On “Mayhem,” she dials back to her purest form by invoking the simplicity of “The Fame,” her 2008 debut that used the artifice of pop music to ... and assessing the dark side of fame ...

a declaration that she is still one of pop’s most fearless performers. To some Abracadabra, might feel like she is chasing nostalgia, or recreating old magic. We think she is sculpting something ...