| Canvas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canvas album cover painted by Moya Brennan | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 24, 2017 | |||
| Recorded | 2016–2017 | |||
| Studio | Mo Studio | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:09 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Moya Brennan chronology | ||||
| ||||
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Canvas is the eighth solo studio album recorded by Irish singer Moya Brennan. It was released on February 24, 2016, through Beo Records as a follow-up to Signature, released a decade earlier. Brennan collaborated with her daughter Aisling Jarvis, son Paul Jarvis and husband Tim Jarvis and co-produced the album with them.
Commercially...
Background and recording
editMoya's last solo album Signature was released in 2007. She recorded two collaborations with harpist Cormac de Barra under the Voices & Harps moniker.
Additionally, Gaga starred in American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–2016), the fifth season of the American anthology television series American Horror Story, winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film.[1][2] 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.[3][4] 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.[5]
Release
editGaga's manager Bobby Campbell confirmed that the album would not be released until the later half of 2016, with Elton John saying that it would not be released until 2017.[6][7] 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.[8] 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."[9]
Title, package, and artwork
editGaga named the album after her father's late sister, Joanne Stefani Germanotta. She died on December 18, 1974, at age 19, due to complications arising from lupus.[10] Gaga, whose middle name is Joanne (Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta), noticed that her aunt's death had a profound effect on her family.[9] Although the singer was born almost 12 years after Joanne's death, her aunt's influence was predominant on her family and her work. Her debut album, The Fame (2008), contained a poem titled For a Moment by Joanne in the album's booklet.
Themes and influences
editReturning 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[11]
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.[12] 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.[13] In "Million Reasons" Gaga talks about love which does not last, with the singer uttering the title in several variations on the verses.[14] The composition consists of simple country-oriented piano and guitar instrumentation. During the song's chorus, Gaga sings, "You're giving me a million reasons to let you go / You're giving me a million reasons to quit the show".[15] According to Tom Rasmussen from Vice, "Million Reasons" has the most country music influence among all the songs from Joanne.[16]
Promotion
editAccording to Chris Willman from Billboard, the promotional "blitz" for Joanne "felt like something from a bygone era" due to the traditional route taken by Gaga and her team, in place of surprise album launches. During her interview with The Howard Stern Show Gaga clarified that she wanted to promote Joanne in the "old-school style" and the events leading up to the release were described by Willman as "the most culturally ubiquitous rollout since Taylor Swift's 1989 two years ago".
Performances
editPromotional activities for Joanne began with the announcement of "Perfect Illusion" as the lead single from the album. She performed it live for the first time at Moth Club in London, on September 10, 2016.[17] Along with the track, Gaga also performed a piano version of "Bad Romance".[18] She featured "Perfect Illusion" in a trailer for American Horror Story: Roanoke, adding to the anonymous nature of the theme of the season.[19] Gaga released a number of commercials for Apple Music featuring "Perfect Illusion", went to give interviews with Good Morning America and The New York Times and appeared at Manhattan's Best Buy shop to purchase Joanne for unsuspecting customers.[20]
Tour
editGaga announced the Dive Bar Tour, sponsored by Bud Light. The 3-date tour, which visited dive bars in the United States, had dates on October 5, 20 and 27. All performances were live streamed on Bud Light's Facebook page, as well as Gaga's.
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 6.6/10[21] |
| Metacritic | 67/100[22] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [23] |
| The A.V. Club | B[24] |
| Chicago Tribune | [25] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [26] |
| The Guardian | [27] |
| The Independent | [28] |
| NME | 4/5[29] |
| Pitchfork | 6.9/10[30] |
| Rolling Stone | [31] |
| Slant Magazine | [32] |
Joanne received a weighted score of 67 out of 100 from review aggregate website Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on 27 reviews from music critics.[22] 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."[26] 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... Gaga's feet remain firmly planted in dance-pop even when she brings in a number of collaborators".[23] 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."[31]
Commercial performance
editTrack listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Diamond Heart" |
| 3:30 | |
| 2. | "A-Yo" |
|
| 3:28 |
| 3. | "Joanne" |
|
| 3:17 |
| 4. | "John Wayne" |
|
| 2:54 |
| 5. | "Dancin' in Circles" |
|
| 3:27 |
| 6. | "Perfect Illusion" |
|
| 3:02 |
| 7. | "Million Reasons" |
|
| 3:25 |
| 8. | "Sinner's Prayer" |
|
| 3:43 |
| 9. | "Come to Mama" |
|
| 4:15 |
| 10. | "Hey Girl" (featuring Florence Welch) |
|
| 4:15 |
| 11. | "Angel Down" |
|
| 3:49 |
| Total length: | 39:05 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Grigio Girls" |
|
| 3:00 |
| 13. | "Just Another Day" | Germanotta |
| 2:58 |
| 14. | "Angel Down" (work tape) |
|
| 2:20 |
| Total length: | 47:23 | |||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Million Reasons" (work tape) | 3:23 |
| Total length: | 50:46 | |
Notes
- ^[a] – co-producer
Personnel
editCredits adapted from Joanne liner notes.[35]
Music
edit- 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)
Production
edit- Ben Baptie – mixing (tracks 11, 13)
- Jeff Bhasker – co-production (track 1)
Business
edit- 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
edit- Sandra Amador – styling
- Frederic Aspiras – hair
See also
editReferences
editreflist|30em
External links
edit- Moya Brennan / Canvas at MoyaBrennan.com
- Canvas at Discogs (list of releases)
Category:2017 albums Category:Irish-language albums Category:Moya Brennan albums Category:Celtic albums
- ^ Falcone, Dana Rose (September 10, 2015). "Lady Gaga joins American Horror Story Season 5". CNN. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ Franich, Darren (January 14, 2016). "American Horror Story: Hotel finale recap: 'Be Our Guest'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ "Lady Gaga Hints at New Album Release in 2016". Billboard. January 11, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
- ^ Bell, Crystal (January 11, 2016). "Lady Gaga Confirms New Album in 2016, And A New Look". MTV News. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
fifthalbumwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
insidewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Kaufman, Gil (July 6, 2016). "Elton John Says Lady Gaga's Next Studio Album Won't Drop Until Next Year". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
- ^ Redfearn, Dominique (September 15, 2016). "Lady Gaga Announces Album Title & Release Date". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ^ a b Sadlier, Allison (September 15, 2016). "Lady Gaga announces new album Joanne, out Oct. 21". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
joannewhowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Yagoda, Maria (October 5, 2016). "I Love Men That Are Cowboys': Lady Gaga Talks Writing Joanne and the People Who Influenced the Record". People. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ Savage, Mark (September 9, 2016). "Lady Gaga wrote her new single, Perfect Illusion, on a typewriter". BBC Music. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- ^ He, Richard S. (September 9, 2016). "Lady Gaga: Perfect Illusion review – underwhelming comeback in search of a melody". The Guardian. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
hptrackwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Spanos, Brittany (October 5, 2016). "Watch Lady Gaga Perform Heartfelt New Song 'Million Reasons'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
vicewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Watch Lady Gaga's First Performance of 'Perfect Illusion' at London Club". Billboard. September 10, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (September 10, 2016). "See Lady Gaga's Energetic Live Debut of 'Perfect Illusion' in London". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
- ^ Roshanian, Arya (September 9, 2016). "'American Horror Story' Teaser Features Lady Gaga's 'Perfect Illusion'". Variety. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
joannepromowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Joanne by Lady Gaga reviews | Any Decent Music". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Joanne". Metacritic. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (October 21, 2016). "Joanne: Review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
avclubwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
chicagotribunewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b McCormick, Neil (October 19, 2016). "Lady Gaga, Joanne, album review: it turns out Gaga is a rock and roll showgirl at heart". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Sullivanwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Gillwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Earls, John (October 24, 2016). "Lady Gaga Joanne Review". NME. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Pitchfork Mediawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (October 21, 2016). "Review: Lady Gaga's Soft-Rock Turn 'Joanne' Is Her Best in Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Cinquemaniwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Joanne (Deluxe) by Lady Gaga on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ "Joanne [Japan Bonus Track]". CDJapan. Neowing. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ Joanne (CD). Lady Gaga. United States: Streamline/Interscope Records. 2016. 2580102.
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