You can’t have missed this girls name in the past couple of months, whether that is for good or not so good reasons. She featured on many a ‘one to watch’ list, however after a very infamously criticised Saturday Night Live performance she may have dipped in popularity ever so slightly. The release of Born To Die has therefore been surrounded by a lot of pressure to live up to the vast amount of hype around it.

I am pleased that it has! The album is a mysterious, sexy, fine release, very much more mature than first expected.

Lana Del Rey’s voice is the real selling point of this album with it being unlike many commercial releases around at present. It is different, which is not always a good thing, but in Rey’s case it is. Her voice makes the album in its entirety a defined, distinctive debut.

A criticism would be, however, that the tempo remains on a constantly mediocre level throughout. It could potentially verge on dreary if she hadn’t such a great vocal talent. Because of this, it is difficult to pull out a favourite standout track, yet the album as a whole gets more and more addictive and hypnotic after each listen.

Most songs lack the sheer appeal of the perfect first release, Video Games. The song is just magnificently beautiful but Off to the Races does attempt to follow in its marvellous footsteps – a slightly upbeat sultry gem that is produced to perfection.

With time, this artist will hit her peak. Potential is clearly shown in the infectious closing track This Is What Makes Us Girls and the beautifully written, Nancy-Sinatra inspired Radio.

The album, Born To Die, was released on Monday 30^th January.

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