll know he won’t regret you/So just say the right thing/’Cause it’s the right thing to do”. Those lines barely even scratch the surface of the depths that Gaga takes on this album. 

It’s remarkable how confessional the entire project feels. Some of these songs sound as if they’re diary entries that none of us were ever meant to hear. It’s moves like this that make this album stand out so dramatically from other releases this year. It seems as if most artists turned inward for their releases this last year but few of them managed to reach this level of bluntness. It never sounds like Gaga’s trying to gain sympathy and it never sounds like she’s asking for attention by sharing what she’s feeling. This feels like a woman who’s leaving it all on the table for us all to take as is. 

She’s matched in her brilliance by the brilliance of her producers. As mentioned earlier, this album has a dark sonic landscape, but it’s also quite movable. Several of these songs wouldn’t be out of place in a house club. Jamie xx, Greg Kurstin, James Ford, and Cashmere Cat create an army that knows what they’re doing. These songs are insanely detailed and when you take Gaga’s vocals out of them, there’s still more than enough to sink your teeth into. These songs are entertaining as instrumentals, and they escalate with Gaga’s brilliant and memorable melodies. 

‘Can You Handle Me?’ is an album more than worth the wait. Gaga’s clearly hunkered down and made the moves necessary to create something that will genuinely live on as a seminal work. She’s impressed before but this is something else entirely. This is an album, not a collection of singles, not a vehicle for Gaga to use to get her foot in the door. She’s come in as an artist right off the bat. There’s so much unexpected brilliance in every corner of the album and you need repeat listens to really get the desired effect. The album has no missteps with even the “worst” songs still being miles ahead of what most others are doing. Gaga came in with a definite album of the year contender at the very last minute, and we’re all the more lucky for it. 

Album Standouts:
The Party Song, Say the Right Thing, On the Phone, Dancing Sober, Good Goodbyes

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