Gaga unleashes the ‘Monster’

You’d have to be living under a rock these days to not know the cultural phenomenon that is Lady Gaga. The pop superstar has just launched her first international tour and bestowed a new album upon the masses.

“The Fame Monster” has a decidedly different feel than Gaga’s debut album, “The Fame,” released late last year. No longer focused on the excess of fame and fortune, now Gaga’s lyrics gravitate toward other excesses and fears; what Gaga calls her, “monsters.”

“The Fame” brought her a string of number ones, and these eight new tracks are sure to give us a few more. Not one song on the entire album feels like yesterday’s leftovers; each one has true hit potential.

If any fault must be found, it could be in the sometimes confusingly veiled meanings behind the artist’s verses, but it doesn’t take away from a listener’s enjoyment. But once one learns the origins of this artist’s vision, they might find a new appreciation and even more to enjoy.