CAN LADY GAGA'S NEW JAZZ ALBUM WITH TONY BENNETT PUT HER BACK ON TOP?

There is no denying that Lady Gaga has experienced her first major dip in popularity this year. ARTPOP, while debuting at #1 and earning my critical praise, has sold dramatically less than its predecessors Born This Way, The Fame Monster and The Fame, still not reaching platinum status in the US. Her tour ArtRave: The ARTPOP Ball is currently spanning the globe until November and doing decent numbers, but Gaga has lost some steam. Whether it be over-saturation or people just being tired of the hype and costumes, Lady Gaga is not what she used to be. Then along comes something different. Something less shocking and more, dare we say, traditional. Lady Gaga teams up with one of her idols, Tony Bennett, for Cheek to Cheek, an album of jazz standards by the likes of George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, among others. A series of videos of the two singing live and an acclaimed performance at Lincoln Center seems to be helping Gaga earn back a little respect and some of that glitter she shed this past year. The album topped both the Jazz Album chart and the all-important Billboard 200 album chart. Time will tell if Gaga can carry this over to her own music and regain momentum. It's not unusual for an artist to get some backlash now and then, so here's hoping Lady Gaga can ride this back to the top. Here are a couple of videos of Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett nailing it. Watch! And get Cheek to Cheek now in iTunes.