Yesterday marked the first of two big re-releases slated for this fall. Taylor Swift, only 19 years old, continues her baffling rule of country-pop, and with her sophomore album, Fearless, nearing its first anniversary, she shows no signs of slowing down.
Already selling a staggering 3.8 million records, not to mention spending an unmatched 11 weeks atop the charts last year, Fearless has been dubbed by many to be one of the best, if not the best, country-pop album ever.
Fearless: the Platinum Edition, as it's been appropriately labeled, welcomes the addition of 6 new tracks, as well as numerous videos and behind-the-scenes features (including her infamous rap with T-Pain). Swift's revamped second album is sure to be a must for her most devoted fans, and with Christmas just around the corner, might also prove to be a very lucrative move for her label.
Taylor Swift isn't the only rising super-star that is capitalizing on her recent popularity; Lady Gaga also announced a re-release of her debut album, The Fame. Scheduled to drop on November 23, 2009, the title for the two-disc album has been confirmed as The Fame Monster.
The Fame Monster will include 8 brand new tracks, the lead single being "Bad Romance," an upbeat pop anthem not too dissimilar from her previous hits. With such a long list of new tunes, one might wonder why Gaga didn't just wait 6 months, write a few more tracks, and release a new album. We certainly wonder. She's one of the most buzzed about artists in the business and many people are eagerly waiting to see where she'll go next with her flourishing music career, which makes this re-release somewhat of a disappointment.
Re-releases, like Swifts or even Rihanna's Reloaded last year, are meant to re-promote the original album and re-fuel its momentum. It's common for a re-release to offer a handful of new tracks to attract new listeners, convert new fans, but in the case of Lady Gaga's arguably misguided attempt to do so, she might be selling herself short.
In a perfect world, Monster, Lady Gaga's shoulda-been sophomore album, would be set for release for the Spring of 2010, packed with 12 radio-ready tracks, and showcasing a new and improved Gaga. All for the reasonable price of $12. Instead, we have to pay double for two albums, one of which we already have.
1 comments:
I agree - Lady Gaga should have just released a new album. I already have a hard time swallowing re-releases because they're just cash grabs by the labels, but 8 new songs is a bit much.
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