Born This Way is a heady cocktail of blonde ambition, retro disco and the emperor’s new clothes, not referring to rump steak frocks but to empty promises.

The blitzkrieg marketing campaign preceding the launch of Lady GaGa’s latest opus has already spawned two enormous global hits: the Boney M-inspired Judas and the title track, a remodel of Madonna’s Express Yourself fused with the anthemic sentiment of Gloria Gaynor’s I Am What I Am.

Determined to snatch Madonna’s tiara, Lady GaGa’s covers her idol’s stock subjects, i.e. sex (Marry The Night), politics (Government Hooker), liberation (Born This Way) and a healthy dose of religious guilt (Bloody Mary and Judas).

But unlike Madonna, despite a truly extensive fancy-dress wardrobe, Ms Stafani Germanotta seems unable to change character from one song to another, and only portrays the Warrior Drag Queen that is Lady GaGa.

Moreover, whereas Madonna has adopted many different musical styles, often hijacking new trends as her own invention, GaGa mostly stays stuck in the relentless electro-throb reminiscent of Poker Face and Bad Romance, and the results are all rather samey.

Although full of instant dance-hall hits, and destined to become the summer soundtrack for millions, Born This Way is a one dimensional, colour-by-numbers offering from an artist who promised so much more.