Customer Reviews

American Life

5 star:		(603)
4 star:		(215)
3 star:		(110)
2 star:		(115)
1 star:		(160)

 

 

Part-requiem, part-rebirth, Madonna has released her tenth studio album AMERICAN LIFE. Armed with 11 songs, she reveals, admonishes, and shares her perspective on her career, life, and success - in the hope of imbuing and inspiring not only her fans, but the general public. She leaves the occasional jargon of RAY OF LIGHT back in 1998, favoring simple vocabulary, holding nothing back. She's angry ("I'm So Stupid"), world-weary ("Hollywood"), loving ("Nothing Fails"), even paranoid ("Nobody Knows Me"). In my review, I'll highlight these certain songs.

The title track begins the album. Already notorious in the papers regarding her decisions on how to market it, the song is a perfect start for the record, asserting the agenda of her latest project. Full of buzzing synths, syncopation changes, meandering melodies, and a cut-and-paste chorus, Madonna rails against the fallacy of the "American Dream". The composition sounds jarring and disjointed, but that's its purpose. Included is a satirical rap role-call of some of her employess and possessions. The fade-out features her voice manipulated into a macabre creature singing the refrain repeatedly "I live the American Dream."

"American Life" segues into "Hollywood", a Beatles-esque tune with an apocalyptic undercurrent. Using the famous town as a metaphor, her singing is simultaneously coy and venomous. Guitar chords augment the retro 808 beat and what sounds like (at one point), birds put through choppy filters, coming out clipped and incomplete. "Push the button, don't push the button!/Trip the station, change the channel!" Madonna challenges us as her voice drops into an unnaturally deep tone.

"I'm So Stupid" completes the first triptych of songs critiquing superficiality, glamour, and materialsim as aspirations and values. Brillantly, these songs also put to rest her "Material Girl" personae. A spunky beat, electric guitar, and a synth line created from Madonna's voice, comprise this dismayed and angry song. At times, the singer/songwriter yells and labels everyone "stupid" for "looking for something" - presumably, the wrong thing. She even assumes an adolescent tone calling herself "stupider than stupid".

"Nobody Knows Me" reveals Madonna's fear of a "social disease". What sounds like a dentist drill makes it way through this electro-funk dance song complete with a fierce beat, rubbery bass line, and memorable refrain: "I don't want no lies/I don't watch T.V./I don't waste my time/Reading magazines". Filtered through a vocoder, she finds solace in an understanding person in a world where "people trap your mind".

The centerpiece of the album, "Nothing Fails" is an affecting love song to her husband. Her feelings are best described in the fantastic climax, featuring a trio of gospel choir, a choir of Madonna, and the lead vocals: "I'm not religious/But I feel so moved/Makes we want to pray". Attesting to the transformative power of love, Madonna's sincerity is apparent more so than on any other song prior to this album.

The album ends with "Easy Ride", a Kabbalist song praising hard work, but ultimately leaving more questions than answers. Madonna has been quoted to saying that this album signifies the beginning, not the end that many percieve for her. "Easy Ride" further drives home that sentiment.

I recommend listening to AMERICAN LIFE while in a solitary place or state of mind. It's a frustrating, joyful, inquisitive, and intelligent, and rewarding experience.

The CD has recieved mixed reviews in the press. If there's one lesson both Madonna & the critics have taught me is to create my own opinion. A work of art is meant to be moving, candid, altruistic, full of emotion. If so, then personally, AMERICAN LIFE is a work of art.

Twenty years after her debut album, Madonna releases her tenth studio album, American Life. The facts are grim. Die another day was the only track to break the Billboard top 40. The title track, American Life, had minimal airplay, and all the remaining singles were lucky to get any at all. The videos didn't fair any better. American Life was pulled before ever airing. Hollywood premiered on VH1, a station known more for airing videos by artists like Dave Matthews and Sting. Her final video, Love Profusion, only aired on the internet. The critics tore the album to pieces, declaring it to be self indulgent dribble, lyrically embarrassing, a sure sign that Madonna had finally lost her touch.
I'm here to disagree. This album has very gradually become one of my favorites. I will review each track and leave you to take what you want from this review.
The opening track, American Life, is probably the hardest track to swallow. The music is somewhat abrasive and disjointed. Their is a clashing of electro and folk that is present throughout the album. I think what makes this track work for me, is the fact that it is so startlingly not what you expect to hear. The lyrics aren't all that bad either. The rap is very corny, but it is done intentionally I think. This is not the first time Madonna has dabbled in rap. Remember Vogue? Bette Davis- we love you! I hope you remember, it was one of her most successful singles of all time. The fact that the video was pulled and a cheap imposter was used in it's place, kept this single from going anywhere. Madonna's videos are very much a huge part of the success of the singles. I saw this video in a club in Minneapolis. They had apparently downloaded it prior to it being pulled off the net. The video was wonderfully entertaining, and I could see very little to be offended by. The only somewhat shocking image, is the now famous shot of her tossing grenade into an audience at a fashion event. The grenade is caught by a Bush look-a-like and used to light a cigar. It's hardly the highlight of the video. THe images of Madonna dancing in a dirty women's restroom in army gear is fabulous. The scene where she crashes [literally!] a runway stage in a mini-cooper toting rifles is awesome. She does a little dance while rapping to a terrified looking audience.
Hollywood is one of the funner songs on the album. The video was definitely colorful. Her performance with Britney and Christina at the MTV awards was entertaining as well. The song isn't my favorite, but it's enjoyable. I do love the end where her voice is slowed gradually as she tells us to change the channel.
I'm so stupid is the ONLY track on the entire LP that hasn't grown on me. I guess I don't agree with her claim. The music is alright. I don't care much for the way she anunciates the word STUPID at times. That DOES sound stupid. It's the weakest track, in my ears, anyhow.
Love profusion, the last song to be released as a single, is a great track. It's light and positive. The mixes of this song are also lovely. The single is worth looking into if you haven't already. There are no edits, but the song is so wonderful, you don't really care too much.
Nobody knows me is my favorite track from this album. It's stellar. It's right in the middle of the LP and that's where it belongs. She performed this track during her re-invention tour, and even though she stood alone on the stage, it was one of my favorite performances. The song can do no wrong. I absolutely love the lyrics, the music, and even the CHER-like voice thing they've done to her vocals. Should've been a single all it's own. Oh well
Nothing fails. A great ballad. The gospel choir makes the song even better. 'Makes me wanna pray.' The lyrics are incredibly simple, but that doesn't make them bad. I think it was intentional of her to write her lyrics that way. I could be wrong of course. Maybe M was trying to be deep. "I'm in love with you, you silly thing" doesn't strike me as someone trying to be deep, however.
Intervention, I've been told, is a song about her son. It's a wonderful track as well. Definitely up there as one of my all time favorite Madonna tracks. Here, she is lyrically on the ball. Great song.
X-static process is very UN-Madonna, which can be a little unnerving. It totally sounds like a track written for someone else. Don't ask me who. It's one of those "I'm exposing myself emotionally" songs. It's good. I personally would have left it to be a b-side myself, if I were Madonna.
Mother and Father is another cool song. SHe has performed it acoustic in concert, and it's still cool. Here on the album it has a very disco feel to it. Her vocals are very different. She sings in a voice I don't think she's used before, and it's refreshing. Incidentally, in X-static process, she sings hitting much lower notes than i think I've ever heard her use before. I think the great thing about this album is that it shows that Madonna has finally realized what range she sounds best. She now knows her voice front and back, so to speak, and is using it more wisely. If you've seen any of her performances in the last year, you know what I mean. It's wonderful to hear her these days.
Die another day. What a FREAKIN awesome club track. All the mixes are to DIE for. This song is so fun to play while speeding down the interstate in sunglasses. People have 'complained' that this is the worst Bond song to be recorded. To that I say "Shut up."
Easy Ride closes the album, and like Gone on the previous release, it is a wise decision. What a cool song... So cool. It's on of those songs you listen all the way through, and then go, "Damn, I don't think I've ever heard a song quite like that before."

Madonna doesn't need to be in the mainstream to be a talented artist. In fact, the true talents rarely are. I like to think this is the reason Madonna is gradually and gracefully getting less radio airplay. She is making the music she wants, she is seeking out producers that don't sound like the billions of others out there. To that she gets props. I hope to hear more from this woman who has inspired me to do what the Hell I want, and say F*** you to those who think otherwise.

I am sure there are a lot of people out there who are completely confused about this album due to all the critics that vary from sky-high to inferno levels, so I thought the time had come to present my personal answers to some very relevant and certainly common questions.

Q: What is the reason for such discrepancy between opinions?
A: This is an album totally different from anything she has done before. It mixes rap with techno and guitar acoustics. Her voice has also been distorted with a vocoder, and it sounds similar to the effects used in the "Paradise (Not for Me)" track. Well, some Madonna fans were just not ready for such a change, and those who enjoy this kind of tune are not regular Madonna purchasers, so it is possible this album will stay in a sort of a category limbo. Anyway, for many others (like me) "American Life" is a groundbreaking and inspiring change that defines a whole new musical genre.

Q: I was told the lyrics in this album stink. Is it true?
A: Let us say Madonna is one of the few artists (very few, even) who can afford to transport their very true feelings into their music. You will find no "baby don't you know, I love you so, so please don't go" kind of songs here. On the other hand, you'll have your ears filled up with sincere words that truly depict Madonna's life and feelings. If you're not ready to hear her complaint how stupid she was for being so materialistic and that she does not want to have it simple but rather to work like a bull, well ... stay away from this album. Again, my opinion is she deserves an ovation for being so damn courageous.

Q: This album is anti-american, so I feel compelled not to buy it. What about you?
A: This is possible the silliest affirmation ever. This is an album about her intimate feelings and has absolutely nothing to do with anti-Americanism. You'll only feel offended if, in your opinion, Americanism equals hypocrisy, irrational materialism and loss of innocence, because these are the values she speaks against. Even her self-censored video clip was antiwar, not anti-american, and there's a huge difference between these two positions.

Q: I've heard most of the tracks are bad, so is it really worth to buy it?
A: Let us say I used to hit my "skip" button about four times during the first hearings, but even the less sticky tunes start to grow in you after a while. It is certainly not a "hearer friendly" album for the Madonna habitués, but after you give it a few spins you'll find yourself mumbling the songs often during the day.

Q: So hey! Should I buy it, or what?
A: My (humble) opinion is ... yes! This album was not made to hit a sales record, so it is possible many commercial pop buyers will stay away from it as a Norah Jones fan would certainly stay away from an Iron Maiden record, but if you are musically open minded this is certainly an album worth discovering. And in these days, innovation alone deserves a five star review. There you go!

Don't be scared off by the critics. This is Madonna's best album. Ever. Even better than "Ray of Light." It's one of her most cohesive albums to date. Where "Music" was a hodge podge of musical styles (albeit highly entertaining) there is a deeply personal throughline here that reveals Madonna in a way that none of her other works have done.

From the opening title track "American Life" with its rap bash on the shallowness of American celebrity to the absolutely gorgeous and spiritual love song "Nothing Fails" to the pseudo 80s "therapeutic" dance track "Mother and Father" Madonna takes the listener on a sonic journey of bitterness to joy to a quiet kind of contentment. Each track serves a purpose and the album flows together beautifully.

Some tracks make take repeated listening but it's time well spent.

Madonna's still the most innovative pop music artist on the scene, twenty years strong.

Madonna is an amazing pop musician, not because she has remained popular for twenty years while other pop divas (Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston) have sunk, but because her music demonstrates true evolution. It changes and grows with the passage of time and with her maturity as an artist and person. "American Life" is the natural step to follow "Music," her last LP, which was also produced by Mirwais. While other artists merely sing the same kinds of songs written by the same group of songwriters, Madonna gives herself to the creative process, always co-writing her songs in a truly collaborative process.

Here, Madonna has incorporated more guitar and pulled back on the electronica, resulting in a leaner, gentler sound. She's once again pulled from her own life for material, but this time she's more critical--of her success, her desire for fame, and her convoluted relationship with love. On "Ray of Light" she proclaimed that she had "traded fame for love without a second thought," and the lonliness that pervaded that work has been replaced with an acceptance of love and a willingness to let herself succumb to love. In "X-Static Process" a slow, lean lullaby of a song featuring only guitar and self-harmonized vocals, she says "I always wished that I could find someone as beautiful as you, but in the process I forgot that I was special too." That song, along with "Nothing Fails" and "Intervention" form the mellow, internal centerpiece of the album. "Nothing Fails" is a beautiful song, which builds slowly until the end when choirs burst out "I'm not religious, but I feel so moved...makes me want to pray."

It's not all philosophizing on the power of love though. Title track "American Life" turns up the beats and bloops as Madonna asks if the "modern life" is really for her. Here she's not attacking American (as her critics have implied), but rather critiqueing the extent to which she had succumbed to the darker impulses of American society--namely the drive to achieve more fame, more material things. "Nobody Knows Me" also pulses with vocodor vocals and beats, similar to "Music's" "Impressive Instant."

The bridging theme across this introspective of fame, materialism, and love is that of identity. Madonna is taking a look at who she is and how she's been affected by love, fame, and the American drive to achieve. It's not clear that she has the answers yet, but at least she's asking the questions. In the final track, she says "I want the good life, but I don't want an easy ride" and that she wants to "live forever."

Critics have said that it's a cliche for stars to bemoan stardom, but any good artist knows that the core of art should come from one's own experience. Most of us have no idea what superstardom on Madonna's level is like and I don't think it's fair to criticize her for being honest. I've always felt that we don't really know Madonna well through the media, since she is such a master at controlling knowledge, that one never knows what is really "true" when it comes to her. But through her music, as a body of work, there is a narrative story about her life. And it is through her music that Madonna is most enjoyed and appreciated--it has always been this way.

Reviewer: joon from Singapore
The song that has received so many comments in the past month or so finally appears in its remixed form. And here, the song is transformed into 5 different versions.

Version 1: Missy's collaboration with Madonna here is actually a shrewd attempt at winning urban airplay. Though not exceptionally spectacular, it is nontheless a funky remix with Missy Elliott's rapping and a delightful Tweet on background vocals. The original song is stirpped of its electro coat and laced with hip beats and a funky bassline. It's really a Madonna exclusive as Missy puts it.

Version 2: Oakenfold's remix of the song is certainly one of his best for Madonna. In fact, the remix has made the song more radio-friendly. It's Oakenfold at his mid-tempo best, adding to the song some stronger beats and more cohesion to the verses and the chorus. Slick!

Version 3: Felix Da Housecat's remix is simply the best on this CD maxi-single. Even better than his haloween sounding remix of Die Another Day, the DJ injected some dark electro-funk to the song and made it sound almost like what The Smashing Pumpkins would have done before. Totally smashing!

Version 4/5: Basically, the 2 parts, at nearly 20 minutes, see Rahoufer at his worst on Part 1 and his best on Part 2. Part 1 is just a nonsensical mix of trance beats that made no sense of the song at all. Part 2 is better, more anthem-like with a stomping feel.

The last track of the CD is Richard Vission's excellent remix of Die Another Day which was previously unreleased, but it is really the best of the DAD remixes. The James Bond theme is instantly turned into a club track that will bring the house down in no time.

Overall, this is a very good CD-maxi single.

Reading all of these negative reviews, I couldn't help but make a defense for Madonna. It's true that American Life is certainly not mainsream pop music, and that is perhaps why it did not succeed very well on the charts, even though it was number one when it debuted.

Personally, I believe that all these people who claim to have lost interest in Madonna and saying she is "washed up" are just using that as a cover up to hide the fact they don't understand her. Madonna writes and produces all of her own music (with the excepton of the Like a Virgin album, but that wasn't so great anyway) and says what she feels, not what she thinks people want to hear necessarily.

While in recent years she has been overshadowed by younger female "singers," do these up-and-comers really have anything to say? No, they don't. They just sit there looking pretty while the music is manufactured for them. Madonna tells stories and shares viewpoints on every subject under the sun and her lyrics are often so deep and thoughtful people don't want to face them. They just want a tune they can hum along to.

I admit the music on American Life is often choppy and unmemorable, but if we go deeper than that and examine her lyrics, this is probably one of the most profound works of art available. I'm not surprised that all those consumers who prefer pop tarts singing about how bad they want a boy or how hot they look dismissed this record, but it's their loss. I don't mean to criticize anyone or be a jerk, but I am strongly encouraging people to peel away the layers of American Life and examine it from every angle. You may just be surprised.

I have revisited Madge's much-maligned 2003 album "American Life" and I actually think it's pretty good...not at all as bad as people made it out to be when it was originally released. A couple of things may have factored in this: obviously, the title track, which I love, was a risky song to release as a first single, but heck, she was really the only artist at that point in time making her opinion heard of the Iraq war and the situation in the U.S. loud and clear...the American public took offense (surprise) and the song and album did not fare very well. The best version of the song, however, is the Oakenfold remix, which should have been the single (and they should have taken out that awful rap)...speaking of rap, Madonna's rapping on this album is dismal and also influenced the negative reviews, but she only does it a few times. The album's poorly chosen second single "Hollywood" holds the dubious distinction of being Madge's first single to fail to crack the U.S. Hot 100, and truly is one of Madonna's most tepid, uninspired and unoriginal songs, and probably aided in the album's tanking. Whoever thought of releasing that song as a second single should be fired. Same with the double sided "Nothing Fails"/"Nobody Knows Me," which also failed to chart. The fourth single released from this album, "Love Profusion," should have been the second, and it might have kept the album afloat in the U.S. Either way, "Love Profusion" had a great video and was a major hit internationally, especially in Spain, where it went to number one. Another lovely song that could have been a single was "Intervention." Had they selected better songs as singles, this album may have fared differently. All in all, it makes for a good listen.

Despite all that has been said about this album, then rehashed and regurgitated time and again, it is ludicrous to overlook the achievement of these songs which are so much better than the public perceived it.

Take into account that, despite being one of Madonna's so-called flops, it debuted at #1. Despite it only spawning one Top 40 hit in the US (the title track), seven...yes...SEVEN of the eleven tracks hit Top 10 on the US Dance chart, and Madonna was still the #1 Dance artist of 2004. Lastly, check the immense success of the Re-Invention Tour.

If this was one of Madonna's low moments...man, I wish my professional low moments were as successful.

As Madonna releases the much-anticipated (and absolutely brilliant) Confessions on a Dance Floor, it is time to stop calling this work "crap." Aside from the absolutely horrific "I'm So Stupid" and the less-than-mediocre "Hollywood" (before Stuart Price, co-producer of Confessions, got his remixing hands on it), this album has some extremely beautiful moments and some of Madonna's strongest recordings, both artistically and vocally.

"Nothing Fails" is an extraordinary song of yearning. The melodies of "Love Profusion" are absorbing. The vocals of "X-Static Process" are beautiful. The electro-power of the album's strongest track, "Nobody Knows Me," is one of the highlights of this incredible woman's career...and the album includes the first James Bond theme to crack the Top 10 in eons to boot.

It's time to stop insulting this creation that is "American Life." Could it be considered Madonna's concept album? Sure, why not. She took yet another chance, something so many artists never have the courage to do, and came out of it unscathed. Despite the horrible criticisms and negative comments, this will remain a #1 album that spawned numerous hits on the dance chart, along with international pop charts. If this is the worst she can do, that just proves just what an incredible artist she truly is.

The song that has received so many comments in the past month or so finally appears in its remixed form. And here, the song is transformed into 5 different versions.

Version 1: Missy's collaboration with Madonna here is actually a shrewd attempt at winning urban airplay. Though not exceptionally spectacular, it is nontheless a funky remix with Missy Elliott's rapping and a delightful Tweet on background vocals. The original song is stirpped of its electro coat and laced with hip beats and a funky bassline. It's really a Madonna exclusive as Missy puts it.

Version 2: Oakenfold's remix of the song is certainly one of his best for Madonna. In fact, the remix has made the song more radio-friendly. It's Oakenfold at his mid-tempo best, adding to the song some stronger beats and more cohesion to the verses and the chorus. Slick!

Version 3: Felix Da Housecat's remix is simply the best on this CD maxi-single. Even better than his haloween sounding remix of Die Another Day, the DJ injected some dark electro-funk to the song and made it sound almost like what The Smashing Pumpkins would have done before. Totally smashing!

Version 4/5: Basically, the 2 parts, at nearly 20 minutes, see Rahoufer at his worst on Part 1 and his best on Part 2. Part 1 is just a nonsensical mix of trance beats that made no sense of the song at all. Part 2 is better, more anthem-like with a stomping feel.

The last track of the CD is Richard Vission's excellent remix of Die Another Day which was previously unreleased, but it is really the best of the DAD remixes. The James Bond theme is instantly turned into a club track that will bring the house down in no time.

Overall, this is a very good CD-maxi single.