Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor
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Free Music Notes for Confessions on a Dance Floor
Free Music Review: Yeah, after more than 1000 reviews, the stars are deserved
Hit: 5 Stars
"Confessions on a Dance Floor" lives up to its promise, regaling both dedicated fans and newly christened accolytes with a retrospective odyssey of the divine M's celebrated career. The album promises a return to disco, which is granted, but the style is simultaneously distinctively futuristic and postmodern. The first single, "Hung Up," which borrows promiscuously from ABBA's classic anthem "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme (A Man After Midnight)" topped TRL for a consecutive week, a first for Madonna in the TRL age, signalling a successful marketing strategy from MTV's original video marketing strategist to rope in a younger audience. We old-timers who grew up on MTV in the DAY already know that the lady is a DIVA! "Hung Up" also topped the Eurocharts for seven successive weeks (and counting) and topped the Dance Charts (Madonna's first home) for six weeks (and counting), making it the biggest dance single of 2005. Madonna fans expect no less from our First Lady of Pop! Madonna fans also love ABBA and undoubtedly appreciate the renewed interest in their music and musical "Mama Mia."
Rumor has it that Madonna will collaborate with the Pet Shop Boys for remixes of her next single, "Sorry." Madonna plans to stage the video using MTV's "Pimp My Ride," of which she is a great fan, as the concept. "Pimp" focuses on the retooling of a vintage classic into a modern, adrenaline-pulsing, fully equipped modern drive. The symbolism of using MTV's "Pimp My Ride" as a vehicle (pun intended) for Madonna's second "Confessions" video is obvious: makeover a vintage classic and resell it to the youthful masses. Madonna (pure vintage) has returned to her MTV origins to resell a classic (herself) to a new generation. "Sorry" is undoubtedly the most intense, radio-friendly Madonna song to hit the airwaves since "Get Into the Groove,""Express Yourself" and "Vogue." The song features Madonna saying "I'm sorry/Forgive me" in at least ten different languages. Ironically, "Sorry" may be the song that simultaneously displaces Elvis' top-10 chart-topping record AND pushes Madonna into the number 5 position of top-selling recording artist of all time. Ironic because she will displace ABBA, who currently hold the number 5 position by about 10 million in sales (pre-"Confessions"), and from whom she borrowed from for 2005's "Hung Up." Her worldwide albums and singles sales exceed those of Mariah Carey by about 50 million. Additionally, she's surpassed Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Elton John and most other solo artists you can think of. British superstar duo the Pet Shop Boys have reportedly agreed to remix the single.
The rumored third single, "Jump," is a feminist anthem rivalling "Express Yourself" and "Keep It Together" for power in combining both energy and message. "Jump" coincidentally borrows the bass-line from the Pet Shop Boys' Number One smash "West End Girls." Much earlier in her storied career, Madonna was slated to perform a duet of "Heart," a Pet Shop Boys (PSB) classic. The collaboration never materialized and, sadly, PSB released the song as a single, unadorned with Madonna's distinctive vocals (though it remains one of my favorite PSB songs!). Apparently the Material Mom is making up for lost time, and with a vengeance ....
"Get Together," the second track, is another likely hit. "Get Together" retrospectively samples M's original chart classic "Holiday" AND Madonna's Daft Punk's sampling of "Music Sounds Better with You" in the remixed encore performance of "Holiday" in the "Drowned World" tour. In other words, "Get Together" features Madonna borrowing Daft Punk's bassline remix of her own originary dancehall classic "Holiday." Doubtful that anyone can accuse her of plagiarism on this one. She's plagiarising herself, and in a wonderful, contemporary way! Madonna's vocals on "Get Together" reflect haunting vulnerability amidst pulsating rhythms. The combination is the most irresistable dance number since ROL's "Skin." As was the case with "Skin," Madonna may elect not to release this glorious track, which makes purchasing the album in its entirety worthwhile. I would like to see her release "Get Together" as a single, perhaps selling it (remixes included) as part of the ticket price to her rumoured 2006 tour, just as Prince did for his "Musicology" album. The single tour-generated sales would be a sure-fire means of landing her another top-10 hit, one that could actually top the charts once airplay kicks in and the public recognizes "Together" as sheer pop glory!
"Forbidden Love," the seventh track, recalls the best of Erasure. Madonna should release a gay-friendly version of the song simultaneous with its mainstream release. She would only have to tweak one lyric, and here is my suggesion:
ORIGINAL: "Once upon a time, there was a boy, there was a girl/Hearts that intertwined, they lived in a different kind of world"
GAY VERSION: "Once upon a time, there was a boy, there was a man/Hearts that intertwined, they lived in a different kind of land."
Simple enough, eh? Enough to stir controvery from the religious right.
"I Love New York" could serve as a political anthem for Hillary Clinton. I love the energy and insistence of this song. "Future Lovers" suggests a future collaboration with Donna Summer (DS recently collaborated with West End, so why not Madonna?). FL features Madonna delivering seductive, soothing promises in a manner reminscent of 90s artists Enigma but with musical accompaniment echoing "Sky Fits Heaven." "How High" is Britanny Spears-esque and "Push" (the apparent sequel to "Borderline") channels Kylie Minogue (as does "Get Together). Madonna, who publically championed Kylie during her breast cancer struggles, understands that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. "Isaac" is the 21st century version of "Frozen," and a philosophic commentary on the concept of meaningfulness, delivered in artful form. This is the most emotionally moving track on the album. "Like It or Not" contains clever rhymes to a grinding "Fever" backdrop. Love this number! "Let It Will Be," which brilliantly evokes what listeners and viewers find most brilliant about Madonna, contains the mesmerizing, grandiose orchestral movements of "Evita" and "Papa Don't Preach," as stunningly presented during her "Blonde Ambition" tour. "LIWB" nevertheless retains the dynamic energy of a solid dancefloor classic, as it has Madonna challenging, "Just watch me burn!" With 34 number one dancefloor chart-topping singles (and counting) and not a contender in sight, Madonna does indeed scorch the world's dancefloors as no one has done since ABBA and the BeeGees! Actually, it's time to start comparing everyone to her at this juncture! This track is certainly worthy of Madge.
In the end, the album is top drawer. I've had it since the day it was released in the U.S. and still listen to it everyday. I've not grown bored with any of the songs. Even if you purchase the album and don't think enough of the songs are radio-friendly (which is unlikely since at least four are), "Confessions," at 56 minutes, represents the ultimate workout accompaniment.
Five stars, no question. If you elimiated all the Mariah and J. Lo fans who have given the album one star in the spirit of partisanship, this album would be the best-reviewed offering on Amazon of Madonna's career. Four and a half stars, with more than a hundred one-star Madonna-hating reviews, equals a five-star album. Check it out!
Free Music Review: The Legend Hits The Dancefloor
Hit: 5 Stars
I awaited Madonna's new album release with bated breath. After "American Life" received such a poor reception in 2003, I was actually worried about Madonna's position in the modern music world. I personally loved that album, it's very underrated and contains a lot of her best material, but it only sold 5 million copies worldwide which is pretty poor when compared to her usual album sales. The only way Madonna could really go was up, and she has done - bigger than I ever expected. The release of "Confessions On A Dance Floor" was preceded by a £5 million marketing campaign to get Madonna's name back out there into the public conscious, and it seems to be working a treat.
This album went on sale last Monday in the UK and has sold around 220,000 copies this week alone, and is almost destined to be No.1 for weeks on end. That's a smashing figure for someone who's last album sold a mere 60,000 in its first week to get to No.1. America tends to be, how can I put this, more inclined towards R'n'B radio fodder, so this album may not do as well over there, but who cares when Madonna's topping the charts in practically every foreign territory outside the US?! Madonna's new sound aims to create 'future dance music' by mixing old with new into a funky hybrid of glorious, unashamed pop perfection. She achieves her goal with this album, and then some; not one ballad interrupts the continuous dance flow over almost an hour.
The album opens with the first single "Hung Up." This track is pretty much a classic already. It's been talked about for months because it samples ABBA's "Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)," and incredibly successfully I might add! The way the sample segues into the dance beat is flawless in every way, resulting in a song that has stormed to No.1 in almost 20 countries worldwide. This version of the song runs for almost six minutes and is the video version, where the song breaks down to its simplest form towards the end. This song will become a gay anthem! "Get Together" is rumoured to be a single and I hope it is because this song is just perfection. It opens with alarm clocks going off, before a synth beat builds up until Madonna sings her parts. The beat breaks down into this wonderful concoction of taps before reversing on itself and exploding into a crazy synth section. The lyrics are fun and carefree, and I can imagine this song being a bit hit on Madonna's world tour next year. "Sorry" is rumoured to be the next single and would be a massive hit all over the world. It opens with Madonna speaking in a foreign language, before the beat builds and crashes us into the chorus, "I don't wanna hear, I don't wanna know, please don't say you're sorry. I've heard it all before, and I can take care of myself." The music is generally upbeat but the subject matter suggests something completely different.
"Future Lovers" is a stunning song that I think deserves more respect and attention. People have said that it samples Donna Summer's "I Feel Love," but it doesn't, otherwise it would say in the booklet that comes with the album. Madonna speaks a lot on this song and there's some wonderful breaks where she sings, "In the evidence of its brilliance!" I love the chorus and the build up to it, it's very funky. I'd love this song to be a single, because a video would be amazing - imagine a desert much like the one in the "Frozen" video being lit up by disco lights shining down out of the sky! "I Love New York" is introduced by majestic drum rolls and a joyous beat that will shake your body to the core. The lyrics in this song are so bad, but I can forgive them for the sheer pop perfection that Madonna displays once more! "Let It Will Be" is another great song that has a catchy string arrangement in the intro. The beat is rather complex and echoes around. The lyrics are quite serious as Madonna sings about life and her experiences throughout the past 25 years. "Forbidden Love" is one of the album's best songs, because it's probably the most ballad-like song on the album even though it has a funky beat! It opens beautifully with muffled synths crying out into the night sky as Madonna sings about a forbidden love. The chorus is lush and almost pastoral, the voice distortion adding a sort of sadness to the song's subject matter. This blends perfectly into the next song as Madonna counts down "5...4...3...2...1!"
A peppy dance beat that bounces along like no tomorrow arrives in the form of "Jump." This song is incredible and just has to be a single! It would be No.1 everywhere! The verses of this song remind me of Madonna's "Erotica" era in that her voice is very low and sexy. The chorus is pure perfection as she sings about getting ready to jump into the great unknown! The lyrics are also pretty great too, the best being, "And life's gonna drop you down like the limbs of a tree. It sways and it swings and it bends until it makes you see!" Pure pop perfection, only Madge can do it this good. "How High" is another brilliant song with a catchy chorus break as Madonna sings, "How high are the stakes? How much fortune can you make?" In this song Madonna sings about her life and how she managed to achieve so much. She doesn't know the answers, and perhaps that's the way. "Isaac" has been dubbed the worst song on the album, but it's anything but! This is six minutes of spiritual dance music. The male vocals come courtesy of Yitzhak Sinwani and work a treat when contrasted with Madonna's feminine sighs. The chorus is a ride of pure joy and the rollercoaster of beats, clicks and beeps that this song takes you on is breathtaking. "Push" is a song Madonna wrote about her husband Guy Ritchie and how he pushes her to keep going on. It's catchy, but somehow this song just doesn't work for me. The album closes with "Like It Or Not" where Madonna sings about her determination to keep going despite what her critics may say. Remember, you can hate her but it's only gonna make her strong. The woman is a machine when it comes to her job, and she ain't going anywhere.
OVERALL GRADE: 10/10
I'd just like to say that the Mariah Carey fans - members of "Team Lamb" - are absolutely pathetic for submitting an onslaught of negative reviews of this album to try and bring it down in sales and ratings. The only feud between these two superstars is the one the 'fans' create to entertain themselves. I do like Mariah, but Madonna is in a completely different league. She transcends popular culture and has stamped her mark on every aspect of entertainment. She crosses over, because she is a cultural chameleon and she will *always* be on top no matter what. Confessions On A Dance Floor will sell millions worldwide and has already reconfirmed Madonna's status as the most famous and culturally significant woman in the world. This album is essential for Madonna's biggest fans, and for anyone interested in hearing a conceptually brilliant dance record. They're hard to come by, but Madonna clearly delivers the goods as always.
EDIT: Wow, what can I say? Album has hit No.1 in a total of 39 countries to date, the most EVER by any artist/band in the history of popular music. Shipped 3 million copies worldwide in its first week on sale alone. Hung Up has hit No.1 in almost 30 countries worldwide and topped the world chart for more than a month now. Madonna is experiencing the best chart success of her entire career. After almost 25 years, doesn't that just tell you something?
Free Music Review: A Dancing Queen Regains Her Throne
Hit: 5 Stars
M' Lady - how we have missed you. Fleeing the English countryside, Madonna regains her throne as Queen of the Dance Floor, returning to the music that started it all. The woman who was once considered a flash-in-the-pan has released her tenth studio album (not counting soundtracks, singles, and greatest hits compilations). Appropriately entitled Confessions on a Dance Floor, the album more than lives up to its moniker, featuring a seamless, non-stop collection of delicious dance pop. The beat hardly ever slackens, and it's a timeless testament to Madonna that she can still boogie-woogie with the best of them.
Things begin with the ticking of a clock, a clever reference to time going forward, and perhaps backward, as the much-ballyhooed Abba sample comes slowly into prominence on lead-off track "Hung Up". Setting the tone for the entire album, the single promises that this will be the gayest dance album she's made in a quite a long while. For those wondering whether she had forsaken the gay audience who has never let her down, this is a glorious homecoming. A Queen among queens, Madonna always returns to the comfort of her core audience when the chips are down and the stakes are high. (Witness her surprise appearances at the Roxy and Misshapes in New York City, and a planned gig at G.A.Y. in London.) She knows where her bread is buttered, and nothing makes us happier than when she's burning up the dance floor. With "Hung Up" she stages a veritable disco inferno, and the video for it shows off her most spirited break-neck dancing since 1998's Ray of Light. Confessions may well be her best record since that work. Though lacking the lyrical majesty and epic import of Light, the words here are secondary to the music. And what a fine bit of dance music it is, recalling the disco fever of the 70's and 80's.
"Get Together" is pop confection at its sweetest, with Madonna chirping "Can we get together/ I really wanna be with you/ Come on, check it out with me," just like the old days. Music and message come joyfully together on "Jump." An unabashedly guilty romp, replete with syncopated hand-claps, it opens with Madonna stating, "There's only so much you can learn in one place." It's an anthem that has run through her endless career, and an affirmation that even with all of the backward glances on the album (and there are quite a few), Madonna's sight is fixed unflinchingly on what is yet to come. That she backs the sentiment with such melodic magnificence is what makes her best songs so compelling, and nothing is more riveting than the third track, "Sorry."
Easily the zenith of this club-ready dance-a-thon, "Sorry" is quite possibly her greatest dance song since "Vogue" strutted its stuff back in 1990. It races along with a thunderous bass-line, bad-ass attitude, and an empowering dismissal of a man who's done her wrong one too many times. A modern-day "I Will Survive", it is the centerpiece of the entire album, and wisely scheduled to be the second single. "Sorry" is destined for club glory - an instant classic that will have gay boys and scorned lovers viciously stomping out their vengeance beneath the disco ball.
In fact, Confessions references a number of club classics, along with a few of Madonna's own hits. There's the aforementioned Abba influence on "Hung Up"; "Future Lovers" borrows heavily from Donna Summer's "I Feel Love"; "Jump" is vaguely reminiscent of "We Are Family" (with its "My sisters and me" line); "Push" picks up the lyrical chorus of "Every Breath You Take"; and "Let It Will Be" is a sonic reminder of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This".
Along with the retro glimpses, Confessions echoes more recent influences as well. The vocoder-enhanced singing on "Forbidden Love" sounds like the lovechild of Daft Punk and Air, while "How High" could be a razor-sharp cut from the Scissor Sisters album. Despite these wide-ranging allusions, the album is essentially a Madonna record, and even when she's accessing her own vast catalog of the past twenty years ("Get Together" is a modern-day companion to 1983's "Holiday") the music is rooted firmly in the future.
Despite its highs, it wouldn't be a proper Madonna album without the obligatory bomb. Thankfully there's just the one. In this case, the lone bum track is "I Love New York." What could have been a sassy ode to the night-life of her favorite city is instead a rock-tinged stinker, with inane lyrics decrying other cities and a lazy chorus that almost puts a stop to the otherwise spectacular proceedings. Fortunately it's followed by the incendiary "Let It Will Be." When she wails, "Just watch me burn," and the bass kicks in, it's an irresistible hands-in-the-air get-thee-to-the-dance-floor hole-in-one.
It's a relief to note that her knack for a catchy hook and killer chorus has returned, following its brief absence on 2003's American Life. Though that album was unfairly judged as anti-American (its release came at a time of ridiculous patriotic fervor), some of it did fall flat, and the worst of it sounded like Madonna was simply going through the motions. On Confessions, the hunger is back in her voice, the spunk is back in her step, and she's primed to pump it up like never before. The fierce re-appearance of such pluck and attitude is apparent in the promotional performances for the new album.
On the recent European Music Awards, Madonna opened the show in thrilling trademark fashion. Resplendent in a purple leather jacket, knee-high amethyst platform boots, and reddish-blonde Farrah-feathered hair, our once-and-future Queen of Career-Enhancing Controversy stripped down to a daring violet leotard and crawled to the edge of the stage, all dangerous décolletage and come-hither eyes. It was 1985 all over again, a time when Madonna performed virtually the same seductive crawl on the virgin MTV Video Music Awards. That year she mopped up the stage (literally and figuratively) with her infamous debut performance of "Like A Virgin". Returning to the scene of that iconic crime, Madonna proves that she still has it.
Over twenty years into an unprecedented, never-let-up pop superstar career, she continues on her merry way, doing her own thing, uncompromising and defiant as ever. In those two decades the one constant has been Madonna's presence and relevance. True, it's dimmed and waned at times, but name one other celebrity who has sustained mainstream success for such a long run.
The joy and exuberance of this album, two elements largely ignored in her recent work, is a fundamental factor to the fun of Confessions. A pleasant Halcyon reminder of a more carefree and innocent time when the world was just a spinning disco ball and the beat was all that mattered. This record is a mighty resurrection - both for Madonna and for dance music as well. Not surprisingly, it's never been needed more. As she once sang, "I know a place where you can get away, it's called the dance floor, and here what it's for." No one knows that more than Madonna, and nobody does it better.
Free Music Review: Madonna's best millennium record - 2005
Hit: 5 Stars
I heard this album in full when MTV.com was streaming it on The Leak and I went out and bought this album on it's day of release. This album is better than her previous record 2003's "American Life". The album art is also great, and looks very theatrical.
There is not one single slow song on here. It is full of pulsing rhythms and dance beats. If you enjoy clubbing then you will enjoy listening to this non-stop all dance record of power.
This album became #1, and beat Mariah Carey's "Emancipation Of Mimi" - which wasn't a bad record, but this one is far superior. Afterall Madonna is the Queen of Popular Music - Not Mariah, and shame on those Team L.A.M.B. loosers for putting Madonna down. Madonna's fans are strong enough in their vast quantity and have too much pride to act the way Mariah's fans do.
"Hung Up" is the first single of the album, and the whole album was produced by Madonna with Stuart Price, so it sounds great. It's Genre of music is Dance Disco, and Madonna gloriously brings back that Disco feeling in a new way by adding a new Techno sound to it. This is a great Feel good record and if you go out and get yourself a copy you won't regret your purchase. "Confessions On A Dancefloor" is Madonna's best Millennium album yet, even beating 2000's "Music" in my oppinion, and is one of her late masterpieces.
Here is the Track by Track rating.
1. Hung Up.
This is the album's first single, and features a direct sample of ABBA's 1979 single "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme ( a man after midnight). If you have'nt heard this track yet ( unlikely due to the massive amount of airplay it is getting ) you might think it sounds old fashioned but surprisingly Madonna makes it sound very modern. Currently it is #1 in the Euro Top 20, and went #1. in Europe and the U.S. This song is better than any song off "American Life", so I suggest giving this one a try. Note this is not the 3:25 Radio-Edit version. It is a full album version and runs at 5:36. This is the extended video version. 5/5
2. Get Together.
This is quite a good song, and quite catchy. It sounds a lot like a dance track, but I don't think it would make Single status. At first listen i wasn't too impressed, but it does grow on you. Very trancey and hypnotic. The song breaks itself down, then builds itself up again.It repeats it self a lot and echoes which is a good effect. Overall it makes for a good listen. It sounds similar to "music's" "Runaway Lover". 3/5
3. Sorry.
This song sounds a lot like the Jackson's 1981 hit "Can You Feel It" because it uses the same base line. Great club track. The part where she says "You're not half the man you think you are" and "Don't explain yourself cos' talk is cheap" is great.
This song is about her saying she no longer needs her ex-lover, and for him not to come back grovelling. The foreign language parts are good too. This song could definetly make a #1. Very enjoyable. You will find this song trapped inside your head and it is one of the albums best tracks. 5/5
4. Future Lovers.
The first thing I think of when I hear this song is a spacey type surrounding as if you are gazing up in to the universe. The vocals sound very Synthezised, and the song's tune sounds very modern New-Wave. The part where she says "I'm gonna tell you about love. Would you like to try" is very alluring and shows similarities to 1992's "Erotica". The song sounds quite Indie in parts but this makes a good effect. 4/5
5. I Love New York.
This song also sounds very futuristic. It praises New York above all other cities. Very repetative, but not annoying. It has an apocyliptic bass line. There is a lot of attitude in this song and Madonna clearly epresses her self by saying "If you don't like my attitude then you can F@#k 0ff. Just go to Texas. Isn't that where they golf". She repeats the phrase "Get off my street". Most people didn't like this song, but I do. 3/5
6. Let It Will Be.
This song is very catchy and enjoyable to listen to. You might find yourself tapping your feet to it. The lyrics are good and full of meaning. The song is about not letting people decieve you and seeing things clearly, and not letting people stand in your way. She glams her self up and presents her stardom in this track. Theres nothing you can do about it, so you might aswell just Let It Be. 4/5
7. Forbidden Love.
The vocals on this song sound very Daft Punk.The tune sounds quite asian and is very catchy and the chorus is very good. This song is one of the albums high lights. 4/5
8. Jump.
This is one of my favourite album tracks and is definetly single material. The song talks about Madonna realising that she can live her dreams because she is not afraid to abandon her before life and start it new. It is about having that leap of faith. The song sounds vey Trancy and it's best part comes at the end when the chorus repeats itself. This is one song that will stick in your head for quite a while. One of the Albums finest moments. 5/5
9. How High.
Once again the vocals to this track sound very enhanced and Electro - pop. The song is quite good and grows on you. It is not one of the albums finest points though. It sounds similar to any song from "Music". It talks about Madonna's fame and if it is all worth it. Overall I find it pretty average. 3/5
10. Isaac.
This song sounds very arabian, and is quite un-usual for a pop song. It is quite similar to "Frozen" from 1998's "Ray Of Light". It has the back up vocals of an Arabian Man. This song is very catchy and I found it enjoyable to listen to. Madonna sings "Open up your heart, and cause my lips to speak. Bring the Heaven and the Stars down to Earth for me" and "Wrestle with your darkness. Angels call your name. Can you hear what they are saying. Will you ever be the same". This is a great track on the album, and an peculiar and interesting high point for it. 4/5
11. Push.
This song is another one of my favourite's on the album. It talks about the singers relationship with god. At least I think so...The song is very meaningful with lyrics like "You push me when I don't appreciate. You push me not to lie, and not to hate. You push me when i'm wounded to the end. You push me when I really need a friend. You push me when, All I wanna do is cry. You push me when it's hard for me to try. Ill learn to do it for myself. Only you and no one else". This song is clearly about soul searching and self - growth, and having faith in god to help you along with it. Great song. 5/5
12. Like It Or Not.
This song was O.K., but not a favourite of mine. It talks about liking Madonna or not. It doesent matter because she likes herself, many other people do aswell and she's never gonna stop.
There are some good instramental parts in this track. She sings this song well, with confident vocals. It sounds sort of Greek when you listen to it, and is almost an interesting track as "Isaac". It will grow on you and you will start to like it. 4/5.
Free Music Review: You can F Off!
Hit: 5 Stars
I admit, I always viewed Madonna as a Has Been. Everyone knows her biggest hits. The infamous "Like a Virgin" and "Like a Prayer" and "Vogue" ecco whenever the 80s are mentioned. It wasn't until I discovered her newer stuff like Ray of Light and Music that I really viewed Madonna as an artist, a woman with a brain.
I also admit that I've succumbed to dance fever over the past year. I mean, with people like Goldfrapp and Röyksopp forging a new name for European dance and techno, dance music is the best its been since a long time. Confessions on a Dance Floor completely hits the mark for a good dance album. Sure, it's pure pulp. The album exists as its own entity. It doesn't bill itself as revelatory. Nostalgia is the theme here. And how fantastic it is!
1.) "Hung Up"
An amazingly catchy tune. Madonna utilizes the ABBA sample perfectly. It's able to dominate the song, making it a perfect homage to one of dance history's most prolific artists, and yet it so screams of 2005, with its pulsing base and driving beat. Catchy.
2.) "Get Together"
Though produced well, I don't find this song very aesthetically pleasing. It's not what I personally look for in a song. Effects are used perfectly, but it's not the most immediate song, and compared to the immediacy of the other album tracks, it feels out of place. It's a great transition, however, between the pulsing first track to the the third, "Sorry."
3.) "Sorry"
Hypnotic! The spoken intro adds a great facet to this song. Upon its completion, a driving edited voice chanting "I've heard it all before" introduces the feel of the song. It drives the song along its tracks. As the song draws to an end, more spoken lines are followed by the same chanting chorus, which closes out the track. Fantastic. It will make a great single.
4.) "Future Lover"
This song shows how vocal editing can improve a song. A chuggling, mellow bass is punctuated by a highly melodic anthem - "In the evidence of its brilliance." The melody shows emotion, and reflects the theme of the song. There's something mystical about it.
5.) "I Love New York"
Ok, I'm sorry.... people REALLY need to stop knocking this track. There is so much more to it than its given credit. I must start with the lyrics. This song could simply not exist without the lyrics being as they are. They're simple, possessing few syllables, allowing them to flow effortlessly with the music. Sure, who cares if she rhymes "New York" with "dork" and "sleep" with "keep." (Ooh, I can rhyme "critic" with "parasitic!")
And now the music. This song progresses well. Early on, it's driven by an acoustic guitar, quit similar to the way Stevie Nicks on "Edge of Seventeen" and Destiny's Child on "Bootylicious" used that addictive, repetitious guitar riff. It surges on, and recalls the fast cars, neon lights, and endless eye candy that is New York City at night. The melody of the chorus is sickeningly addicting, especially the way it lowers in tone. And I must say, the transition between "Future Lover" and "I Love New York" is the best transition on the album!
6.) "Let It Will Be"
Decent song. Always moves forward. Not really my favorite. I find it a tad boring. Same thing as with "Get Together." It's a good song, just not what I personally like.
7.) "Forbidden Love"
Again, computer editing makes the vocals interesting, and the melody is mystical. The percolating synths highlight the bass. Good track.
8.) "Jump"
A dance-pop tour de force here!!! Arguably my favorite track on the album. The same percolating synth mentioned in "Forbidden Love" transitions this song. The formula for this song is reminiscent of "Crazy for You." Madonna's vocals start out low and mellow, but after a quick bridge, the tone completely changes. She calls out for anyone who has the courage to take the plunge with her. She offers her hand as support. The melody has great optimistic emotion. For anyone who likes to take risks and go for it, here is your anthem.
9.) "How High"
This may be the most blatant confession that Madonna has to share. The song is basically Madonna having a conversation with herself, posing questions like "How did I earn it?" and "Does this get any better?" and "Should I carry on? Will this matter when I'm gone?" She's completely aware of her fame, but her deeper, more thoughtful side asks about the future.... the beyond... when she's gone. What will her success be? Just a name? Is she the queen over some pop dynasty? Or will she fade into obscurity? Who knows! I don't think even Madonna knows. It seems Madonna knows the answers to her own questions.
Ok, apart from that, this is addicting music! The edited voice in the beginning sets the tone of the song. It surges along, and lets the music creep up from behind. Listen to this song in your car, at night, lots of city lights around you - it's where I first heard it. You can almost see the lights around you shine "Madonna" as you go by.
10.) "Isaac"
This is Music meets Ray of Light. Combining the ethereal and spiritual with the secular and the worldly. Israeli singer Sinwani highlights Madonna's chanting, and the music reflects Semitic themes. I really like it. It's not really an track I would choose to dance to. However, it's excellent on its own merits, especially the spiritual interlude by Sinwani at the end of the track. One of the best musical accomplishments of the album, especially with the strings in the background.
11.) "Push"
See "Get Together." Commendable, but not for me. I tend to skip this song to the very end, only because I like the transition between here and the final track.
12.) "Like It Or Not"
This is a pulsing finale, and Madonna's testament to her detractors that she could serious care less about what they think of her. With all the surging and hardcore rhythms of this album, "Like It Or Not" is the antidote. It's certainly the most mellow. I really like how Madonna's singing interplays with the odd beat and rhythm. Notice the nuance between the downbeat. Sometimes it sounds like a clap, sometimes like a sharp stomp. Nice touch. This is among my favorite songs on the album. The lyrics are mildly scandalous, with the Garden of Eden references. I like it! And as someone pointed out before me, notice how the track and the album closes out with acoustic guitar. Great touch, and its a testament to its modernity.
There you have it. My breakdown of the album. And you know, you can like it, or you can dislike it. I'll quote Madonna in this case: "If you don't like my attitude, then you can f off.... just go to Texas - isn't that where they golf?" *licks finger and touches your shoulder* ***TSSSSSSSSS!*** Oh, you got BURNED!