Still can't believe Ayo was picked as the second single and I can't see it doing better than Perfect Illusion.

I read somewhere (might have been this thread) that Ayo was her favourite song on the album. I've only heard the song once but it's not one of her best, in my opinion.

Joanne is quite a nice track.

Yeah Joanne or Angel Down would be better choices

Immediate highs - Dancin' in Circles, Grigio Girls, Angel Down

Immediate lows - A-Yo, Diamond Heart, Hey Girl (this is actually terrible, imo)

Overall, very pleased on first listen.

Really enjoying this after a few listens. Really like this different side of Gaga. Definitely don't think she necessarily cares about sales etc either as this is definitely not that commercial. More Radio 2 than Radio 1.
My favourites so far are John Wayne, Come to Mama and Diamond Heart.

I think this is one of her best albums. She has never sounded better. I'm pleased she is moving into a more adult sound.

My highlights Dancin' in Circles, Grigio Girls, Angel Down, Diamond Heart, Million Reasons and Sinner's Prayer - I like Country Gaga

Its one of my least favourites, infact i find it quite unlistenable.
Diamond Heart would make a good single. Though to be honest theres no hits on here.

I do not like country at all and was prepared to hate this album but it's not horrendous. Not great but not the worst album I've ever heard. Main issue is it's just not Gaga. While I am all for an artist experimenting and changing their sound I do think it's a mistake when artists stray a little too far from who they claim to be, and in Gaga's case the performance of this album reinforces that believe.

In terms of stand out tracks, I like Sinner's Prayer, John Wayne, and Dancin' In Circles. I like Perfect Illusion a lot but not sure why it's been included as it sounds so different from the rest of the tracks, so not country that it's really jarring.

I'm very disappointed by the duet with Florence, who I adore. What a forgettable track, one which any two people could be singing. Waste of time.

The only song I truly hate on the album though is Come To Mama, which is probably the most country sounding track by far. Those few minutes truly encapsulate everything I despise about country music. The lyrics made me cringe througout and it was as pleasurable as listening to as nails on a chalkbooard.

Overall opinions are the album is listeable and has a few stand outs but if it wasn't Gaga I wouldn't give it the time of day, and much as I respect her for making the album she wanted to and the reasons why she's done it I think Joanne will prove to be a mistake and her least successful record by far.

Ayo reminds me of Manicure from her last album which I also really disliked.
Diamond Heart is one of my favourites, but yeah I don't think there is a big chart hit on this album.

I've barely listened to any of of the album since I first heard it over a week ago.....country GaGa just doesn't appeal to me at all.
I look forward to her going back to her stomping pop roots for the next album (I'm sure her record label will demand it).

I don't think this is that wild a departure from the Gaga sound. As I said before, she's always had this side to her music and this is just a different kind of progression but it's certainly not a wild departure like some are making it out to be. If you only follow her singles then yes perhaps but for those that listen to her albums, all the songs have that Gaga flavour. And when she performs them live, you know it's Gaga - it's inescapable.

I like Ayo and Manicure

She sounded great on SNL and her second dive bar tour date was brilliant! Joanne, Grigio Girls, Just another day in particular sounded fantastic.

We'll see how much it sells in comparison to Artpop

How is it doing in the charts? its way better than ARTPOP so deserves to do well.

Listened to the album a few more times now after initially disliking it on the first play but it's grown on me. I woke up this morning with Million Reasons in my head. Really dislike the track with Florence though

Currently #3 with 17,500 in the midweeks. It's going to sell less than half of what ARTPOP did (65,608), which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone

Its not.

Does anyone know if she is doing any UK promo?

I think she had graham norton booked but dropped out. Not entirely sure about that though

This album is proving to be a slow grower for me. I kinda take back my original comment. Bit too hasty.

First week predictions have increased:


http://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=303499

It's going to be interesting to see how it holds up in its second week. The Carpool should have a decent effect on its sales.

As for the UK, I think it will sell between 25k and 30k in its first week.

Not bad for someone who is called "irrelevant" all the time.

Yeah not surprised but I think those figures are good. I still maintain its better than ARTPOP. I really didn't feel that record.

See, A-Yo and Manicure were my favourite tracks from both their respective albums. Catchy, with strong beats and a good pace to them. Ballads rarely do well, so A-Yo is an excellent choice in my book. Million Reasons is much too ponderous and drawn out to do well as a single.

My main problem with a lot of the songs on Joanne is a lot of them are quite slow and not particularly catchy, which is half the battle for me, and something none of the other Gaga albums had really. Good "laid in bed" music, but a lot of it is a bit forgettable and generic. Faux serious/grounded, 'proper musician' music.

Which isn't to say I dislike country Gaga, because I loved You and I. Just a lot of this felt a bit hollow, and rushed.

Her Carpool karaoke is out and she sounds great! Quite often James' singing (which I like) can overpower his guests but like Adele and Jennifer Hudson, she held her own and I loved the segment with her driving!
Fab vocals and it made me like Million Reasons a whole lot more.

Million Reasons is currently number 1 on the US iTunes chart as well as the album which is quite an amazing for someone who is deemed "irrelevant"

The Cordon Carpool was a huge success for her. Clearly, there was a strategy to focus on promotion in the US. The album will have longevity over there with the right promotion. The carpool was great - she had a hunger and drive in her eyes and sang well. Million Reasons sounded brill and a 59c reduction has given the album a much needed selling single. The carpool also has rippled to the uk too with both million reasons and the album going up on I tunes. I also like the dive bar tour - maybe that is exactly what her world tour should be - intimate and stripped back. I hope her Super Bowl is equally more piano and instrument led than the Beyoncé Madonna epic spectacle.

So the album in the U.K. went in at number 3 and sold 27k? That's lower than I expected. I hope things pick up.

WHERES the UK promo?

She cancelled it.

She did a bit of radio, I guess. Obviously the priority is re-establishing herself in the US right now. Which, based on the actual album itself is probably going to be easier. Being heavily country inspired it's not really an album that lends itself well to the UK I don't think.