Lana Del Rey has divided her audience in her few months of mainstream success.
Her fans see her as a breath of fresh air. To them, Lana Del Rey's distinctive and melancholy vocals are gripping. "Video Games," the singer's first single off of Born to Die, was their main proof to support that claim.
The singer's detractors say that her novelty deserves little merit, as her "gangster Nancy Sinatra" façade only serves to hide her lack of talent. Case in point: her poor January performance on Saturday Night Live.
The latter camp may be right about Lana Del Rey being overhyped, but it's not due to inability – there are some signs of potential in Born to Die. But the album is so unnecessarily dramatic, so monotonous, and so flat out boring that the collection nearly succeeds in undoing all the hype that has preceded this release.
A lot of the blame can be placed on the weighty production. The apparently high-budget instrumentals seek to give a sense of some sort of romantic epic. Instead, there are many points in the album where Emile Haynie's work sounds more intrusive than helpful. The constant use of violins is irritating and the recycled use of the drums is ill-advised.
Lana Del Rey lacks any of the swagger that the title "gangster Nancy Sinatra" would suggest. The singer often collapses under the weight of the production, and listening to her wallowing in the name of love steadily becomes a drag.
The singer's lack of charisma leads to some pretty abysmal moments. Lana Del Rey looks to evoke a sense of sensuality in "National Anthem," her ode to American material. However, she doesn't sound sexy, but old and decrepit. "Summertime Sadness" feels like a sorely outdated hit, while Lana Del Rey sounds desperate in "This is What Makes Us Girls," the album's closer.
Born to Die's disappointments outweigh the moments of fulfillment, but the positives are noticeable when heard.
"Off to the Races" features Lana Del Rey singing in a matter-of-fact tone, as if she was participating in scandalous gossip.
"My old man is a bad man, but I can;t deny the way he holds my hand," she sings. "He doesn't mind I have a Las Vegas past, He doesn't mind I have a L.A. crass way about me/ He loves with every beat of his cocaine heart."
The heightened tempo of "Diet Mountain Dew" gives Lana Del Rey a new sense of confidence. She sounds self-assured rather than distressed when she asks, "Do you think we'll be in love forever?"
This is the type of Lana Del Rey that works. In those moments, there is a singer that looks like she is ready to live up to the hype. But for the majority of the album, that same nervous performer that appeared on SNL is heard.
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