Is That Alright?

"Is That Alright?" first appeared as a snippet shared by Lady Gaga on September 25, 2018, in a teaser for her film, A Star Is Born, for which the song was written.[1] The track is a "vulnerable" piano ballad, akin to the style of two other tracks from the soundtrack, "Shallow" and "I'll Never Love Again".[2] Its writers and producers were Gaga, Mark Nilan Jr., Nick Monson, and Paul "DJ White Shadow" Blair, with Lukas Nelson and Aaron Raitiere providing additional writing.[3] "Is That Alright?" is performed in the key of G major with a moderate tempo of 105 beats per minute in common time. It follows a chord progression of G–G/B–Em–C during the verses and G–Em–G/B-G during the chorus, and the vocals span from E₃ to E₅.[4]

In A Star Is Born, "Is That Alright?" is Ally's ode to Jackson (the main characters of the movie). USA Today wrote, the track is "painting an evocative picture of their whirlwind romance as Gaga alternates between tender storyteller and throaty power belter", declaring "wanna see your face when I fall with grace at the moment I die".[5] Screen Rant thought the track "gives audiences another glimpse at what makes their relationship truly special", with Ally, "the up and coming singer ... put[ting] her heart into every verse."[6] The song played during the end credits in the movie's theatrical cut.[7] In June 2019, an extended cut of the movie was released to home media, titled A Star Is Born: Special Encore Edition.[8] In one of this cut's new scenes, Ally sings "Is That Alright?" to Jackson at their wedding.[9]

Some outlets found the song to be reminiscent of the style of Adele.

"Is That Alright?" received positive reviews from journalists, who complimented Gaga's vocals and found the track emotional. A Vulture article regarded the track "more reminiscent of Adele than Lady Gaga",[10] an opion shared by The Guardian, where it was analyzed as one of the songs from the soundtrack which could have been "in the songbooks of Elton John or Adele for years".[11]

According to Joey Morona from The Plain Dealer, "Is That Alright?" is a moving love song with Gaga's signature emotion and power.[12] Wren Graves of Consequence called it a big Broadway ballad.[13] Natalie Walker of Vulture found "Is That Alright?" to be best song from the soundtrack, thinking that "the vocal and energetic bipolarity of this song is what makes it so endlessly affecting". She further added: "High notes are impressive, midrange belting is powerful, light and airy falsetto moments are pretty; the tessitura in which the verses of 'Is That Alright' exist strips Gaga bare of any vocal pyrotechnics, and all we are left to focus on are the specifics of her yearning pleas for all-encompassing intimacy."[14] Richard S. He, also from Vulture, described the song as "a tragic ode to future dreams that'll go unfulfilled."[10] Paris Close at iHeart believed "the number is every bit of warm and vulnerable and fearless as the singer-songwriter belts her heart out to her beloved."[15] Daniel Megarry of Gay Times felt the track was "tear-jerking".[16]

Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian opined the lyrics "on the page" are "almost ludicrous, but on record it grabs your ribcage". He further added that the song's "earnestness is [...] completely sold by Gaga", and suggested the song could become popular on wedding receptions.[11] Screen Rant's Benjamin Weiss highlighted how "Gaga's impressive vocal performance shifts from uninhibited belting to soft vulnerable whispers".[2] At The Ringer, Alyssa Bereznak appreciated "the structural conceit of this song: a stream-of-consciousness outpouring of tender sentiment, followed by a forceful chorus full of demands for eye contact and eternal matrimony, capped off with a sweet, searching question.[17] For The Washington Post's Bethonie Butler, the track is a "sweet but cheesy ballad."[18] Adam White of The Independent deemed "Is That Alright?" one of the more forgettable tracks of the soundtrack, though he noted "Gaga belting her heart out against a piano melody as if her life depended on it".[19]