Lady Gaga’s new album ‘Joanne’ is a stylistic change of pace. (Photo courtesy Interscope)

Three years have passed since Lady Gaga released her last pop album, “Artpop.” It was received tepidly by fans and critics and sold a fraction of her meteorically successful first pair of albums, “The Fame” (2008) and “Born This Way” (2011).

“Artpop” yielded only one Top 10 hit, “Applause,” along with a Top 20 duet with R. Kelly, “Do What U Want.” Gaga was still getting plenty of attention but the novelty factor seemed to be wearing thin and the album’s relatively lukewarm reception was widely noted in the press. Was Gaga mania fading?

There’s no question that the stakes were high and the pressure intense leading into “Artpop.” The situation is quite different now as she unleashes her fourth pop album, the surprisingly low-key “Joanne” (named for her late aunt). The last couple years have been good for Gaga’s career. Perhaps sensing that it was time to shake things up with some fresh projects and ideas, Gaga veered in some surprising but highly successful directions. Her duets album with legendary crooner Tony Bennett, “Cheek to Cheek” (2014), was a no. 1 hit and earned the duo a Grammy.

Gaga recorded “Til it Happens to You” (2015), a dramatic ballad with a powerful video that explores the horrors of violence and sexual assault against women, for the film “The Hunting Ground.” The song was widely acclaimed and earned Gaga an Emmy along with an Oscar nomination. She also successfully tried acting, winning a Golden Globe for her role in “American Horror Story: Hotel.” Now that Gaga has expanded her career successfully in other directions, she clearly feels she has has less to prove. She’s drifted off into less overtly commercial territory with her quirky new album “Joanne,” an entertaining and smart collection of fresh and idiosyncratic Gagaisms that opens a new chapter in her musical catalog.

This is clearly not an album where Gaga and Ronson tried to come up with a dozen of the most Top 40 radio-friendly tunes they could. The album is certainly melodic and accessible, but it’s also deeper and more compelling than almost anything found on the vast wasteland that today’s Top 40 has become. “Joanne” isn’t going to yield multiple Top 10 singles, but it seems clear that isn’t chief among Gaga’s list of priorities (although the album itself is certain to land at the top).

“Joanne,” was largely co-written and produced by the singer and arguably the decade’s most accomplished studio ace Mark Ronson, along with extensive contributions by dance/pop guru BloodPop. “Joanne” finds Gaga’s sound maturing with a confidence and sense of experimentation that is very different than anything she’s done before. Her voice has never sounded better and “Joanne” is by far her most stylistically diverse collection. First single “Perfect Illusion” is a bold slice of electro-rock with beaming synths and Gaga belting out like she’s been flipping through her Pat Benatar collection.

There’s a genuine feeling of personal investment in “Joanne” that seems far more real than “Artpop,” in which she seemed to be trying too hard and often missed the mark. Fans are going to be delighted, although it may take a few listens to fully sink in.

“Million Reasons” is a stunning ballad featuring a terrific vocal over a sparse acoustic guitar and piano accompaniment. The fun and funky upbeat country/dance concoction “A-YO,” a modern update on Shania Twain’s successful ‘90s pop/country hybrid formula, might be the most infectious earworm on the album.

The sweetly soulful duet with Florence Welch, “Hey Girl,” is a gleaming retro delight. There are flashes of big synths and electrifying dance-club kinetics as one would expect from Gaga, but then there are quiet moments like the reflective title track, a mid-tempo gem built on acoustic guitar that seems deceptively simple but put it on good headphones and check out the beautifully layered sounds and textures that speak to the careful attention to detail and thoughtfulness that went into every moment of this album.

“Joanne” closes with the haunting “Angel Down,” a chilling and gorgeously produced expression of sorrow over yet another victim of senseless violence.

“Joanne” is not just another mass-produced pop music product. While “Artpop” was a misstep, Gaga seems to be making all the right moves since then and that continues with “Joanne.” Is there any anthem as unforgettable as “Bad Romance”? No. Is there a pop delight as glistening as “Poker Face” or “Paparazzi”? Not even close.

Yet “Joanne” has more more heart than all of those songs combined, less glitz but more substance. It’s the most complete, accomplished, mature, and consistently powerful album of Lady Gaga’s career thus far.