HONING UNABASHED AND RICHLY ORCHESTRATED SENTIMENTALITY FOR A DECADE NOW, LANA DEL REY HAS BECOME A FASCINATING ADVENTURE IN RETRO FUTURISM

BY MATT SCANLON

Nearly ten years ago, this magazine offered a somewhat blistering assessment of Lana Del Rey suggesting, among other things, that she was a dispiriting testament to artificiality, even in an industry famed for it. New York born and the daughter of former marketing executive turned web domain investor Robert Grant Jr. and Patricia Ann “Pat” (née Hill), who likewise worked in marketing for a stretch, she was unquestionably primed for advantage by parental savvy and resources of other varieties. Our assessment, in the wake of her first and eponymous studio album in 2010 particularly given the seeming kabuki of her buying back release rights from label 5 Points to have the record withdrawn, then re released was that, from model looks to stage name (she was born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant) to early tracks, her debut was drama and smoke substituting for musical content.

Five studio albums later, we stand corrected.

Now 34, and seasoned far beyond early “Hollywood sadcore” styling, Del Rey has developed into a tireless and inventive songwriter and performer. She combined dream pop with orchestral influences on 2012’s Born To Die (to a mixed response), then embraced a more stripped down, nuanced, and grabby production for Ultraviolence two years later and an even more hushed, nearly mystical one for Honeymoon the year after that. 2017’s rapturous Lust for Life seemed an apotheosis of sorts, a summing up of the high drama, orchestral multi track lushness of previous work, but with a wry wit. It was one of the best albums of the year.

Late summer’s Norman Fucking Rockwell! brought another course shift. Warm instrumentality is still there (more piano focused this time), though understated, which has the happy consequence of bringing her soft contralto to the front. Consistently sweet and thoughtful, the 14 song disc was made with performer/ producer Jack Antono , engineer Laura Sisk, musician/engineer Zach Dawes, and songwriter/producer Rick Nowels its cover (seen at left) featuring a collagey image of Del Rey with actor Duke Nicholson (grandson of Jack Nicholson), taken by her sister, Chuck Grant.

Sidenote: Fans of singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston, who passed away far too young in September at 58, will find, In Del Rey’s cover of his “Some flings Last a Long Time,” a jaw dropping adventure in crying jag inducement. Don’t miss it.