"Gangsta Nancy Sinatra" she calls herself - and you can hear this fascinating, multifaceted voice - somewhere between Nancy Sinatra, Shirley Bassey and Anastasia. The concept: The Sixties hit hip-hop - simple but talented girl blossomed, celebrating and suffers the typical dramas of pop stars in the thick brushing Hollywood world. With partly banal, sometimes melodramatic / theatrical and sometimes complex-bombastic music arrangements you easily exchanged roles: just now the "Dirty Girl" from the backyard - the next song of the glamorous Hollywood star, then the suffering swan, then the naive temptress etc.
The accusation: "Lizzy Grant" than "Lana Del Ray" produced only as a purely constructed artifact ala "Lady Gaga" on the market, acting hypocritically and envious: With this potential in his voice and the excellent musical arrangements to produce good songs is one thing - If they also successfully implemented so that a controversial and therefore very interesting concept, then I can only say: "Hats off to this artist".
Playing tips ...
... You do not really need: Already the first 3 songs are a good cross-section. Weaker I find as "Lolita" or "Diet Mountain Dew" me both too reminiscent of the now so often heard "Trash". The three additional songs from the deluxe version will fit seamlessly into the standard version. Not bad - but also nothing sooo special. Real slip up does not exist - the album is consistently audible and ends after many Pop Highlights (eg "Radio", "Summertime Sadness", "This Is What Makes Us Girls") with the worthy Vinyl kinsterndem bonus track "Lucky Ones" ,
Overall, "Born to Die - Deluxe Version" is actually an extraordinary pop art that actually 5 stars would have earned if ... yes it not been for the very moderate scale production: mixed poorly, the momentum is atrocious compressed MP3-compatible - Audiophiles or headphones fans will writhe ... even here a conflict creates the work albeit probably unintentionally. So that's "only" 4 stars for the entire work. It is interesting that, for example, "Diet Mountain Dew" in an earlier version for me much more honest and "real" sounds (thanks for pointing fib89). Free, legal download the record label Neongold Records: [on the HP -> then Blog -> Archive May 2005 at the bottom] for I indicates that this album completely unnecessary technical and artistic "broken" in hindsight produces or "verschlimmbessert" has been. With this knowledge, the hope remains to a great follow-up album.
Dirk