The worthwhile lures? Synth-powered Bad Romance is a ferocious club thumper with a sordid underbelly, and the campy, name-dropping Dance in the Dark, which cops its gabby interlude from Madonna's Vogue, is a frothy New Wave throwback. Much of the rest sounds like The Fame reframed.

Even hip-hop's bling extremists can't match Gaga's naked materialism, yet the Material Girl is less a touchstone on Monster than Marilyn Manson, who would admire the dark and decadent lyrics threading these dance rhythms. Self-obsession remains a dominant theme, though it felt as harmless as spray-on glitter throughout The Fame's immersion in sex, partying and celebrity. On Monster, Gaga's icy aloofness and seeming aversion to a genuine human connection leave a disturbing void. With an avant-garde intellect, pop-electro eccentricities and freaky theatrics competing for attention, there's no room for heart. – Edna Gundersen
>Download:Bad Romance, Dance in the Dark>Skip: Speechless, Alejandro

OTHER NOTABLE RELEASES

Blakroc, Blakroc
* * * RAUCOUS RAP/ROCK
More often than not, rock and hip-hop mash-ups are a mixed bag. But this collaboration between the Black Keys and rap mogul Damon Dash (Jay-Z's former business partner) is consistently banging. Rhyme stars such as Mos Def, RZA, Raekwon, Q-Tip, Ludacris, ODB and Pharoahe Monch take full advantage of the sample-free, live instrumentation provided by the Keys. It's a partnership that serves both genres well. —
>Download:Dollaz & Sense, Hope You're Happy

Birdman, Priceless
* * 1/2 LAVISH LIVING
Birdman obviously missed the memo that we're in a recession. The Cash Money Millionaires CEO sticks to his two persistent themes: building his nest egg sky-high and spending like there is no tomorrow. He takes a back seat to no one when it comes to talking smack about his riches, and with a steady stream of bold beats and Lil Wayne and Drake helping with the heavy lifting, he has every reason to be bullish. — Jones
>Download:Money to Blow, Mo Milly

Various artists, The Princess and the Frog Soundtrack
* * 1/2 DISNEY-KISSED FORMULA
It's never too soon to introduce kids to the sounds of New Orleans and Cajun country — they're among the most infectious building blocks of American pop music. And regional titans Dr. John, Terrance Simien and Terence Blanchard do a respectable job rendering Randy Newman's cliché-heavy compositions. But their tracks don't mesh particularly well with Ne-Yo's R&B offering (Never Knew I Needed) or the symphonic instrumental scores that pad the album. — Jerry Shriver
>Download:Down in New Orleans, Gonna Take You There

Jimmy Wayne, Sara Smile
* *1/2 COUNTRY-SOUL COMES UP SHORT
Naming your album after a 33-year-old pop hit is a country singer's equivalent of an onside kick with 16 seconds left, down by 6. Even if it works, you still have to score. Wayne makes a game of it — he brings in Hall & Oates for the title track, opens with a Keith Urban song and closes with an oddly sweet and sad one. But he needs some momentum-shifters, and they aren't here. — Brian Mansfield
>Download:Elephant Ears, Things I Believe

Enlarge By Hedi Slimane, Interscope Records Lady Gaga is out with her sophomore CD, The Fame Monster.