As she starts the next phase of her career with the upcoming film 'Tropico', it seems a good time to look back at Lana Del Rey's career so far. Rumour has it that there isn't going to be any more music - she wants to make films and is peed off with endless leaks of her new stuff. So let's start with a fact - Lana Del Rey is the most underrated artist on the planet. Yes, you really did just read that sentence and its 100% true. The main reason for this seems to be that she lacks credibility; Lana is seen in many quarters as a manufactured novelty act, as if she's won the US version of the X-Factor. There probably is a 'team Lana Del Rey' advising her, but so what? What really matters is the music and despite the fact she's only released one album proper, Lana Del Rey's back catalogue is formidable. I'm amazed she lacks the credibility of someone like Lady Gaga, or even Lily Allen. Compared to the latter, they've both recorded cover versions for TV ads Lana covers a 50's classic that references her love of David Lynch and Film noir, Lily Allen covers Keane on a Christmas advert featuring a hare and a bear. Then we see the likes of Lorde touted as the genuine article - well I gave 'Royals' a good few listens and thought 'Meh', it's a watered down version of Lana, it doesn't have her style, swagger or sensuality. So why am I fighting Lana's corner so hard? Well, she's actually everything that her critics claim she isn't she's a world class talent, she just doesn't shout about it. Let's start with the lyrics, incredibly dark and tragic tales of love, death and heartbreak, the words she writes wouldn't be out of place on a Nick Cave album. The music is unbelievably layered and cinematic, dubbing herself a 'gangsta version of Nancy Sinatra' didn't mean she's a hip hop artist; she just dips into whatever music genre will serve the song best. Lana has also, and ludicrously, been dubbed an 'anti-feminist', because of her submissiveness and overt sexuality. I think she's actually a victim of sexist attitudes, but more on that later. Here are ten reasons why you should take Lana Del Rey very seriously indeed. This isn't a novelty act we're talking about here. This is an artist who references Walt Whitman, Vladimir Nabokov, James Dean and Elvis Presley. If 'Tropico' does in fact signal the end of her music career, I think that will be an incredible shame, but she will have left behind some of the best songs of the 21st Century and for that, we can rejoice.