Ultraviolence

I hesitated buying Lana's album for a day. That was a day of listening to this wonderful album that I cannot get back. I enjoy just about every song on the extended album, and I feel that Lana's voice has grown and become even more glamorous. While I do not think any of the songs move me as much as "Ride" or "American", my belief is that the album as a whole is outstanding. A very solid album, with back to back wonderful songs.I just wish that a few of her multitude of other wonderful songs would have been included on this album. "Never Let Me Go", "Angels Forever", "JFK", "Goodbye Kiss" (both versions, especially the BBC 1 live version), "Pawn Shop Blues", "Every Man Gets His Wish", and probably 30 other songs that I have heard Lana sing. Songs not yet released, but that are as worthy of purchase and as good as or better than songs released by the current popular artists. I would gladly pay $3.00 each to purchase at least 30 of her unreleased songs. There perhaps are many more than I have heard on YouTube or eLyrics. Of an estimated 40 unreleased Lana songs, I would be glad to purchase 35 of them. To me that is a reflection of the fact that she is a rather remarkable artist. I could not even imagine Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks leaving that many songs of this caliber on the cutting room floor.I do hope that some of her already recorded songs get released in the near future. Why deprive fans of songs by the best songstress that exists. It is hard for me to accept that from my perspective the best singers of my generation take a back seat to Lana. Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, Agnetha Faltskog, Grace Slick, Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion, Madonna, and many others have a lot of wonderful songs amongst them. Can Lana come up with a total that surpasses all of them together? Perhaps so, at least in my opinion. And I have tremendous respect and admiration for the above singers. They are all great and had many wonderful songs among them through their career. My personal belief is that Lana is already right there at the top of the list. And has a lot of time in front of her to continue providing her fans with her glamorous songs.Most albums (other than greatest hits albums) that get released now days have 1 or 2 great songs, a couple of good ones, and then several that serve as filler. The first 3 Lana albums, this one included, are more in line with "greatest hits" albums. Just about every song is either great or at least very good. And from my perspective Lana already has enough wonderful songs recorded to fill up 3 or 4 more lovely albums.I do hope that the existing songs get released, and that she continues to put out exceptional music for the next several decades.I still have to wonder "Lana Del Rey, how you get that way"?

This is not an album that reaches out and grabs you immediately. I have found that often, though, records that demand repeated listening turn out to be the ones that penetrate more deeply and more permanently than something catchier might. "Ultraviolence" is definitely such a record; it is definitely a slow burner and now it haunts me.I bought this record a few months ago and didn't listen to it as much as I did "Born to Die" or "Paradise" when I first bought them. I would play it occasionally, and I found the more I listened, the more I wanted to listen more, and again, to hear things I hadn't heard previously. I don't mean musically - I admit to being no music expert - I mean emotionally, viscerally. It has taken me this long to figure out what this record reminds me of. It is a lot like - and again, I don't mean musically as they are very different records musically; I mean in a more general way - Tori Amos' "Boys for Pele" (in my opinion, one of the best modern albums ever made). It is a similar departure from what is still very very good previous music. It is definitely not as radio-friendly, but it is more ambitious and ultimately more affecting than her previous albums. (And I still really love those.)One thing that I think Lana Del Rey has in common with Tori Amos (they are more alike than you might think) is that she is very good at playing a character, but sometimes one wonders if that character is perhaps herself. My gut feeling is that she is more transparent than she gets credit for, but who knows, perhaps she's just a good actress. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. The strengths of "Ultraviolence" are many, but there are two that stand out to me. It is a very cohesive album (again, like "Pele"); I love concept albums when done well and this one is. That doesn't mean there aren't some tracks that appeal to me more than others. The title track, "Brooklyn Baby", and "Old Money" are standouts for me, but there really isn't a bad song on the record.Really, though, what cannot be understated is the intensity of the emotional response this record evokes. I firmly believe that the best art expresses - through whatever medium - something very profound about the human condition and resonates with us at a level perhaps deeper than we can explain. Really good art leaves us changed after experiencing it. "Ultraviolence" does that.

Great album

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