I still think NFR is a deeply compelling, crucial album and hope everyone spends time listening to it (and goes back to Ultraviolence and Lust For Life too). Hey my kind friends, I really appreciate all the support today. Pulling some quotes out of context make it seem particularly harsh or incisive but put into context the words come off as much less critical. The review is worth reading in it’s entirety. It calls for interpretation, but in the most personal sense of the word – it wants to be crazily loved or angrily hated. She also wrote Del Rey’s music “At its best, her music absorbs and disorients. At one point she calls the album one of “Del Rey’s most artfully constructed narratives, extending the arc of apparent self-realization also evident in widely framed narratives that stood out on her previous album.” Sure, Powers is brutally honest in her criticism but she’s also fair. She then compares the lyrics to Joni Mitchell’s “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire,” and writes “Mitchell’s lyric reads as poetic and incisive. There’s some moaning about how no one has “held me without hurting me,” and half-formed thoughts about words she cannot speak.” She critiques the song “Cinnamon Girl”, writing that “There’s a line about different colored pills, alluding to her sweetheart’s addiction, and one about her frustration becoming like fire. The other most biting criticism has to do with what Powers thinks is a lack of substance in Del Rey’s songwriting. Many people have called NFR! a 1970s throwback, but its songs barely dip into that era’s experimental sounds, instead touching down in the baroque-pop 1960s, the cyborg 1980s and the G-Funk 1990s without distinguishing between its reference points.” This may be the section that sparked Del Rey’s fury. Her touchstones fall into each other across time. Speaking on Del Rey’s lyrics, Powers writes “She repeats herself. It could be viewed as backhanded praise but it’s praise nonetheless. Powers is referring to how the lyrics on their own would be underwhelming but Del Rey’s emotion and performance combined with the song structure bring them to life. Powers begins the paragraph with “The power of NFR! emanates from another source: her compulsion to collapse logic, to violate boundaries musically, through imagery and within her storytelling” before saying “This is not only about Del Rey’s persona as a bad girl to whom bad things are done her supposed confessions would be nothing more than reality-show fodder if not for the way she and her collaborators construct them.”
So don’t call yourself a fan like you did in the article and don’t count your editor one either – I may never never have made bold political or cultural statements before- because my gift is the warmth I live my life with and the self reflection I share generously.ĭespite Del Rey focusing on some of the more negative aspects of the review, Powers had just as many if not more positive things to say about the NFR album and Lana Del Rey as an artist.
“I respect Lana Del Rey and hope that her music continues to receive the passionate appreciation it has received for years.”Īnn Powers Said the Album was one of “Del Rey’s most artfully constructed narratives” In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, she said “It is a critic’s responsibility to be thoughtful and honest to herself in responding to artists’ work, and an artist’s prerogative to disagree with that response,” Powers said. Lana Del Rey’s fans responded with fury on social media and defended the singer but Powers refused to back down. A lot of what Powers said was positive and showed a deep understanding and affection for Del Rey’s work. It seems Lana was incensed by a few passages but the review is highly nuanced and incredibly deep. She also touches on a passage where Powers’ describes “Del Rey’s persona as a bad girl to whom bad things are done.” In the first tweet, the “Venice Bitch” singer is referring to a passage in Powers’ review where she compares her to Joni Mitchell to illustrate how Del Rey’s lyrics come off as “uncooked”. She continued her reply in a separate tweet “So don’t call yourself a fan like you did in the article and don’t count your editor one either – I may never never have made bold political or cultural statements before- because my gift is the warmth I live my life with and the self reflection I share generously.” How You Can Help Ukraine: Verified Charities, GoFundMe & Ways to Support Ukrainians
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