Lana Del Rey's ULTRAVIOLENCE: A Review

In Lana Del Rey's rapid and out-of-the-blue ascent to pop stardom in recent years, there have, of course, been several important milestones: the launch of her debut LP, Born To Die (met with critical and commercial acclaim), the swift and clever follow-up to that album, which was the brilliance of her Paradise EP, and of course, each new brilliantly crafted masterpiece of a music video she made to promote all such material. Enter ULTRAVIOLENCE, her third major release and, technically, second full album. With fans concerned over the end result, as early reports suggesting a dramatic breakaway from her typically epic, cinematic sound surfaced online, many wondered whether she could pull off something with The Black Keys guitarist and vocalist Dan Auerbach as satisfying and as unique as her earlier works. Well, the record is finally here and I can say, without a doubt in my mind, that the answer is a resounding YES.

Although the musical direction taken this time around is undoubtedly a departure from the lush, cinematic orchestral pieces and somewhat hip-hop beats of previous efforts, it's Lana's haunting, other-era voice that bridges whatever gap is felt sonically between UV and Born To Die / Paradise, and the production by Auerbach only serves to enhance - not overpower, misidentify, or misdirect - the classically catchy, unstoppable hooks and old-soul worldview that somehow emerge from the surprisingly young and worldly Del Rey. Imagine a hybrid between The Raveonettes and Nancy Sinatra, throw in a dash of The Black Keys for Auerbach's flavorful contribution, and you have ULTRAVIOLENCE.

The album opens with the instantly-mesmerizing "Cruel World," the track Del Rey herself told an interviewer she was most excited for her fans to hear, but glossing over the grows-slowly-on-you first single, "West Coast," of which I'm sure most all of you are somewhat aware, the shining gems of the album - indeed, what could be considered the holy trinity of the LP - consist of the title track, "Ultraviolence," the second single "Shades of Cool," and above all, the otherworldly track "Brooklyn Baby," by far my personal favorite of the bunch. In "Brooklyn," Lana pulls out all the big guns: her best melodies, her best production, and likely, her best vocal performance to date. If any of you want to merely sample the album in bits and pieces, "Brooklyn Baby" is not to be missed.

Throughout UV, the classic LDR themes of freedom, sexuality, Americana, death, glamor, and fame all persist with no apology or respite, but in the best, most smartly conceived ways. In "Money Power Glory," she starts off somewhat mellow over a beat reminiscent of The Cure's "All Cats Are Grey," but then belts out the instantly memorable chorus all her own that would make Robert Smith more than proud. In similar tracks, such as "Fucked My Way Up To The Top" and "Old Money," her lyrics almost seem to take on a sassy, brutally honest turn, almost in the same vein as British pop siren Lily Allen, though because it's done in a dark, haunting, and even ghostly fashion, it's an entirely different experience from what any other mainstream female pop artist is doing today.

Like any human product, however, UV is not without its faults. From the beginning to the very end, there seems to be some lyrical redundancy here, with mentions of "party dresses," "crazys," and "babies" permeating - and at times, even undermining - the dense atmosphere provided by the dedicated Auerbach.  Moreover, toward the last few tracks, the quality of the songs overall drop sharply. Even bonus tracks as friendly and relatively upbeat as "Florida Kilos," another shameless nod to endless, yayo-fueled summer nights and the party life in general, gradually lose their appeal as by this point, we've traveled through so much darkness already, it's about time to call it a day.

Overall, though, ULTRAVIOLENCE not only satisfies Lana's most demanding fans, but also will find favor with those hoping for a more evolved, perhaps more mature, songstress. As for commercial performance relative to earlier works, only time will tell, but the verdict today is decidedly positive. In guiding us through a genuinely psychedelic, irritatingly dark, and sonically pristine piece of art, Lana Del Rey has once again demonstrated a knack for impressive songwriting, authentic and raw vocal performances, and naturally, a skillfully composed perpetuation of her mysterious image as "The Other Woman."  

FINAL SCORE: 88 / 100