Lana Del Rey, The Grants | Track Review 🎵

Lana Del Rey continues to bring the heat with “The Grants,” the opener and third advanced single from her ninth studio album.

Question: 💿 Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd? Well, if you did NOT know, 🎙 Lana Del Rey is informing you! After releasing 🎵 “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” and the even more colorful 🎵 “A&W”, The 🏆 Grammy-nominated alternative pop standout  delivered one final single prior to the release of the LP: 🎵 “The Grants”.  Like “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” and “A&W,” “The Grants” is another listening delight for Lana Del Rey.

Interestingly, “The Grants” commences with a mistake. The intro features the soulful vocals by gospel vocalists (🎙️ Melodye Perry, Pattie Howard, and Shikena Jones), who, while learning the chorus, make a mistake – what a sin! Del Rey loved this mistake, and informed co-producer to include it at the top of the song, which is also the first song from Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd – pretty cool.  After the intro, there is a change of pace with  more structure, just before the one-minute mark. Here, Del Rey takes over, sounding true to self 😍. Is there ever a moment where Lana Del Rey doesn’t sound superb? Furthermore, melodically, “The Grants” is utterly stupendous. The arrangement and production are gorgeous (Del Rey, Drew Erikson, Zach Dawes, and Mike Hermosa), including a blend of piano, acoustic guitar, and strings.  As the record progresses, it expands in scope with a more dynamic instrumental, and of course those soulful, gospel-infused choral backing vocals 🤩.

Beyond elite vocals, background vocals, and production, the songwriting is elite too! The lyrics are not complicated but poignant and marvelously penned.  The pre-chorus stands out, as Del Rey sings, “Do you think about heaven? / Oh-oh, do you think about me? / My pastor told me when you leave, all you take / Oh-oh, is your memory.” Some key takeaways regard legacy and memory, particularly related to family (“My sister’s first-born child / I’m gonna take that too with me / My grandmother’s last smile”).

Final Thoughts 💭 

All told, 🎵 “The Grants” is an awesome way to commence 💿 Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.  Lana Del Rey is true to herself and her style, yet, there are enough tweaks to make this record different from anything else she’s ever released.  Is this one of her very best songs? Quite possibly!

via GIPHY

🎙 Lana Del Rey • 💿 Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd • 🏷 Interscope • 🗓 3.24.23

[📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Interscope; OpenClipart-Vectors, PIRO via Pixabay]