Madonna is a...
Cultural icon. Talented pop artist. Actress. Whore. Dancer. Pretentious 'spiritual' practitioner. No-talent waste of time. Singer. Pornographer. Mother. Wife. Author. Dance music chameleon.
Yes...she's all of that, and none of it too. Take your pick. Mix 'n match, as 'they' like to say after stickin' their hands in the cliché cookie jar. These are the descriptions trotted out every time Madonna puts out a new recording. People love it. People hate it.
Frankly, I've never understood what all the bluster was about. Has she at times been a shameless self-promoter? Sure. But it's not like she's tricked anybody into liking her music.
Let's face it. Pop music (all music, actually) takes on many, many functions in the ear of the listener. Background at one extreme to aesthetic fuel for active analysis at the other. These 'roles' form in the instant of listening, musical Rorschach images reflecting as much on listener as artist.
So hey! Guess what? Madonna released a new CD not long ago. And? That's right, it's a piece of crap. It the best record you've ever heard. No kidding.
Seriously now, Madonna's made an attempt to return to her dance floor roots. Does Confessions on a Dance Floor succeed? Well, even though my sole experience with the dance floor involved a quick drink, a strange fear of the girls dancing in cages and a skulk out the side door (the place just wasn't for me), I'd have to say "Yes".
What's notable about Confessions is that sonically it strikes a decent balance between Madonna's earlier, more bubbly records and the spirituality of the Ray of Light era. The tilt leans more toward the modern (with all manner of swoopy sampling, fade-ins, etc) but succeeds in drawing liberally from the past too.
The tone for the record is set by the opening clock tick and echoing repeat of the lyric "Time goes by, so slowly..." as that introduction expands out into a kidney-shakin' groove. When that pulsing track ends with the alarm clock ringing, it seems like there might be a brief respite. There is. Forty seconds of the introduction to "Get Together", followed by a return to dance floor burn.
Even though Madonna spreads the lyrical themes around, the music never slows down or gets 'serious'. Billed as a "Non-stop, all-dance tour-de-force", the topics of New York, relationships in limbo, love, lust, and ambition are all put through their sweaty paces.
Going back to the idea of Madonna-as-controversy, she seems to be aware of that situation. "How High" deals with the reasons for celebrity, wealth and the related topic of 'worth', as in "...will it matter when I'm gone?"
The set closing "Like It Or Not" takes on the senselessly negative crowd with an almost Depeche Mode-like strut:
This is who I am
You can like it or not
You can love me or leave me
'Cuz I'm never gonna stop
And on fan perspective:
Cleopatra had her way
Mata Hari too
Whether they were good or bad
Is strictly up to you
Though I particularly like:
Life is a paradox
And It doesn't make any sense
Can't have femme without the fatale
Please don't take offense
And that's the thing, when it comes right down to it. Taking offense at music does nothing but waste time. You can enjoy the music. Or not.
I did.
First posted on Mark Is Cranky
Article comments
1 - Christopher Rose
Nice write up Mark - and good to see some modern music being reviewed instead of all that retro "I got a bell and I'm gona ring it" slop.
Maddy is a true star and has never been less than good entertainment value. I think some people just get on her case for her style and values as much as anything, she's such a lazy target for most...
2 - DJRadiohead
Good review, Mark. I think Madonna is always an interesting point of discussion. I think part of the reason she gets a lot of noise from folks is this seeming insistence that artists have some sort of sincerity about their work. I know I have sometimes fallen for that. Madonna has largely refused to buy into that at all. Even when she dabbled in sincerity it seemed pretty insincere.
Madonna is now nearly eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Funny how time flies. I've never really enjoyed her in any of her various incarnations but this is a good review, Saleski.
3 - Mat Brewster
Indeed a very good review. I gave up on Madonna a long time ago. I don't really have anything bad to say about her, and I'm certainly not a detractor, but I just moved onto other stuff, musically speaking.
This review probably won't make me go out and buy this disk, but it will make me stop and actually think about buying it. And that's something...right?
4 - Mark Saleski
i'd say if you haven't listened to her in a long time, and you haven't heard Ray of Light, that just might be worth checking out.
5 - reggie von woic
hey guys!!
Any guesses on which song she'll release next?
6 - fran macias
Madonna is a perfect target for people's insecurities about themselves. I used to hate her back in the 80s and 90s, but have become quite a fan since Ray of Light. The negative comments that surface about her now say more about the people saying them than Madonna herself. Ok, onto the album. It is KILLER! It's not a rehash of her old material, but it is vaguely familiar. Even though the lyrics are quite elementary, the song "Jump" is one of the most inspirational songs I've ever heard.
7 - lamen
The next release is "Sorry." Her record company is soo stupid. They should have released this song last month, when she was coming off the momentum of Hung Up. Still, at least the album has sold 1.4 million copies so far.