Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 05/19/2011 at 10:25 AM Reviews

The Popdust Files: born this way track-by-track, lady gaga

“Black Jesus – American Fashion”

Sounds Like: A moodier, less energetic “Born This Way,” with the same kind of Madonna-esque double-tracked vocals and synths, but with a choppier, more plodding beat and more J.U.S.T.I.C.E.-style production.

Pros: We’re all about Gaga repping for New York here at Popdust, and “Black Jesus — American Fashion” is probably her most Big Apple-friendly song of the BTW era, with Fashion-Week-ready lyrics (“On the runway / Work it, black Jesus”—maybe a different kind of Fashion Week then we’re used to) and an opening verse that downright panders to her NY constituents: “I grew up in New York City / Since I was born on Broadway baby / Moved downtown when I was 19 / To start a life on the New York scene.” Also, we like the little rainy synth intro—very “Come Clean.”

Cons: The beat comes off as stilted, especially when compared to the all-out disco release of “Born This Way,” and the synth-guitar riff is a lesser version of those that already appear on both BTW and “Bad Kids” on the album proper. The chorus is also tired sounding, a clear leftover from an album that already had plenty of songs like this that were just a little bit better than it was.

Yearbook Lyric: “Jesus is the new black.”

Gaga Hashtags: Jesus, Madonna, Being a teen, New York City

POPDUST SAYS:
[starreview tpl=16]