It’s the perfect album for a sunny summer drive. The former album is an absolute masterpiece, a delightful blend of synthy dance hits and easy-breezy pop. It begins with 2008’s THE FAME and its Extended Play semi-follow up, 2009’s THE FAME MONSTER. What do I mean? Well to start with, let’s consider the five major releases she’s dropped since bursting onto the scene in the late-2000s. Lady Gaga’s albums are entirely out of order. If that’s not good enough for the internet, what is? With that said, there’s this: So while I’m not going to call myself an expert on the subject, I think I can say I’ve listened to her music enough to have formed some very concrete and highly subjective opinions. Her dance numbers remind me of late-80s era Madonna. Her power ballads are right at home with the hair bands of the mid-’80s. Her big anthem numbers remind me of Queen in the early-80s ( a band I’ve already waxed my love for on this site). The artists that influenced her are the artists I still love to listen to today, and while I am typically very jaded, cynical and “old man yells at cloud” when it comes to modern music, Lady Gaga is something of a throwback artist (and I mean that in the best way). I think what I love the most about her is that she and I are almost the same age (six months apart) and certainly grew up listening to the same music. I have her every album, listen to her every song regularly, and can enjoy everything from her silly dance numbers to her rocking anthems to her big power ballads. I freely admit, without a hint of shame: I love Lady Gaga’s music.