The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga
Metascore
78 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)
    91
    Only after being overwhelmed by the sheer visibility of her warp-speed relaunch did I realize how enjoyable and inescapable her hooks and snatches had turned out to be.
  2. The Boston Phoenix
    May 2, 2012
    88
    Not only does this new song cycle retain the Euro-tastic sheen of its predecessor, it outdoes it in sheer dance-floor whump.
  3. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    'Poker Face,' pretty much the one song 2009 will be remembered for, are included on the original album, this becomes essential for anyone who even remotely likes pop. For the rest of us, it's the moment Gaga cements herself as a real star.
  4. All Music Guide
    80
    The lead single is a powerhouse of dance waves and infectiously produced beats, but the album doesn't always stand out as definitive, even though it's consistently fresh and innovative.
  5. NOW Magazine
    80
    She creates layers of dark, self-indulgent, eye-popping music that holds up against her previous hits and is, in some cases, even more satisfying.
  6. Hot Press
    80
    Dirty dance-diva bundles new EP with reissued album.
  7. Pitchfork
    78
    Instead of shoehorning references to celebrity into some tracks, she's borrowing elements and templates and simply focusing on quality control. The weird result is that, despite her flitting between personalities and personas, her music feels more like her own here than it did on her debut LP.
  8. Los Angeles Times
    75
    In her music videos and live shows over the past year, Gaga has worked hard to demonstrate her creative ambition and stylistic range, and that project continues on The Fame Monster.
  9. Dot Music
    70
    The Fame Monster says nothing new lyrically, and has its troughs, but it's a bolder and more coherent record than GaGa's debut.
  10. Rolling Stone
    70
    She covers her conceptual bets by rolling out sturdy club-thumpers, and this eight-song EP (included in the reissue and sold separately) is largely on point.
  11. Slant Magazine
    70
    Fame Monster does provide some small, if fleeting, glimpses behind the pretense.
  12. Under The Radar
    60
    Available as a second disc with The Fame or as a self-contained album, The Fame Monster continues where Gaga's debut left off and features eight new tracks of varying quality.
  13. Spin
    60
    It's comforting to learn that Lady Gaga's supposed dark side--The Fame Monster offers a flipside to The Fame's sexy fun--is just as fun-loving and club-rousing as the songs that made her famous, because, really, her playful façade is a huge part of her appeal.
  14. PopMatters
    60
    When all is said and done, The Fame Monster isn't going to win Lady Gaga any new converts, but it does prove something to her millions of fans: that she's not complacent with doing the same thing over again.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 369 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 115 out of 127
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 127
  3. Negative: 7 out of 127
  1. FabioL
    9
    I used to LOATHE Lady Gaga and was BAFFLED at why everyone enjoyed her so much. I even made a playlist of my favorite music which included: C,S,N and Young, James Brown, The Police, Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Aretha... just to name a few, and I called this playlist "Lady Gaga is Going to Die"... I did this because I felt like society was really F***ed up to think that this girl had talent. With this album, however, she completely changed my mind. I may not be a "Gagamaniac", but I certainly respect her at least. Just enjoy it for it's musicality. Not what she says, but how she says it, and how the music enhances these feelings she is trying to make into this... music. It's certainly beautiful and breathtaking at times. With this being leaps and bounds better than her first album, I wait for what she will come up with in the future.… Full Review »
  2. TarekM.
    10
    A beautiful album by Lady Gaga, it's even better than the first one.
  3. LB.
    0
    The worst thing to happen to music over the last decade.
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