Without a doubt, Norman Fucking Rockwell! Is Lana Del Rey’s most ambitious and strongest album to date. While her debut, Born to Die, took the world by storm, the album was still somewhat of a mixed bag. Her vocals were underdeveloped and her lyricism was simplistic at best. However, none of those criticisms are even marginally relevant on her fifth album. Songs like “Mariners Apartment Complex,” “How to Disappear,” and “Fuck it I love you” show major improvement in both Del Rey’s songwriting and overall performance.
Despite being just over an hour in length, the album never loses the listener’s interest, as each track provides something unique enough to differentiate itself from other records on the LP. Lana Del Rey has not only crafted the best project of her career but one of the best of the decade.
9.5/10
Trial Track: “Fuck it I love you”
Star Bar: “Goddamn, man-child
You fucked me so good that I almost said ‘I love you’
You’re fun and you’re wild
But you don’t know the half of the shit that you put me through” (Del Rey on “Norman fucking Rockwell”)
