6) Ultraviolence Ditches The Hip-Hop Orchestra
Del Rey burst onto the scene in 2011 with a unique combination of orchestral torch songs backed by hip-hop beats. For her new album, she enlisted the help of The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach to tone down the hard-hitting production in favour of a simpler sound that evokes the 1960’s and a time when the American Dream had begun to fade into decadence.
This back-to-basics approach is a perfect fit for Del Rey’s tortured aesthetic, but the record label didn’t agree at first. Apparently, a label representative refused to release Ultraviolence until Del Rey agreed to work with one of Adele’s producers. Luckily, the singer was late to the meeting, so while the producer waited, they listened to what Del Rey had recorded so far with Auerbach. Reports suggest that Adele’s producer loved the material and said nothing needed to be changed, so suddenly, the label representative changed their mind and gave the project their full support.
Auerbachs’ interpretation of Del Rey’s vision has helped the singer create her most authentic record so far and critics seem to agree too, as Ultraviolence has attained Del Rey’s highest score yet on Metacritic.
