Thomasdor anbbz MDNA – MADONNA ALBUM REVIEW
Your Madgesty
Madonna has been affectionately known as the “Queen of Reinvention” throughout her career, and th this certainly hasn't changed with the release of her 12 studio album “MDNA”. She has managed to rid herself of the urban hip-hop princess image which she displayed during her Hard Candy and Sticky & Sweet era and has come back as a strong, independent and fabulous divorcee with a point to prove, but also with the mission of having fun whilst doing so. Hard Candy definitely divided hardcore Madge fans and critics alike. It was by no means a bad album, and certainly compared to what some other popular artists were releasing at the time it was a fucking masterpiece. Its stand-out tracks were its darker and more down-tempo songs with tracks like “Devil Wouldn't Recognise You” “Voices” and “Dance 2night” really shining over more boring
(or some might say slightly desperate) tracks like “Spanish Lesson” “Candy Shop” and “Incredible”. Of course some of the more up-beat songs were excellent such as “4 Minutes” which features the lovely Mr JT, with “She's Not Me” and “Beat Goes On” providing some of my other personal favourites from the album. Like I said, it wasn't a bad album at all, but there was just something missing from it. It didn't have the passion of American Life, the experimental feel of Music or the sheer amazingness of Confessions on a Dance Floor, and at times it just seemed that Madge was trying desperately to remain relevant by working with hip-hop type collaborators that didn't compliment her style at all. It's safe to say that fans and critics were highly anticipating the release of MDNA, and in my humble opinion, they have no reason to be disappointed. Some critics have said that it's better than Music. I don't think it is. I'm biased of course as I class Music as one of Madge's highest musical achievements, but I also genuinely feel it to be not quite on par. Of course it is also not on par with her two masterpiece releases “Like A Prayer” and “Ray of Light”, but we all know that she will never release anything that tops those again, so that's just fine. It's definitely too early to determine number-wise where MDNA lies in terms of my personal favourite Madonna albums, so for now I'll stick with a track-by-track review and try and determine a score out of 5. Here we go:
1) “Girl Gone Wild” - 3/5 Upon first listen I was thoroughly underwhelmed, and this should never have been chosen as the second single. It's not a terrible song, but it's not great either. After listening a lot however it really does grow on you, and the spoken Act of Contrition intro has helped me enjoy it more, as has the fabulous music video. Even so, it is still a bit meh, or could even be classed as filler. I'll wait and see how it fares after a few more weeks. 2) “Gang Bang” - 4.5/5 Gang Bang is a dark tale of a cheating lover (or “Bitch” as Madge refers to him as) who Madonna is seeking some serious revenge of, in the form of a gunning down. The song flows effortlessly and much like the darker tracks of Hard Candy, it is a real highlight of the album. Madge herself has
listed it as her favourite song from the album and it's easy to see why. There's even a sassy, camp end verse about a road trip to hell which literally ends in a bang. Stunning. 3) “I'm Addicted” - 4/5 I'm Addicted is a euphoric dance number and another obvious stand-out track. Madge tells us of her addiction to a man through the use of some seriously brilliant lyrics (something which isn't distinctly present throughout the album) and a banging, thumping chorus. The fun “M-D-N-A” chant at the end only adds to the fun. This better be added to the tour setlist. 4) “Turn Up the Radio” – 3.5/5 Turn Up the Radio is just one of those wonderfully happy songs that is purely designed to be played in a car, during the sweltering summer heat when all the windows are rolled down and you are just in a state of pure bliss. It's a bit simple really, but Madge's sweet vocals are so lovely to listen to, and despite some cliché lyrics (“The noise of the maddening crowd”) it really is a song that makes you want to get up and dance. 5) “Give Me All Your Luvin' (Feat. M.I.A. & Nicki Minaj)” - 2.5 It pains me to have to award a Madonna track such a low score, but if I gave it 3 then I would be saying it's as good as some of the weaker album tracks, which it isn't and therefore it would be a lie and I simply could not do that. Why this was chosen as the lead single is completely beyond me. It's one of the weakest tracks on the album, with some of the deluxe edition tracks being much better. It's not completely hopeless however. It's fun, and gets stuck in your head, but not for all the right reasons. It would have served better as a bonus track for sure. 6) “Some Girls” - 3.5/5 There's just something about the verses of Some Girls that I don't hugely enjoy, but on the other hand the chorus is brilliant and hugely effective in captivating the audience. It's, forgive me for saying... banging. It's dark and sexy and wonderful and everything that one would expect from a filler album track by Madge. 7) “Superstar” - 3/5 Superstar is plagued by cliché and sometimes very cringy lyrics. Despite this the catchy hook and sweet vocals carry the song along, and the chorus is truly infectious. Seriously. I couldn't get it out of my head on the walk home from work last night! 8) “I Don't Give A” - 4/5 The “American Life” of the album, in which Madge delivers the verses in a violent rap style. It's a definite stand-out and is all about Madonna's struggles as a successful single Mum and recent divorcee. There's also a wonderfully emotional bridge where Madge reflects on her failed marriage in a moment of pure honesty (à la Like A Prayer). Oh, and Nicki Minaj delivers a brilliant rapid-fire rap that (imo) is one of her best features since her utterly astonishing verse in Monster. Brilliant. 9) “I'm A Sinner” - 3/5
A definite filler track, but again a fun one. The “I'm a sinner and I like it that way” repeated chorus is very catchy and fun, and though the religious name-dropping bridge is a bit odd it really works with the theme of the song. A catchy number, but I can't see it being strong enough to be added to the tour setlist any time soon (though if Give Me All Your Luvin' can do it, why not?) 10) “Love Spent” - 5/5 A seriously A-MA-ZING track. It starts with a freaking banjo intro (Music, anyone?) and progresses into a wonderful, completely William Orbit Ray of Light-ish explosion of amazingness that just makes you want to leap up and dance around without a care due to the utter beauty of the track. It induces euphoria. And if the amazing lyrics and first two verses weren't enough, the song then goes into a completely unexpected bridge which once again induces euphoria and calls you to let go of all your inhibitions, and I personally believe this one bridge to be one of the most wonderful things Madonna has recorded in years. It is one of the two stand-out tracks on the album and is a complete must listen. If it's not added to the tour setlist then heads will roll. 11) “Masterpiece” - 4/5 It's not Madonna's best ballad, but it's still very beautiful and despite a few silly lyrics it's still mighty effective. Her vocals on this track are lovely and warm, and despite being a ballad the song leaves you feeling all lovely and happy and warm inside. It's not anything new really, but it's a great opportunity to showcase Madge's great vocals amongst a mass of up-beat dance numbers where they don't always get their deserved exposure. 12) “Falling Free” - 5/5 Masterpiece must have been strategically placed before this stunning track as it truly described what it is (yes, I know, bad humour). It is a genuinely amazing song and again a showcase of stunning vocals and wonderful lyrics. It's the album's true highlight and it evokes memories of Ray of Light's more beautiful moments (“Drowned World/Substitute for Love” “Mer Girl”). It's cold and beautiful and everything any Madge fan could have hoped for from her. It struck me right from the start as being a complete stand-out, even from the 1 minute preview. It gave me shivers and still continues to with each listen. Stunning.
13) “Beautiful Killer” - 3.5/5 An effortlessly cool track with some nice lyrics. Definitely potential to have been included on the standard album release as it's stronger than some of the more filler-ish album tracks (and the lead single in fact).
14) “I Fucked Up” - 3.5/5 A lovely ballad-ish song about all the could-woulda-shouldas in Madge's most recent failed marriage. It's slow and lovely at the beginning but progresses into a great, faster bridge which details all the spontaneous activities Madonna believes they could have done if they had remained together. I love it. Definite potential to be included on the main album. 15) “B-Day Song (Feat. M.I.A.)” - 1/5 Congratulations Madonna. You managed to make a worse song than Give Me All Your Luvin' on MDNA! *applauds*. Seriously, it's an achievement. 16) “Best Friend” 3/5 It's a bit blah and forgettable, but a decent filler song. Madge displays distorted electro vocals throughout and again touches on the subject of her failed marriage. It's a distinctly bonus track type song, but it does the job well. I'm not even going to bother discussing the Give Me All Your Luvin' Party Rock Remix *facepalm*
Overall, I can safely say that I feel MDNA (at this moment in time) is worthy of a firm 4 out of 5. It's a return to form that'll please hardcore and casual fans, as well as critics alike and satisfy those craving dance tracks or ballads. An excellent records, and I'll let y'all know if my opinion has changed after another 100 or so spins in a few weeks time.