The brash title of Lady Gaga’s new album, ARTPOP, says it all, or at least wants to say it all. This album attempts a far-reaching blend of music, art and fashion. It wants to be a cultural statement. The results are mixed — but that doesn’t mean bad.

At the moment, perhaps with the exception of Kanye West, no other individual in contemporary music is more determined to be bold than Lady Gaga, and she continues that trend with this LP.

ARTPOP, the follow-up to 2011’s Born This Way, succeeds in a way that most of her fans will appreciate. It demands to be noticed.

Throughout the album’s 15 songs spread across 59 minutes, Lady Gaga, with the help of a grocery list of famous producers like Rick Rubin, David Guetta, will.i.am, Zedd and others, channels a whirlwind of the 27-year-olds’ whims and fancies.

Elements of R&B, techno, dubstep, rock, even Middle Eastern tinged strings, are on display. The booming hooks are, as always, in attendance ready to make people dance themselves into a euphoric stupor.

But in a departure from her previous work, it seems as though Lady Gaga wants this album to be listened to all at once, from start to finish. She doesn’t want to be defined by simply a few hit singles and tabloid appearances. In its own warped way, ARTPOP is an attempt at a concept album.

She buries her lead single, “Applause,” at the very end of the album, forcing the listener to wade through the rest of the tracks first. It’s a good thing too, because some of the album’s best songs are sprinkled throughout.

Opener “Aura,” and later “Jewels n’ Drugs” and “Do What U Want,” are all standouts, providing all the boisterous fun Lady Gaga has become so adept at imbuing with her music. And for those who love electro-ballads, “Dope” and “Gypsy” should do the trick.

In the end, underneath most of the slick marketing, transcendent overtures and derivative samples, is the same music that made Lady Gaga so endearing in the first place: It’s catchy and easy to digest. She’s a pop star who makes good pop music.

Ultimately, Lady Gaga warrants the comparisons to the likes of Madonna and David Bowie, the people whom she idolizes. She’s enigmatic and entertaining.

But, Lady Gaga wants to make a statement and she misses her intended target. She wants to redefine pop-music, but ARTPOP is not revolutionary, nor evolutionary. It’s not the next step in “art” and “culture.” Lady Gaga is trying to be the Starchild from 2001: A Space Odyssey. She wants to go where others haven’t. But, ultimately, she’s just retracing mostly familiar paths.

If you already like Lady Gaga, you’ll probably like ARTPOP. But if she hasn’t already won you over, ARTPOP won’t necessarily do the trick. It’s packaged as a monumental step forward but it’s not. However, ARTPOP isn’t a step backward either.