There is no dance floor hit, and the album is rather modest compared to her usual high energy pop music, but “Joanne” manages to be Lady Gaga’s best album since her debut “The Fame.” The new album is Gaga’s latest attempt to swap genres and shock fans as she switches out her high heeled stilettos for a pair of cowgirl boots and tries her hand at country music. Somehow the queen of energetic pop numbers successfully crosses genres to produce a rather organic, low key country album that embodies her enigmatic personality.

Lady Gaga took a risk and surprised fans with “Joanne” at a time when people believed they had seen it all from the artist. All of the songs work cohesively to form a polished end result, yet at the same time are strong enough to stand on their own as singles. The album is thriving despite being a major shift from Gaga’s infamous pop-dance hits.

While it is not as country-infused as some were anticipating, Gaga flooded the album with acoustic guitar and added hints of a faux accent in songs like “Grigio Girls” and “John Wayne.” Gaga managed to eliminate the risk needed to pull off transitioning from electropop to a more subdued country sound through songs like “Hey Girl,” which features ballad powerhouse Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine and showcases both artists’ raw natural voices.

Throughout the entirety of Lady Gaga’s career, fans have watched as she has journeyed through a multitude of stage personas and styles. Beginning in 2008, Gaga demanded attention as she stepped on stage to perform pop hits like “Poker Face” and “Just Dance” all the while adorned in iconically eclectic looks, like her plastic bubbles dress and when she swapped out fabric for raw meat.  

After her successful album releases and tours for “Born This Way” and “The Fame,” Gaga surprised fans when she adopted a more classic glam look and embarked on a joint tour with Tony Bennett to perform their 2014 jazz album “Cheek to Cheek.” Following her success in the journey of swapping pop for piano jazz, the artist made another transition and entered into the world of television in 2015.  Gaga joined the cast of “American Horror Story” to play the theatrical vampire-esque Countess of the show’s fifth  season.

Now in 2016, Gaga strikes success yet again with her new album “Joanne,” which was named as a dedication to her late aunt, Joanne Stefani Germanotta. Though the artist was never able to meet her aunt who was a painter and a poet, she has been a huge source of  creative inspiration for Gaga throughout her career.  Her tribute album climbed  steadily up to number one, and the artist gained her fourth chart topping album on Billboard’s top 200. “Joanne” has exceeded people’s expectations and further proved Gaga’s ability to thrive in a multitude of music genres.