Harlequin is the first soundtrack album from pop singer, Lady Gaga. The album was released as a companion to the new film starring Joaquin Phoenix and Gaga, Joker: Folie à Deux. I’m not super interested in seeing the film, as the fact that it’s a musical, rather than a non-musical sequel to the first Joker film. Still this album just came out, meaning I have to give it a listen. Here are my thoughts.

    I will preface this by saying that this album is unlike any other solo album Lady Gaga has released in her career. “Good Morning,” is a lively cover of the famous Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney hit. In fact the majority of the tracks on this album, like “That’s Life,” “Get Happy (2024),” and “Oh, When the Saints,” are all renditions of classic hits. Whether they all live up to the originals, is up to personal opinion. While I really liked Gaga’s renditions of “Get Happy,” “That’s Life,” and “Smile,” there are also some tracks that just lack a fresh coat of paint. I really like the inclusion of guitars, organs, trumpets, and other brass instruments on this album. It’s very well orchestrated, and for the most part has a very cohesive sound. Her version of “World On A String,” feels a bit like a Lana Del Rey track with the reverb drenched guitars and dramatic drums. It has this nostalgic, melancholy vibe to it which I really like. None of the tracks on this album are terrible, but tracks like “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” and “Oh When The Saints,” don’t really impress me that much. “That’s Entertainment,” feels like a song straight out of Broadway. That’s actually like much of the album, as many of the tracks are interpretations of famous Broadway hits. I really love how strong Gaga’s singing is on this album, as she executes the jazz-fueled soundtrack with poise and elegance. But not all of the tracks are consistently strong. A track I really like though, is, “The Joker."

   It’s not a bad album, but not all of the covers are equally strong. Gaga isn’t the weak point, and the instrumentation is a big strength, but this album really doesn’t wow me that much. There was a lot of hype behind this album, and after I listened to it, I just felt like it was okay. It just doesn’t stand out in Gaga’s discography, and while there’s plenty to like, it’s a very inconsistent album, and I feel like certain sounds should’ve been used more. I feel like the old fashioned Broadway musical tracks get a bit tiresome after a while, and I get that the film is supposed to be a musical, but tracks like, “The Joker,” and “Smile,” are emotional and raw. I can hear the emotion in Gaga’s voice, and for an album about Joker and Harley Quinn’s relationship, they fit a lot more with the theme of the movie than a track like, “Oh, When The Saints.” In conclusion, there probably could’ve been some better songs selected for Gaga to cover. Not bad, but I expected more.

Overall Score: 6/10

Favorite Tracks: “Get Happy (2024),” “World On A String,” “The Joker,” “That’s Entertainment,” “Folie à Deaux,” “That’s Life,”

Least Favorite Tracks: “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” “Oh When The Saints,”

Listen: https://youtu.be/t-pJst1ASuY?si=1OEN7-LPK_oaO-ox

Genres: Jazz/Soul/Rock