Singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey has returned with her newest album, “Honeymoon,” which was released Sept. 18, and the New Yorker’s tunes are just as somber as her previous records. “Honeymoon” has been expertly executed, and Del Rey truly knows how to showcase her dreamy and classic voice along with the gentle background music.
While this album sounds more sophisticated, Del Rey still sticks to mostly old-school sounds from the ’60s. The main sound doesn’t stray too far from her other albums, but there is a refined quality about this one. Because of the lack of strong beats, Del Rey’s voice stands out throughout the album, offering a successful balance between her voice and the supporting orchestration.
“Honeymoon,” the first song on the album, sets the mood listeners are accustomed to when listening to music by Del Rey. The 5 minutes and 50 seconds long song reveals Del Rey’s delicate voice immediately without heavy instrumentation. The string and wind instruments sound beautiful behind her voice — it’s just enough music that it doesn’t overpower Del Rey’s singing. This song sets the tone for the entirety of the record.
The last song, “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” features Del Rey covering a Nina Simone track. It arrives an hour into the album and is the shortest and most fast-paced song on “Honeymoon.” This is a song listeners may potentially favor over the others, since it is the one that sounds the most different from the rest of the album. Del Rey adds a nice twist to it as there is a somewhat eerie vibe to the song. It’s unfortunate the track has to come all the way at the end of the album.
While the songs may be more sophisticated on this album, many of the songs are quite long. Most of the tracks are nearly five minutes long or more. This is an album that takes patience to get through. With the songs being fairly slow, some listeners could get bored relatively quickly, making it potentially difficult to get through.
The album ultimately shows Del Rey’s mastery of many styles and eras of music. The simple use of soft flutes, string instruments and some percussion are perfectly placed in the songs while Del Rey sings out. With pristine vocals and soft instrumentation, Del Rey shows how she has matured since her last album.
