ALBUMS CHART
ALBUMS CHART
ALBUMS CHART
review 1: 95
Lana Del Rey's sixth studio album "I Believe In Love", produced by Lana herself and Jamie xx is a 180 degrees turn from her previous Grammy winning record "Midnight" in terms of sound and also lyrically. On the record, Lana luxuriates with the concept of "love" in its purest and broadest form. Lana opened herself to love again but also shared her worries about the fate of the world while still sending a glimmer of hope.
"Running From Love" serving as the lead single off the album is one of the better tracks solidifying the concept of the album and giving us the right map to go on this upcoming journey. The track itself proves Lana as a songwriter who re-invents her sound and lyrics while still giving us a hook that is reminiscent to her previous known hits.
Another stand-out is the album's piano ballad "Tell Me (And I'll Go)" which talks about insecurity in relationships. "I'll say it one more time if you'll be near to me / If you don't feel it then I'll go / Because if I can't have you next to me / There will be aching in my soul " . The intimate and soothing vocals along with the soft piano in the background add up alot of emotion to these beautiful lyrics. The song is easily one of Lana's best ballads released yet and stands proudly next to her hit-ballad "Now He's Gone" off "Midnight".
On "Praying" which is my personal favorite off the album, Lana is speaking about the world and her worries from the lack of action from society and politicians. "We can keep on begging / But who is really listening / When everything around us turns to dust? ". Lana does not only speak about the world but speaks for the world, ultimately giving a voice to all the ones who feel unheard but seek for change. Lana is giving them that exact hope with every lyric that is carrying signficant weight turning lighter. "You'll never be alone in this world". A magical, important, hopeful and signficant song that will give you chills down your spine.
Going back to "Skin" which is the sensual track on the record which is conveyed both in the ear-grabbing instrumental and the arousing lyrics. "The way we show it drives us insane / Touch on my skin"
The record finishes with the title-track "I Believe In Love" which is my second favorite off the album. This track is what will make you realize how coherent this album really is and how each track compliments one another and this entire project wouldn't work without one of them, including the interludes. "I heard so much about what love was meant to be, took me long enough to learn that it starts with me". The track sums up the themes explored on this record perfectly and answers probably the biggest question from the album cover that was unanswered up until now. "Break down the wall". The whole world is waiting for us if we give love a chance and accept it.
In a world where the hippie ideal is less compelling, Lana is exploring the concept of love with a fresh take. "I Believe In Love" is a sophisticated record with excellent music and a consistent message that leaves you with the feeling as if you were hearing a classic.
review 2: 94
About a year or so after her commercial blockbuster ‘Midnight’, Lana Del Rey has stripped it all down for ‘I Believe In Love’. The song opens up with its smash lead single ‘Running from Love’, which is steady and somewhat funky beat. Personally the lyrics are both intricate and the production is energetic enough to keep the song afloat. The only place where I found it to sink somewhat was the bridge, which I believe would have benefited from perhaps some falsetto singing or humming at the least. The production real picks up and reaches its A-game though with ‘Forget Me’. Personally I found this track to strike a beautiful balance between repetitive pop verses and a more poetic songwriting. Certainly this new single is a standout track and I’d dare to say even outdoes her critically acclaimed hit ‘Down For It’. The interlude ‘Walls’ shows a clearly and mature level production of to the record and makes the record transition well. Personally I would have liked it to extend further and be a little crisper, as the buzz noise tended to be fairly distracting. I’m not sure if the buzz was an artistic element because for me it really didn’t click. Now I really hate to criticize this track because I’d argue its some of Lana’s best lyrics, but ‘Skin’ felt very uncomfortable to me. The first part of the album reminded very much of an Adele/Sam Smith ballad type vibe. With the interlude I saw a transition that I believed to be somewhat like Beyonce’s ‘Lemondae’, moving into a faster dance style, but I was wrong. ‘Skin’ has perfect lyrics however it butchered them with the banging beat and the odd sampling. The song could have easily gone over a soft acoustic guitar or perhaps a traditional piano. The electronic keys and little audio snippet though, are painful. Shame these lyrics got messed up by shockingly shaky production. Thankfully the album redeems itself with the nice, outer space-ish production on the gentle ‘In My Head’. I found this song quite surprising and fun. The sound compliments the vocals well and really has a nice blend to it overall. Next comes literally the best CAL ballad ever, ‘Tell Me (And I’ll Go)’. Back when this song was dropped as a single I didn’t pay much attention to it, but JESUS FUCKING CHRIST. Lana has me shedding tears. Sis wow. The vocal masterpiece that is this record’s ballads keeps on giving with the harmonies in ‘Praying’. Wow I truly have no bad words. ‘Bluer Skies’ triumphs over the previous interlude in being a very professionally produced beat and sonically moves the album forward. Kicking it up to a faster tempo, the album continues to deliver with ‘Youth’. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but the first instrumental reminds me a lot of a xylophone that a kid may play which I found very cute and fitting with the “youth theme”. I enjoyed the escalation during the chorus was well done and hints some of the vibe fans remember from tracks like ‘Rosa’ on her last record. Personally I wish she would have broken down with a beat drop on the final chorus rather than letting it just fade, but overall a decent song. And honestly at this point I’m just speechless because ‘I Believe In Love’ is everything I could ask for out of a Lana Del Rey song times like 2000. I love the progression and how it builds complexity up. Vocally the it is the records best. Wow sis did that. Overall I found the album’s production superb. If it could be altered I’d perhaps through in more interludes and replace ‘Skin’-or at least its production/sample. Aside from that, this album is a wonderful blend of ballads, cinematic music and the alternative pop we love from Lana.
RFL: 9/10
FM: 10/10
Walls: 9/10
Skin: 7/10
IMH: 10/10
TMAIG: 10/10
Praying: 10/10
BS: 10/10
Youth: 9/10
IBIL: 10/10
Cohesiveness: 9/10
Production: 10/10
Stand Out Tracks: I Believe In Love, In My Head, Tell Me (And I’ll Go)
Disappointment Tracks: Skin
review 3: 95
First of all, without even listening to the music, I must say that the visuals of this album are so amazing. They are really simple. The cover of the album really shows Lana’s beauty & I love how they kept the album cover simple. The booklet looks amazing, Lana is so beautiful and looks really gorgeous in all the pictures. The theme of the album is, obviously, love and I think that the visuals of this album, the cover aswell as the booklet, are really showing this. What I really feel while listening to this album, is that Lana is playing with different kinds of genres. The album opens with Running From Love, which I think is a really strong opening track. There aren’t much lyrics in this song, but I don’t think that’s necessary for this kind of song. Then the song beautifully transitions in “Forget Me”, which is probably my favorite track from the album. It’s very up tempo – something that we’re not that familiar with, while listening to Lana del Rey music. The lyrics are amazing, the production of the song is so insanely good. The song is very experimental – and we can hear Lana experimenting with a lot on this album. Did she make me believe in love after listening to this album? Absolutely! I There are, ofcourse, more highlights on this album: the interludes make the songs beautifully transition into one another. My favorite songs from the album are: Forget Me, Tell Me (And I’ll Go) and Praying, but overall I must say that I love the album completely. If I had to give it a rate, I’d give it 4,5 out of five starts or a 9,5/10. An almost perfect album, without any flaws! Well done, Lana, and congrats on your beautiful album. May you have much luck with this!
review 4: 91
As we all know, Lana Del Rey is known for releasing quality albums making her, yes, maybe the greatest musician in the world as some would say. It has been year after year that Lana has released quality material, but is "I Believe In Love" going to match or even top her stellar releases like "Silver" and "Midnight"? It seems so. The album begins with Lana's smash hit single "Running From Love" which seems a little repetitive and very different from any Lana release but, it's very clear why the song was released as the lead single from the project as it captures the vibe and the message that the album carries through.
When I was listening to this album, I thought of how much of a surprise the sound she was going with fits her so well too. The samples were amazingly inserted on the songs that they don't even feel like samples, but they feel like they were a part of the song from the beginning making it a great experience. I'm not that much into ballads, so when I heard that there were three songs one after the other being slow, kinda like power-ballads, I wasn't really into that. But honestly, the whole album is great. My personal favourites were the title track and it's Madonna sound that actually made me believe in love, Forget Me which is the perfect choice as the second single. After listening this album all I have to say is that Lana made an incredible body of work, it's on par with her other studio albums as well and that's amazing.
1. Running From Love - 8/10
2. Forget Me - 10/10
3. Walls (interlude) - 10/10
4. Skins - 10/10
5. In My Head - 9/10
6. Tell Me (And I'll Go) - 7/10
7. Praying - 8/10
8. Bluer Skies (interlude) - 10/10
9. Youth - 9/10
10. I Believe in Love - 10/10
review 5: 91
After stunning the world with the near perfect “Midnight”, Lana Del Rey has returned with with her sixth studio album, a one of a kind capper to 2018. With Jamie xx beside her, Lana declared from the start of this era that this album was going to be something different. The mere mention of her intent sent fans into a total frenzy with excitement and pretty soon, the entire music industry had its eyes set on Lana’s album. Never one to buckle under expectation, Lana delivered a confident album that perfectly encapsulates why she is so vital to the modern music industry.
Running from Love 8/10
The album gets off to a stellar start with an incredible track that acts as perfect introduction to the new Lana sound. The track is simple, exactly what it needs to be. That doesn’t mean it’s not slick, though. The production work is extremely tight and sharp. There’s no nonsense, it’s all trimmed away to give us it’s most vital elements. Lana’s vocals make extensive use of her lower register, something that sets her apart from most of her female contemporaries. She keeps her voice very controlled and in command, timing perfectly with the production. The lyrics are minimalist as well which is somewhat disappointing when it comes to Lana because she always has something brilliant to say. But it’s a small gripe. It’s still an amazing track!
Forget Me 10/10
Lana does some of her best work when she manages to make the listener feel like the one she’s talking to and she puts that skill to fantastic use here. Once again, the production work is absolutely stellar. It’s a no nonsense approach to things, opting to go for a minimalist attitude but that’s what makes it shine. To get a track to connect so beautifully and seamlessly with the vocals is a hard thing to do but here it’s accomplished with ease. Lana’s voice is full of attitude and conviction as she sings about a winter love melting to a summer end. Her lyrics are scathing without being vicious. It’s all in her subtext. Without a doubt this is one of the best songs of the year and the perfect choice for the album’s second single.
Walls (Interlude) will not be reviewed but it’s pretty awesome for an interlude!
Skin 8/10
So far this is the most complicated track musically. There isn’t such a minimalist approach but it’s still far from wild. The music here is upbeat and features a very pronounced and driving beat to it which is a nice change of pace from the more subdued opening. Lana’s vocals are again fantastic, full of the sex appeal that her lyrics conjure. She sounds very powerful and in charge on this track and it’s a liberating sound coming from her. Lyrically the song is once more kind of minimal. A bit more to say would have been nice, but it’s still a brilliant track in every way.
In My Head 9/10
Lana pulls another absolute stunner here. The production work here is a brave march forward sound wise for the album. It’s got a lot of layers to it but the most interesting is the music box like base melody. It sets the tone of the song up immediately and keeps it moving forward smoothly as a sound motif. Lana’s vocals are also impressive on the track, very clean and clear and confident. But the strongest part of the song is the lyrics. Boasting arguably Lana’s best chorus, the song is a stunning achievement of cleverness. The things she says are familiar but the way she chooses to say them is anything but. She puts such a personal conviction behind it at all times and it’s a total stunner from start to finish.
Tell Me (And I’ll Go) 10/10
In my opinion, the best song on the album comes with this beautiful ballad. With just a simple piano accompaniment, Lana delivers one of the most haunting and devastating songs of recent memory. Her vocals are absolutely beautiful from beginning to end. The pain that hides inside her voice as she recounts this story is soul crushing. You feel the song in her voice as if she’s speaking straight from her soul to us. The lyrics are beautiful in that regard as well. This is simply put, a master stroke and one more shining example of Lana’s brilliance.
Praying 8/10
Another affecting ballad, this one a bit more raw. Lana really captures the feeling of longing here with perfect ease. Her voice soars over the beautiful orchestral arrangement and she reaches into parts of her voice that she hardly ever explores. The song’s lyrics are incredibly well written and feels incredibly confessional. The beauty of the song lies in that confessional beauty. Lana allowed her vulnerability to show here and that endears a listener and keeps them hooked. However the song is very brisk and understays it’s warm welcome. Had it been extended a bit, it would be one of the album’s defining moments. But as it is, it’s still beautiful and belongs among this stellar tracklisting.
Bluer Skies (Interlude) not reviewed but it is again, very beautiful!
Youth 8/10
Though it isn’t the best track on the album, this song hits differently than the other tracks. This is a breath of positive energy into the album and Lana’s reserved happiness is heard in her delivery. The song’s production is straightforward and not exuberant in any way, sidelining to let her vocals shine the most. And her vocals do shine. She puts a lot of gusto into the delivery and she totally sells the song. It’s lyrical content is beautiful but sometimes becomes a little shaky in the metaphors but it never loses its overall strength.
I Believe in Love 10/10
The album closes on a total stunner. The production work is similarly minimal but still features subtle nuances that make it stand out. But it’s Lana who shines here. Her songwriting on this song is bulletproof. There is no line that doesn’t carry perfectly crafted attention and detail. Everything fits together like a beautiful puzzle. Her vocals are just as strong, if not stronger than they have been on the entire album. She really soars on this track. It’s overall message is also exactly what the world needs right now. Lana truly closed this off right.
Though 2018 was full of immaculate releases, Lana once again clenches the title of best of the lot. Every song here feels vital. If one were to be removed, this album would feel incomplete. Every track here feels like a potential single. That speaks to the total beauty and majesty of the album. The production work is brilliant, the lyricism is consistently strong from start to finish, and the overall impact is felt because of the strength of those individual components. This album hits hard, just as it should. Lana hit an undeniable homerun with this more than worthy, and honestly superior, follow up to what everyone considered to be her magnum opus. THIS is her magnum opus (until she tops herself again with the next album).