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''Joanne'' received a [[Weighted arithmetic mean|weighted score]] of 68 out of 100 from review aggregate website [[Metacritic]], indicating "generally favourable reviews", based on 21 reviews from [[music journalism|music critics]].<ref name="metacritic">{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/joanne/lady-gaga/critic-reviews|title=Critic Reviews for Joanne|work={{noitalic|Metacritic}}|publisher=CBS Interactive|accessdate=October 21, 2016}}</ref> British music journalist [[Neil McCormick]] gave the album a four-out-of-five-star rating, in his review published in ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''. He complimented the old-fashioned songs present on ''Joanne'', saying: "With big songs and big production, Joanne certainly sounds like the business. Yet while its modernity is expressed by mixing and matching genres or adding digital zing to familiar tropes, for all its bravura exuberance and pop slickness it is old fashioned to its core."<ref name="telereview">{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/lady-gaga-joanne-album-review-it-turns-out-gaga-is-a-rock-and-ro/|title=Lady Gaga, Joanne, album review: it turns out Gaga is a rock and roll showgirl at heart|last=McCormick|first=Neil|date=October 19, 2016|accessdate=October 20, 2016|authorlink=Neil McCormick|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref> [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] from [[AllMusic]] gave it a three-and-a-half-out-of-five rating. He gave a positive review feeling that unlike Gaga's previous endeavors, where she appeared as a "high-wire act", ''Joanne'' was more "earth-bound" and is a "record made by an artist determined to execute only the stunts she knows how to pull off".<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/joanne-mw0002982993|title=Joanne: Review|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|date=October 21, 2016|accessdate=October 21, 2016}}</ref> The same rating was given by ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s [[Rob Sheffield]], who called the album an "old-school Nineties [[soft rock]] album, heavy on the acoustic guitar". Complimenting the understated production by Ronson and the other producers, Sheffield concluded by saying that "for all its hits and misses, ''Joanne'' is a welcome reminder of why the world needs [Gaga] around."<ref name="rsreview">{{cite news|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/review-lady-gagas-joanne-w446032|title=Review: Lady Gaga's Soft-Rock Turn 'Joanne' Is Her Best in Years|work=Rolling Stone|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|date=October 21, 2016|accessdate=October 21, 2016}}</ref>
''Joanne'' received a [[Weighted arithmetic mean|weighted score]] of 68 out of 100 from review aggregate website [[Metacritic]], indicating "generally favourable reviews", based on 22 reviews from [[music journalism|music critics]].<ref name="metacritic">{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/joanne/lady-gaga/critic-reviews|title=Critic Reviews for Joanne|work={{noitalic|Metacritic}}|publisher=CBS Interactive|accessdate=October 21, 2016}}</ref> British music journalist [[Neil McCormick]] gave the album a four-out-of-five-star rating, in his review published in ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''. He complimented the old-fashioned songs present on ''Joanne'', saying: "With big songs and big production, Joanne certainly sounds like the business. Yet while its modernity is expressed by mixing and matching genres or adding digital zing to familiar tropes, for all its bravura exuberance and pop slickness it is old fashioned to its core."<ref name="telereview">{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/lady-gaga-joanne-album-review-it-turns-out-gaga-is-a-rock-and-ro/|title=Lady Gaga, Joanne, album review: it turns out Gaga is a rock and roll showgirl at heart|last=McCormick|first=Neil|date=October 19, 2016|accessdate=October 20, 2016|authorlink=Neil McCormick|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref> [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] from [[AllMusic]] gave it a three-and-a-half-out-of-five rating. He gave a positive review feeling that unlike Gaga's previous endeavors, where she appeared as a "high-wire act", ''Joanne'' was more "earth-bound" and is a "record made by an artist determined to execute only the stunts she knows how to pull off".<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/joanne-mw0002982993|title=Joanne: Review|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|date=October 21, 2016|accessdate=October 21, 2016}}</ref> The same rating was given by ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s [[Rob Sheffield]], who called the album an "old-school Nineties [[soft rock]] album, heavy on the acoustic guitar". Complimenting the understated production by Ronson and the other producers, Sheffield concluded by saying that "for all its hits and misses, ''Joanne'' is a welcome reminder of why the world needs [Gaga] around."<ref name="rsreview">{{cite news|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/review-lady-gagas-joanne-w446032|title=Review: Lady Gaga's Soft-Rock Turn 'Joanne' Is Her Best in Years|work=Rolling Stone|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|date=October 21, 2016|accessdate=October 21, 2016}}</ref>


Writing for ''[[The A.V. Club]]'', Annie Zaleski commended the "genre fluidity" of ''Joanne''. Rating it B, Zaleski noted that songs like "Diamond Heart", "John Wayne", "Sinner's Prayer" and "Hey Girl" besides being the best tracks from the album, also highlighted Gaga's vocal prowess.<ref name="avclub">{{cite news|url=http://www.avclub.com/review/lady-gaga-gets-back-right-track-joanne-244616|title=Lady Gaga gets back on the right track with Joanne|last=Zaleski|first=Annie|date=October 21, 2016|accessdate=October 21, 2016|work=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref> In a three-out-of-five-star review for ''[[Slant Magazine]]'', Sal Cinquemani criticized the album for its oversung ballads and lack of strong [[Hook (music)|hooks]], but deemed it more consistent and focused than ''Artpop''.<ref name="Cinquemani">{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/lady-gaga-joanne|title=Lady Gaga: Joanne <nowiki>|</nowiki> Album Review|last=Cinquemani|first=Sal|date=October 18, 2016|work=Slant Magazine|accessdate=October 19, 2016}}</ref> Maeve McDermott from ''[[USA Today]]'' complimented Gaga for "expanding her artistic vision and toying with different genres [on the album], while still recording the customary pop tracks listeners have come to expect".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/10/21/review-lady-gaga-joanne/92452418/|title=Review: Lady Gaga's 'Joanne' is a revealing triumph|last=McDermott|first=Maeve|date=October 18, 2016|work=[[USA Today]]|accessdate=October 19, 2016}}</ref> Andy Gill gave the album three out of five stars in a review for ''[[The Independent]]''. Gill said that the album's rock leanings largely work, praising Homme's work on "[[A-Yo (Lady Gaga song)|A-Yo]]" and "John Wayne" as highlights, though he called "Perfect Illusion" dull.<ref name="Gill">{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-reviews-lady-gaga-joanne-leonard-cohen-you-want-it-darker-pretenders-alone-a7369836.html|title=Album reviews: Lady Gaga – Joanne, Leonard Cohen – You Want It Darker, Pretenders – Alone, and more|last=Gill|first=Andy|date=October 19, 2016|work=The Independent|accessdate=October 19, 2016}}</ref>
Writing for ''[[The A.V. Club]]'', Annie Zaleski commended the "genre fluidity" of ''Joanne''. Rating it B, Zaleski noted that songs like "Diamond Heart", "John Wayne", "Sinner's Prayer" and "Hey Girl" besides being the best tracks from the album, also highlighted Gaga's vocal prowess.<ref name="avclub">{{cite news|url=http://www.avclub.com/review/lady-gaga-gets-back-right-track-joanne-244616|title=Lady Gaga gets back on the right track with Joanne|last=Zaleski|first=Annie|date=October 21, 2016|accessdate=October 21, 2016|work=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref> In a three-out-of-five-star review for ''[[Slant Magazine]]'', Sal Cinquemani criticized the album for its oversung ballads and lack of strong [[Hook (music)|hooks]], but deemed it more consistent and focused than ''Artpop''.<ref name="Cinquemani">{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/lady-gaga-joanne|title=Lady Gaga: Joanne <nowiki>|</nowiki> Album Review|last=Cinquemani|first=Sal|date=October 18, 2016|work=Slant Magazine|accessdate=October 19, 2016}}</ref> Maeve McDermott from ''[[USA Today]]'' complimented Gaga for "expanding her artistic vision and toying with different genres [on the album], while still recording the customary pop tracks listeners have come to expect".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/10/21/review-lady-gaga-joanne/92452418/|title=Review: Lady Gaga's 'Joanne' is a revealing triumph|last=McDermott|first=Maeve|date=October 18, 2016|work=[[USA Today]]|accessdate=October 19, 2016}}</ref> Andy Gill gave the album three out of five stars in a review for ''[[The Independent]]''. Gill said that the album's rock leanings largely work, praising Homme's work on "[[A-Yo (Lady Gaga song)|A-Yo]]" and "John Wayne" as highlights, though he called "Perfect Illusion" dull.<ref name="Gill">{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-reviews-lady-gaga-joanne-leonard-cohen-you-want-it-darker-pretenders-alone-a7369836.html|title=Album reviews: Lady Gaga – Joanne, Leonard Cohen – You Want It Darker, Pretenders – Alone, and more|last=Gill|first=Andy|date=October 19, 2016|work=The Independent|accessdate=October 19, 2016}}</ref>

Revision as of 18:17, 25 October 2016

Untitled

Joanne is the fifth studio album by American singer Lady Gaga. It was released on October 21, 2016, by Streamline and Interscope Records.[1][2] "Perfect Illusion" was released as the album's lead single on September 9, 2016, going number one in France and Spain, while reaching the top 20 in more than ten countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Background and development

Gaga's third studio album Artpop was released in November 2013 to mixed reviews.[3] It debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, and has sold 2.5 million copies as of July 2014.[4][5] During the album era, Gaga split from longtime manager Troy Carter in late 2013,[6] and by June 2014, she and new manager Bobby Campbell joined Artist Nation, the artist management division of Live Nation Entertainment.[7] The ambivalent reception towards Artpop led Gaga's management to overhaul an image change for the singer. Along with a more subdued appearance in media, Gaga emphasized her vocal prowess. A tribute to The Sound of Music at the 87th Academy Awards, where she sang a medley of songs from the film, was critically lauded.[7][8] She and Tony Bennett also released Cheek to Cheek, an album of jazz duets, in September 2014 to generally favorable reviews.[9] It debuted atop the Billboard 200, becoming Gaga's third consecutive number-one album in the United States,[10] and won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.[11]

Additionally, Gaga starred in American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–16), the fifth season of the American anthology television series American Horror Story, winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film.[12][13] While collecting her award, the singer confirmed that she would be releasing her fifth studio album later in 2016, and was working on the logistics and aspects like the looks she would portray for the record.[14][15] Throughout the majority of 2015 and 2016, Gaga teased the creative and recording processes of the album on her social media accounts. She was seen collaborating with longtime producer RedOne, as well as new collaborators like Giorgio Moroder, Mark Ronson and Nile Rodgers, among others.[16]

Writing and recording

Mark Ronson (pictured) and Gaga served as the album's executive producers.

According to Gaga, she wanted "the fans to be surprised [with the album]... But I will just tell you that it's a wonderful, soul-searching experience. And it's very unlike [Artpop] in that way."[17] In an interview with Billboard, producer RedOne stated that the singer was mentally in a "cleaner" state of mind, hearkening back to her earlier days, which he felt was beneficial.[7] Gaga and Ronson serve as Joanne's executive producers.[18] The two had previously grown up within blocks of one another on New York's Upper East Side, and had collaborated on Wale's song "Chillin" (2009). They reunited in late 2015, when Gaga presented the song "Angel Down" to Ronson at a London studio. Later, the duo worked for six months in Rick Rubin's Shangri-La recording studio in Malibu, while Rubin was between projects. On Gaga and Ronson's first day at Shangri-La, they wrote the song "Joanne", and Ronson encouraged Gaga to write lyrics about "whatever was happening in her life or on her mind."[19]

Recording continued until the album's final mastering session.[19] Gaga was deeply involved with the technicalities of the music being recorded. "She loves just sitting at a piano and barking orders at a drummer and she has an incredible voice," Ronson confessed, adding that they first began with the music and then proceeded with the song.[20] The producer later said that the music recorded with Gaga was "some of my favourite music I've really ever worked on. It's incredible – I love it. I can't wait until you can hear it because the music speaks for itself."[21] Ronson also hinted the involvement of psychedelic rock band Tame Impala frontman, Kevin Parker, which BBC Music later confirmed to be true.[22]

Florence Welch is a featured vocalist on "Hey Girl".

Many prominent musicians make guest appearances on Joanne. Gaga invited Father John Misty to play drums on the record, while Ronson invited Josh Homme to play guitar on the song "John Wayne", due to Homme's work for the band Queens of the Stone Age; in addition, Homme drummed and performed co-production. Ronson also invited Beck to collaborate on the album, resulting in the song "Dancin' in Circles". Gaga, a longtime fan of Beck's, was initially starstruck upon working with him.[19] Gaga and Florence Welch developed their duet, "Hey Girl", during a meeting at New York's Electric Lady Studios. Gaga had worked "on an idea for a song that I really wanted to do with a girl. You'll see why when you see what the song is about. I just thought, 'Who do I want to sing with?'" and she chose Welch to appear on the track.[23][24]

Ronson crafted the album's organic sound by recruiting musicians he had previously worked with on projects for Rufus Wainwright and Amy Winehouse, but credited the producer BloodPop with "[bringing the album] into the modern era."[19] In the meantime, Gaga collaborated with Elton John; their sessions resulted in a song titled "Room in My Heart", that did not make the album's final cut. Prior to the release of the album, John compared Gaga's songwriting to her earlier work on songs like "Bad Romance" (2009) and "You and I" (2011).[16]

Themes and influences

Returning to your family and where you came from, and your history... this is what makes you strong. It's not looking out that's going to do that—it's looking in... Joanne is a progression for me. It was about going into the studio and forgetting that I was famous."

—Lady Gaga on the album's influences[25]

Family is an underlying theme on Joanne, with Gaga explaining that the album "goes through all of [life]'s emotions".[26] While crafting the album, Gaga envisioned a girl in the middle of the country, who would understand the lyrics that the singer had wrote, and also find a human connection. In order to achieve that Gaga decided to encompass a varied assortment of genres, including "[crossing] between country and funk, pop, dance, rock, electronic music, folk", as confirmed in an interview with E!. The tragic early demise of Joanne Germanotta added to the emotional quotient of the songs, as well as the lyrical content, with Gaga finding that emotion to be universal. Along with loss, other emotional feelings like heartbreak, identity, frustration, desire and nostalgia also influenced the album. The singer further clarified that with Joanne she wanted to go "out into the world and bringing with me its deepest stories that I have of my life and turning them into songs that I hope will touch people in a deep and meaningful way about their own lives and their own stories."[27]

The singer's experience working on American Horror Story influenced the creative process of Joanne, with Gaga mentioning: "I have returned to something I've believed in so much, which is the art of darkness."[28] Being on the show also affected her vocals, in which she explained the she would "listen" more to the music and then write; afterwards adding that the album will talk less about her painful time during the Artpop era and would have more clarity; "Now I'm thinking more about what it is I want to say and what I want to leave on Earth. It's less an expression of all my pain," she concluded.[16] During a 2015 interview with The Inquirer, Gaga said that while making her new album she had discovered a new darker side to herself, darker than what fans might expect from her:

I am finding a million new things about myself, what I want and who I want to be but most importantly, I have actually found a place to put so much pain and anguish that I have nowhere to put. You can put it in your music but that’s not always what people want from me in my music... They want a sweet, delightful, 'Just Dance' kind of girl or they want 'Bad Romance' and that's fine... I am happy to give people that but maybe with my song 'Dope' or some of the things I did on Artpop, you saw a kind of dark side, wrapped up in colors. But maybe that was not always what people want to see. They want to see the perfection... it's the imperfection that is the win.[29]

Other influences came from the men in Gaga's life, starting from her father Joe Germanotta to ex-fiance Taylor Kinney. She cited that using her "rebellious spirit" she wanted to understand all the different relationships that she had gone through, saying that Joanne was not a "sad album. It's an album that is very revealing of me as a woman".[30] According to Kevin Fallon from The Daily Beast, "The act of being Lady Gaga had drowned out the brilliant music, and the importance of Lady Gaga had somehow muddied the simple pleasure of being her fan: It was her authenticity, in all of its strangeness and lofty artistic pursuit, that spoke to us. That seemed to have gone missing." He felt that with Joanne, Gaga was able to eliminate that redundancy and presented herself as an "evolved performer", who could lay down bare emotions in the songs, rather than mask it in electronic music beats.[31]

Music and lyrical interpretation

Since Gaga did not want to restrict the music on Joanne to any particular genre, the album veers from dance-rock to introspective country music. The singer professed a fascination with country music and all aspects of it which in turn influenced the music of the album.[32] In terms of production and composition, Joanne continued the "stripped-down" approach to music Gaga had undertaken following the Artpop era and gave more emphasis on Gaga's vocals and the lyrical aspects of the tracks, making them sound more like a story.[31] During an interview with Rolling Stone Gaga added that the songs were "stories about my family, my sister, my father and his sister. My mom's family. My relationships with men, my failures".[26]

Joe Lynch from Billboard described Joanne as a "a stylistically eclectic of collection of swaggering rock, introspective ballads and soulful, danceable grooves".[33] It opens with the track "Diamond Heart" which sets the tone for the album. Hearkening to her earlier works, the singer utters the line "I may not be perfect, but I've got a diamond heart".[34] he lyrics are autobiographical in nature, talking about Gaga's time as a go-go dancer in New York. "Diamond Heart" changes from a moody vibe to a rock-EDM composition with Homme playing guitar.[35] The second track "A-Yo" has touches of country music, and is a mixture of the song "Manicure" (from Artpop) and "Americano" (from Born This Way). The composition is reminiscent of the music played in dive bars, with double hand claps.[34] Lyrically it is a metaphor for having sex with someone, and the country music being complimented by BloodPop's background shouting vocals and synth addition.[35] As the title track stars, the general tempo drops. Accompanied by just an acoustic guitar, Gaga sings about her late aunt Joanne, with some honest lyrics.[34]

Actor John Wayne was an inspiration behind the album's song of the same name.

Next track "John Wayne" is more tongue-in-cheek, with Gaga singing cowboy references in the lyrics which go as follows: "I just love a cowboy I know it's bad, but I'm, like, can I just hang off the back of your horse and can you go a little faster?".[34] Gaga's vocals are accompanied by Homme's guitar and the track is anthemic in nature, with allusions to her previous relationships, and comparisons to actor John Wayne.[33][36] The Beck composed track "Dancin' in Circles" is a pop song, consisting of a dance beat, a spoken word middle 8 section and lyrically talks about having a good time by oneself.[34] It was described by Nicholas Mojica from International Business Times as an "ode to masturbation", with influences of reggae and ska, hearkening back to Gaga's own "Alejandro", as well as music of Gwen Stefani.[36][35] The lyrics find Gaga fantasising about a past lover while dancing alone to herself late at night, the latter alluding to masturbation.[33][36]

According to Mark Savage from BBC Music, "Perfect Illusion" is a disco-rock song, which is composed around a building chord sequence, which he felt leads to a "compelling sense of urgency". The singer's vocals are kept raw and untreated on the song, eschewing autotune.[37] The composition consists of "pulsing verses" and a guitar-and-vocal breakdown before the final chorus, with Gaga singing the main title multiple times. Around the two minute mark, there is a key change for the final chorus.[38] In "Million Reasons" Gaga talks about love which does not last, with the singer uttering the title in several variations on the verses.[34] The composition consists of a piano and guitar. During the song's chorus, the singer croons, "You're giving me a million reasons to let you go / You're giving me a million reasons to quit the show".[39] According to Tom Rasmussen from Vice, "Million Reasons" has the most country music influence among all the songs from Joanne.[35] "Sinner's Prayers" consists of instrumentation from bells and whistles,[34] and is a simulacrum of country music, along with R&B and pop.[35] The Father John Misty assisted track finds Gaga being vulnerable, wanting her man to love her as she is.[34][40] Lyrics like "Her love for him ain't cheap, But it breaks just like a knockoff piece from Fulton Street" references the similar named street in Manhattan, New York, where cheap trinkets are available.[33]

For the ninth track "Come to Mama", Gaga sings in an affected voice while elongating her vowel enunciation. The 1970s inspired composition has a big chorus, talking about accepting one another.[34][40] The song has biblical references with Gaga alluding to both the Old and New Testaments. The lyric about "a forty-day flood" alludes to Noah while "stop throwin' stones at your sisters and your brothers" is taken from one of Jesus' aphorisms, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."[33] In "Hey Girl", BloodPop and Ronson added a funky production where Gaga and Welch's vocals taking prominence with the lyrics being an "ode to friendship",.[36] The eleventh track "Angels Down" was inspired by the death of Trayvon Martin who was shot dead by George Zimmerman in 2012. Gaga sings lyrics like "Shots were fired on the street, by the church where we used to meet".[34] A torch song consisting of just the singer's vocals and some "ghostly" strings, "Angels Down" finds her emote in an "honest and raw" manner according to Rasmussen.[35] The final track on the album, "Just Another Day", starts with a synth introduction. It has influences of music by David Bowie and The Beatles with Gaga's prominent vocals accompanied by Ronson on guitar and Brian Newman playing horns.[34][36]

Release, titling and artwork

Gaga's manager Bobby Campbell confirmed that the album would not be released until the later half of 2016, with John saying that it would not be released until 2017.[7][41] In September 2016, Gaga updated her official website announcing the advent of the new album era, with revealing the name of the lead single, "Perfect Illusion". On September 15, the singer appeared on Apple Radio's Beats 1 and revealed that the name of the album as Joanne and release date as October 21, 2016. She also confirmed that within the next 48 hours, the recording would be finished.[42] Gaga confessed that finally announcing the album name and release date was a bittersweet moment for her, acknowledging that "this isn't the end just the end of this moment. It's also the beginning of this moment."[43]

The album name was taken after Gaga's father's late sister, Joanne Stefani Germanotta. She died on December 18, 1974, when she was 19, due to complications arousing out of lupus.[44] Gaga, who carries it as one of her middle names (Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta), noticed that Joanne's death had a profound effect on her family.[43] Although the singer was born almost 12 years after Joanne's death, Gaga credited her late aunt for making herself and her family strong. The singer had cited Joanne's influences many times in her previous works. Her debut album, The Fame (2008), contained a poem titled For a Moment by Joanne in the album's booklet. She credited Joanne for helping her get through her addiction problem, as well as dedicated her The Fame Ball Tour to her. Gaga has also tattoed the date of Joanne's death on her left bicep. The singer's parents opened a restaurant called Joanne's Trattoria in New York in 2012. Gaga has often noted that although she had never met Joanne, she has "been one of the most important figures in my life".[44] So once Gaga wrote the song "Joanne" with Ronson, they decided to name the album as the same, making it a tribute to her.[43]

Promotion

See also: Dive Bar Tour

"Perfect Illusion" was released as the album's first single on September 9, 2016.[45] It debuted at number one in France and Spain.[46][47] She performed "A-Yo" and "Million Reasons" on Saturday Night Live on October 22, 2016.[48]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic68/100[49]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[50]
The A.V. ClubB[51]
Chicago Tribune[52]
The Daily Telegraph[53]
The Guardian[54]
The Independent[55]
NME4/5[56]
PopMatters[57]
Rolling Stone[58]
Slant Magazine[59]

Joanne received a weighted score of 68 out of 100 from review aggregate website Metacritic, indicating "generally favourable reviews", based on 22 reviews from music critics.[49] British music journalist Neil McCormick gave the album a four-out-of-five-star rating, in his review published in The Daily Telegraph. He complimented the old-fashioned songs present on Joanne, saying: "With big songs and big production, Joanne certainly sounds like the business. Yet while its modernity is expressed by mixing and matching genres or adding digital zing to familiar tropes, for all its bravura exuberance and pop slickness it is old fashioned to its core."[53] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic gave it a three-and-a-half-out-of-five rating. He gave a positive review feeling that unlike Gaga's previous endeavors, where she appeared as a "high-wire act", Joanne was more "earth-bound" and is a "record made by an artist determined to execute only the stunts she knows how to pull off".[50] The same rating was given by Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield, who called the album an "old-school Nineties soft rock album, heavy on the acoustic guitar". Complimenting the understated production by Ronson and the other producers, Sheffield concluded by saying that "for all its hits and misses, Joanne is a welcome reminder of why the world needs [Gaga] around."[58]

Writing for The A.V. Club, Annie Zaleski commended the "genre fluidity" of Joanne. Rating it B, Zaleski noted that songs like "Diamond Heart", "John Wayne", "Sinner's Prayer" and "Hey Girl" besides being the best tracks from the album, also highlighted Gaga's vocal prowess.[51] In a three-out-of-five-star review for Slant Magazine, Sal Cinquemani criticized the album for its oversung ballads and lack of strong hooks, but deemed it more consistent and focused than Artpop.[59] Maeve McDermott from USA Today complimented Gaga for "expanding her artistic vision and toying with different genres [on the album], while still recording the customary pop tracks listeners have come to expect".[60] Andy Gill gave the album three out of five stars in a review for The Independent. Gill said that the album's rock leanings largely work, praising Homme's work on "A-Yo" and "John Wayne" as highlights, though he called "Perfect Illusion" dull.[55]

The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan considered Joanne to be a "brave move" for Gaga and admired it. In her three-out-of-five-star review in the newspaper, Sullivan explained that "Gaga's huge voice adds a self-protective veneer, as does the presence of the other musicians, but at least she's done the groundwork for future albums that might show her with true transparency."[54] Digital Spy's Lewis Corner wrote, "Joanne is clearly Gaga's most personal album, popping aside the synthetic personas for something more honest and, well, human. Mother Monster may be retired for now, but Lady Gaga's sheer musical brilliance still shines through."[61] For Evan Sawdey of PopMatters, the album—with its "flaws and all"—was a correct musical step for Gaga, which he believed would make "fans and observers once again rethink what they know about the daring diva".[57]

Mikael Wood from Los Angeles Times felt that most songs on the album "lacked strong stories" and were more of "stylistic exercises" on Gaga's part.[62] Rich Juzwiak, who reviewed Joanne for Spin did not find the musical evolution that Gaga presented on the album as authentic. He added: "It's understandable that Joanne finds Gaga performing authenticity... The image here—the illusion, really—is as imperfect as it is meticulously rendered."[63] Rating the album two-out-of-four stars, journalist Greg Kot wrote in his review for Chicago Times that "[Gaga] sounds like she's just trying too hard" with Joanne. Kot also criticized the social commentary lyrics on songs like "Come to Mama" and "Angels Down".[52] Jon Caramancia from The New York Times noted that the album's elemental sound did not come as a surprise. "Lady Gaga was always simply too focused a singer to be strictly defined by her presentation," he wrote. "[Joanne] isn't daring or radical — it's logical, a rejoinder to her past and also to the candy-striped pop that surrounds her."[64] He described the album as confused and incoherent, adding that the collaborators, with the exception of songwriter Hillary Lindsey, lack their respective charms.[64]

Commercial performance

In the United States, Billboard published that industry forecaster's predicted Joanne to sell 190,000 album equivalent units for the week ending October 27, 2016.[65]

Track listing

Joanne – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducersLength
1."Diamond Heart"
3:30
2."A-Yo"
  • Ronson
  • BloodPop
  • Gaga
3:28
3."Joanne"
  • Germanotta
  • Ronson
  • Ronson
  • Gaga
  • BloodPop
3:17
4."John Wayne"
  • Germanotta
  • Ronson
  • Tucker
  • Homme
  • Ronson
  • BloodPop
  • Gaga
2:54
5."Dancin' in Circles"
  • Ronson
  • Gaga
  • BloodPop
3:27
6."Perfect Illusion"
  • Ronson
  • Parker
  • Gaga
  • BloodPop
3:02
7."Million Reasons"
  • Germanotta
  • Lindsey
  • Ronson
  • Ronson
  • Gaga
  • BloodPop
3:25
8."Sinner's Prayer"
  • Ronson
  • Gaga
  • BloodPop
3:43
9."Come to Mama"
  • Ronson
  • Haynie
  • Gaga
  • BloodPop
4:15
10."Hey Girl" (featuring Florence Welch)
  • Germanotta
  • Welch
  • Ronson
  • Ronson
  • Gaga
  • BloodPop
4:15
11."Angel Down"
  • Ronson
  • Gaga
  • BloodPop
3:49
Total length:39:05
Joanne – Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)[66]
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducersLength
12."Grigio Girls"
  • Germanotta
  • Lindsey
  • Ronson
  • Tucker
  • Ronson
  • Gaga
  • BloodPop
3:00
13."Just Another Day"Germanotta
  • Ronson
  • Gaga
2:58
14."Angel Down" (work tape)
  • Germanotta
  • Khayat
2:20
Total length:47:23
Joanne – Japanese edition (bonus track)[67]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Million Reasons" (work tape)
  • Germanotta
  • Lindsey
  • Ronson
 
Notes
  • ^[a] – co-producer

Personnel

Credits adapted from Joanne liner notes.[18]

Music
  • Victor Axelrod – piano (track 8), synthesizer (track 10)
  • Jeff Bhasker – synthesizers (track 1)
  • BloodPop – synthesizer (tracks 4–6, 8, 12), keyboards (tracks 3, 7, 11), organ (track 2), bass (track 6), drums (track 11)
  • Thomas Brenneck – guitars (tracks 2, 8, 10)
  • Jack Byrne – guitar (track 10)
  • J. Gastelum Cochemea – tenor saxophone (track 2)
  • Dave Guy – trumpet (track 2)
  • Este Haim – percussion (track 2)
  • Emile Haynie – drums, additional synths (track 9)
  • Matt Helders – drums (track 1)
  • Ian Hendrickson-Smith – baritone saxophone (track 2)
  • Josh Homme – guitar (tracks 1–2, 4), drums (track 4), slide guitar (track 8)
  • James King – baritone, tenor and alto saxes (track 9)
  • Brent Kolatalo – drums (track 9)
  • Steve Kortyka – saxophone (track 13)
  • Lady Gaga – vocals (all tracks), piano (tracks 7, 9–11, 13–14), percussion (tracks 2–3), backing vocals (track 9)
  • Don Lawrence – vocal instruction
  • Sean Lennon – slide guitar (track 8)
  • Ken Lewis – drums (track 9)
  • Hillary Lindsey – additional vocals (tracks 7, 12), guitar (track 7), background vocals (track 8)
  • Kelsey Lu – cello (track 10)
  • Leon Michels – keyboards, Mellotron (track 8)
  • Tom Moth – harp (track 10)
  • Nicholas Movshon – bass (tracks 8, 10)
  • Brian Newman – trumpet (tracks 2, 13)
  • Kevin Parker – drums, guitar, synthesizer (track 6)
  • RedOne – guitar (track 14)
  • Mark Ronson – bass (tracks 1–4, 7, 9, 12–13), guitar (tracks 2–7, 9, 12–13), keyboards (tracks 3, 13), Mellotron strings (tracks 3, 11), electric piano (track 1), synthesizer (track 6)
  • Anthony Rossomando – guitar (track 12)
  • Harper Simon – guitar (track 3)
  • Homer Steinweiss – drums (tracks 8, 10, 13)
  • Josh Tillman – drums (track 1)
  • Florence Welch – vocals (track 10)
Production
  • Ben Baptie – mixing (tracks 11, 13)
  • Jeff Bhasker – co-production (track 1)
  • Joshua Blair – recording (tracks 1–13)
  • BloodPop – production (tracks 1–12), rhythm track (tracks 1–7, 12), rhythm programming (tracks 8, 10), string programming (track 7), synthesizer programming (track 9)
  • Brandon Bost – mixing assistance (tracks 1, 3–4, 7–10, 12), recording (track 7)
  • Johnnie Burik – recording assistance (track 3)
  • Christopher Cerullo – recording assistance (track 10)
  • Chris Claypool – recording assistance (track 10)
  • David "Squirrel" Covell – recording assistance (tracks 1–10, 12), recording (track 11)
  • Tom Coyne – mastering (all tracks)
  • Matthew Cullen – recording (track 8)
  • Riccardo Damian – recording (tracks 1, 13)
  • Abby Echiverri – recording assistance (track 8)
  • Tom Elmhirst – mixing (tracks 1, 3–4, 7–10, 12)
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing (tracks 2, 5–6)
  • John Hanes – mix engineering (tracks 2, 5–6)
  • Michael Harris – recording assistance (track 10)
  • Emile Haynie – production (track 9)
  • Josh Homme – co-production (track 1)
  • T.I. Jakke – mixing (track 14)
  • Jens Jungkerth – recording (tracks 8, 10)
  • Brent Kolatalo – recording (track 9)
  • Lady Gaga – production (all tracks)
  • Ken Lewis – recording (track 9)
  • Barry McCready – recording assistance (tracks 2, 4–7, 9, 11–13), recording (track 13)
  • Ed McEntee – recording assistance (track 8)
  • Randy Merrill – mastering (all tracks)
  • Trevor Muzzy – recording (track 14)
  • Kevin Parker – production (track 6)
  • Charley Pollard – recording assistance (track 4)
  • RedOne – production, mixing, programming (track 14)
  • Benjamin Rice – recording (tracks 2, 12)
  • Mark Ronson – production (tracks 1–13)
  • Dave Russell – recording (track 3)
  • Brett "123" Shaw – recording (track 10)
  • Justin Smith – recording (tracks 1, 3, 8), recording assistance (tracks 2, 4, 6, 11)
  • Joe Visciano – mixing assistance (tracks 1, 3–4, 7–10, 12), recording (track 7)
  • Alekes Von Korff – recording (track 14)
Business
  • Bobby Campbell – management
  • Lisa Einhorn-Gilder – production coordination
  • Ashley Gutierrez – assistance to Lady Gaga
  • John Janick – A&R
  • Lady Gaga – executive production
  • Mark Ronson – executive production
Packaging
  • Sandra Amador – styling
  • Frederic Aspiras – hair
  • Andrea Gelardin – creative direction, photography
  • Ruth Hogben – creative direction, photography
  • Lady Gaga – creative direction, photography
  • Brandon Maxwell – creative direction, fashion direction
  • Brian Roettinger – graphic design
  • Collier Schorr – photography
  • Sarah Tanno – makeup
  • Florence Welch – photography
  • An Yen – graphic design

Charts

Charts (2016) Peak
position
Argentine Albums (CAPIF)[68] 6

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