I’m not a huge fan of pop music or at least I haven’t been since I was about eleven years old. I have also managed over the past few years not to get wrapped up in the world of Gaga. I have always had respect for her message and creativity but I was never a fan of the music. That is until the single “Born This Way” was released in February of this year, instantly becoming the most played song on my ipod. Now I proudly call myself a little monster. I watch all her TV interviews, follow her on twitter and since February I have been counting down the days until this album was released.

Lady Gaga released two versions of this album, a standard edition and an expanded edition. The expanded edition has three extra tracks: “Black Jesus + Amen Fashion,” “Fashion of His Love,” and “The Queen,” plus five remixes. Even if you’re not a fan of pop music you should still give this album a try and I would recommend getting the expanded edition because the bonus tracks are really great songs. This is Lady Gaga’s third album and it really shows off her musical and lyrical talent. In “The Queen” she makes a challenge to the Phoenix Challenger. When you can make a science reference in a pop song and make it work I would call that talent.

All the songs on Born This Way are written and produced by Lady Gaga herself with the help of her colleagues in the Haus of Gaga. I appreciate an artist even more when they are the ones who create and work with the songs throughout the whole process. You can tell how much heart went in to creating Born This Way and for me it makes listening to it more enjoyable. Lady Gaga is very classically trained and it shows on this album. She is able to hit some pretty impressive notes in all vocal ranges, plus the fact that she sounds just as good live gives her even more credibility. Gaga is inspired by many genres of music and it is apparent in this album. She has aspects of rock n’ roll, country music, classical music, 80s pop, and techno all rolled into many different tracks on this album. That in and of itself can make this album more appealing than her previous two because she is relating to many different types of music. Thus, it makes it easy for people who, like me, are not crazy about pop, to enjoy and appreciate this album.

Born This Way is very versatile, you can listen to this album while cleaning, working out, doing nothing, driving, cooking. But most of all it is a dance album; actually it is quite hard to listen to these songs without moving your body. Not only is it a good album to perform all sorts of tasks while listening to, but it also has a wide variety of types of songs. Lady Gaga has some great uplifting songs that teach you that it is important to be true to yourself. “Born This Way” and “Hair” are two songs that tell children that it is okay to be who they are and that it is important to be an individual. If I was a parent these are the tracks I would let my children, of any age, listen to. Lady Gaga also has some sexy songs on this album, “Government Hooker” and “Heavy Metal Lover” are two racy songs. You must keep in mind that she is a pop star and although she is spreading a good message with songs like “Born This Way”, sex does sell and therefore there are songs about sex on this album. More than any of the other songs on Born This Way I love the love songs such as “Fashion of His Love”, “You and I”, and “Edge of Glory”. You can’t help but feel happy when listening to these songs, especially “You and I”. That song is about her and her boyfriend and you can feel the emotion and truth behind the lyrics.

One song in particular on this Born This Way, “Schei?e,” really had to grow on me. The first time I heard it I thought it was too weird, she is speaking German for a good majority of the song, and I could not get in to it. But I found once I listened to it more and more and read the lyrics I began to enjoy it. I have found that reading Lady Gaga’s lyrics really help you appreciate the songs, because I will admit there are times when it is difficult to understand what she is saying but once you read it one time you will forever understand it and then be able to appreciate it more. “Americano” is another song where she incorporates another language and it makes the song beautiful in a different way. Lady Gaga has taken many different risks on this album, whether it be speaking another language, using a melody similar to a song already released, being an open supporter of human rights, or her racy lyrics such as, “I want your whiskey mouth all over my blonde south”. And all of these risks work for her and make her album stronger because she is not afraid to speak her mind. Songs like “Bad Kids” and “Electric Chapel” are heavily influenced by rock music and almost seem unexpected on a pop album. But she takes the basis of rock music and makes it her own in both of those tracks. One bold move is “The Queen,” a song about how she is the queen of her fans. In this song she tells her fans she is doing this for them – one huge aspect of Lady Gaga’s performance, everything she does is not for her but is for her fans.

Born This Way is a wonderfully crafted album. I’m not sure how many albums have been sold so far but two hours after it was released it was already number one worldwide. Lady Gaga, only 25, has assumed her role as the Queen of Pop and I’m getting the feeling she is here to stay. So even if you’re anti mainstream music, anti pop music, anti ladies who wear crazy costumes, step outside of the norm and give this album a try. If anything listen to “The Fashion of His Love,” “Electric Chapel,” and “The Queen,” because those are the three best tracks on Born This Way.