Oh Madonna, you really shouldn't have.
Three years after her last album, Madonna has burst on the scene again with a new single and a new album "American Dreams." I've not had the chance to hear the new album yet but I have heard the new single and I have one word to sum it all up: ick.
Seems that since Ray of Light, every Madonna song sound exactly the same. And I am really tired of listening to that vocal effect of digitizing the voice that seemed to be really popular after Cher started to overuse it on all her recent releases. And the rapping ... oh please ... kill me now!
I have never been a huge Madonna fan, but I always respected her ability to market herself. She's not a talented singer or songwriter, but she has always known how to put on a good show and cause a controversy. Perhaps I have always had a bone to pick with her because I believe that she stole Cyndi Lauper's thunder. Still, I recall Madonna being the star that all the "cool, naughty, 8th grade girls, who French kiss and wear lace gloves" listened to when I was in 6th grade. I secretly saved up my allowance to buy "True Blue" as that my parents did not approve of that "Madonna Woman."
Life went by and I grew up and all the way was Madonna. I watched her in the press and listen to whatever new single was on the radio and I was never truly moved by her music but I did like her as a person because she seemed to do what she wanted and was so brash. I commended her on her willingness to push the envelope. When I became a DJ for a bit in the late '90s and 2000, my specialty was being an '80s DJ, and "Holiday" was always one of my top requests.
Article comments
1 - san
The one Madonna song I really do like: Live to Tell.
2 - Nigel Richardson
It sounds more like a comedy send-up of Madonna, a Mad TV parody. She sort of rapped on "Vogue" all those years ago and that worked, but on this one she sounds like she's doing the voice over for an work-out video. And she's making a satirical dig at milky coffee -- cutting edge!
I still think she should have retired with the Sex book and the Erotica album back at the start of the 90s. If she had done that -- and ideally, never made a film in her life except for the glorious Truth or Dare -- we'd mention her name in hushed awe these days instead of despairing giggles. Everything she's done since then has seemed like a deflating afterthought or just her attempts at tagging onto the coat tails of what someone has told her is the latest thing. The bleepy electronica of "Die Another Day" and "American Life" is already old and the pious sentiment of the lyrics just embarrassing. And I haven't even seen the "am I anti- or pro-war today?" video yet....