Customer Reviews

Music

5 star:		(304)
4 star:		(137)
3 star:		(84)
2 star:		(40)
1 star:		(57)

 

 

On her last outing Madonna wowed both critics and the public alike. By brilliantly combining electronic beats with strong melodies on Ray of Light, Madonna took pop music in a bold, new direction. Madonna's new album Music picks up where Ray of Light left off, but ultimately this album will not be remembered as adventurous as its predecessor. Madonna sticks with the same formula that made Ray of Light a critic's darling, and that's certainly not a bad thing.

It would be easy to be misled by Music's first single and title track. The single Music, currently in heavy airplay on radio stations around the country, is a quirky, fun little number with simple, easy-to-digest lyrics. It brings to mind some of the happy-go-lucky music of Madonna's past. Music the album, however, sometimes gets deeply personal and strangely moving at times. It is older, wiser Madonna that we find here, one we can relate to and empathize with. "Many miles, many roads I have traveled, fallen down on the way," sings the one-time Material Girl on "I Deserve It." Suddenly Madonna doesn't seem so much like a glamour icon here as much as a world-weary soul-searcher.

Style-wise the album is still punctuated heavily with electronic loops and beats. "Impressive Instant" is an incredible sonic whirlwind, and "Runaway Lover" is headed straight to the dance floor. There is however more use of acoustical guitar here though than on Ray of Light. For the first few seconds of "Don't Tell Me," you would think you were listening to a John Denver song until staccato beats punctuate the song to a magnificent effect. There is heavy use of vocal manipulation (ala Cher's "Believe") throughout the album. Sometimes this is distracting, as in "Nobody's Perfect," a beautiful ballad that suffers from over-production.

On Music, Madonna continues here collaboration with electronic-mastermind William Orbit, as well as bringing in French artist Mirwais to produce some songs. On this album though, we the audience are more familiar with electronica thanks to Ray of Light, so nothing seems as new and shocking as than on that album. Most of the songs are heavily produced with beats and synthesizers, but they rarely mask the underlying melodies and emotion.

All in all, Music is another highly accomplished effort from Madonna, and one of her best albums. High-tech wizardry aside, this is still very much a Madonna album- sometimes light, sometimes challenging, but always entertaining. "Selling out is not my thing," she sings on "Gone," and she hasn't. More a continuation of her foray into electronica than a new effort, this album makes a nice bookend to Ray of Light, and it certainly deserves a spot in your CD collection.

MUSIC is Madonna's very best album in years (the single and the album are both #1!!!). It has a very unique sound because it sounds really modern and new age as well as earthy and very nostalgic. MUSIC picked up where RAY OF LIGHT left off mixing electronica tunes with a beautiful voice. Here's my favorite tracks on the album: MUSIC -Reminds me of some of her older songs (like INTO THE GROOVE or EVERYBODY), very danceable, very fast and enjoyable to listen to. IMPRESSIVE INSTANT - This has to be my favorite track on the entire album, very modern sounding (tons of electronica!), it reminds me of the theme-song for Josie And The Pussycats. Madonna's voice on this track sounds especially high and beautiful. AMAZING - Really beautiful song w/ lots of great-sounding background music, sounds like a slower version of BEAUTIFUL STRANGER. CYBERRAGA -This song is only on the MUSIC single (and the Japanese album) but I really love it and think it should have been on the album. Madonna sings and chants in Indian and reminds us that a 'material girl' can do more that just catchy dance tunes. You go girl! So even if you're not a Madonna fan I recommend MUSIC to you because you will really enjoy it. In the year 2000 Madonna really does rule the world!! Music brings the people together...

Madonna's new album "Music" is by far the most artistically interesting work to come from mainstream pop this year. After being bombarded by "teen queens" and "boy bands", the follow-up album to the highly successful "Ray of Light" is a breath of fresh artistic air. The new material is introspective, thought-provoking, and challenging. Musically, Madonna has once again taken underground sounds and transformed them into mainstream gems. With the help of producers Mirwais and William Orbit, she has taken the work she accomplished with "Ray of Light" and gone further into the electronic musical genre. If you are looking for more of what the smash single "Music" has to offer, this album is not the place to look. However, the rest of the album stands solidly on its own apart from the first track as soulful, funky, folky, and definitely inspiring. Contrary to other criticisms, the use of vocoder in "Nobody's Perfect", and the electronic manipulation of the musical tracks does not detract from Madonna's well-written lyrics. The vocals and the music intertwine to form a sound that may be challenging for the general music listener, which may be detrimental to generating airplay or selling singles. But for those of us who enjoy music for what it offers us artistically, "Music" not only outshines "Ray of Light", but it challenges mainstream music listeners to listen to something outside of the common pop formula. This is grown-up Madonna, with grown-up lyrics and music to match. Hopefully, Madonna fans and other listeners have grown along with her in order to understand the place of valor this album should take in one's CD collection.

Madonna has done it again, she knows how to move forward in her music. She takes Mirwais' French electronica even further, uses a bit of old school 80s, and manages to bring in folk music. Unbelievable. Here's my reviews of the standouts:

MUSIC: short, simple, fun dance hit, already a #1 hit, bound to be a Maddy classic. 9.5/10

IMPRESSIVE INSTANT: very weird track but wonderful club track. Her entire voice is all filtered and vocoded in the most weirdest ways imaginable. The lyrics aren't all that, but the production work is wonderful. Maybe too avant-garde to release to radio, but then again so was "Music". 9/10

RUNAWAY LOVER: okay, good club track. Somehow this reminds me of Cher's "Strong Enough". There's something kinda 70s-ish about this song. 7.5/10

I DESERVE IT: slow ballad where Madonna discusses her love for her current boyfriend. Mirwais uses little electronica and this is where the album becomes folky. 7/10

AMAZING: Maddy teams up with Orbit again on this really cool dance track. While many say it's Beautiful Stranger Pt.2, it takes the sessions of ROL and Beautiful Stranger even further. The guitar hooks and effects are great, and Madonna's lyrics are very catchy. 9/10

NOBODY'S PERFECT: Remember Cher's vocals on "Believe", well Maddy's vocals on here are 100 times more stranger. This is a sad, emotional ballad with some slower sound effects. 8.5/10

DON'T TELL ME: Wonderfully catchy song that emobides folk, electronica/techno, and even R&B. Madonna's vocals on here are good enough, very upbeat and harmonizing. Love the parts where Madonna sings without the music background. Would make a great second single. 9.5/10

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A GIRL: Lyrically this is Madonna's best track on the album. A young girl's anthem on lessons in life by a woman who's been through it all and back. The production on this is also a bit slower, but otherwise a nice track. 8/10

PARADISE (NOT FOR ME): A very long ballad where Madonna mostly whispers her lyrics, some even in French. And her voice is vocoded while singing. The lyrics are quite ambiguous, and the song is very slow and haunting. Kind of like "Mer-Girl". 7.5/10

GONE: great closer to this album. Just one guitar, and some mid-tempo production with Orbit again. Lyrically and vocally Madonna is very cold and dry, and it works wonders for her. Too bad it's so short, it leaves you wanting more. 9.5/10

I DONT UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPEND. I REALLY HATE TO COMPARE THIS ALBUM TO RAY OF LIGHT BUT IT IS REALLY HARD NOT TO. ITS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT MADONNAS FOLLOW-UP TO THAT MASTERPIECE WOULD BE SUCH A SHALLOW, EMPY, AND EMOTIONLESS ALBUM. I'M REALLY DOUBT THAT MADONNA HAD MUCH INPUT INTO THE PRODUCTION AND WRITING OF THIS ALBUM. IT DOSENT SEEM PERSONAL AT ALL. I'M SUPRISED THAT SHE HAS LET HER ART SLIP LIKE THIS. ITS REALLY A SLAP IN THE FACE OF HER REAL FANS. I REALLY EXPECTED MORE. I THINK THAT THE ALBUM WILL SELL WELL, BUT HONESTLY I DONT THINK THAT ITS VERY GOOD. I'VE GIVEN 2 STARS ONLY BECAUSE ITS A MADONNA ALBUM AND I LOVE HER PREVIOUS WORK. IF THIS ALBUM WAS FROM ANY OTHER ARTIST IT WOULD GET 1 STAR. I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED.

I'm really quite impressed with this CD. I think Madonna's recent choices (i.e. "Evita", "Ray of Light", "Music") show that's she's really growing up. I always knew she was talented, but that hypersexual stuff was starting to get old, eh?

With "Music", Madonna once again has her finger on the pulse of what people want to hear. Only she can make a CD that's essentially experimental, yet highly danceable and ready for mass consumption. The title track shows that Madonna hasn't lost her sense of humor or fun.

Many people have already dissected this CD track-for-track, so I'll spare you. But for anyone who's considering buying this CD, go ahead and try it. It's a party, and your hostess will entertain your mind, and let you exercise your "groove thing" for once. :) Viva Madonna!

I've been a Madonna fan since 1983 and I'll tell you this--I'm a fan, but I'm not a "yes-Madonna" fan. That is, I don't rate EVERYTHING that she makes 5 stars, which I find incredibly irritating when it comes to buying music. All musicians make great, good and okay albums and okay is what "Music" is all about.

First of all, if you're looking for another "Ray of Light" look again. Whereas "Ray of Light" was a great album, "Music" doesn't necessarily hold up. Toted as French-techo, this album is unique, but mostly acquired taste in my opinion. It truly sounds as if she was influenced by Cher's "Believe" album with the synthesizer-enhanced vocals and pops and squeals. It's not bad, it's just not that great.

The strongest song is pretty much "Music" which quite frankly has been played to death on the radio. The rest of the album I find that I hit skip, skip, skip looking for something good to leave on and suddenly the album is over. That isn't necessarily a good sign of a great album. "What it feels like for a Girl" isn't bad, actually is pretty good, although I prefer the suped-up techno version played with the banned video (which is being released on DVD -- more on that later.) The other one song I like is "Impressive Instant" which is because I like the dance-techno style and quite frankly get bored with Madonna's ballads because she really hasn't had one with much depth since "Take a Bow." Other than that, "Don't tell me" is okay, but the only other song worth listening to. The rest is pretty much forgettable.

The worst about this album would be the number of songs and the jacket content. She REALLY skimped on the number of songs as well as there's almost nothing on the jacket aside from diva-like posed pictures. There isn't any lyrics or even real personal messages -- just facts and of course, "Go to this website!" which bugs me. Madonna used to be about artistic expression, but I'm beginning to believe that she is now about money. Comparing to the quality of "Like a Prayer" which even had patchouli oil mixed with the glue to give the disc jacket a "church-smell" to it, this is a huge disappointment. "Like a Prayer" was a work of art--music and content-wise. "Music" is not. Basically, "keeping it simple" means getting more money out of you for a cheaper disc. Very disappointing as well as feeling taken advantage of.

So what do I recommend? Listen to it first before buying it. In fact, go download the MP3s somewhere (and don't feel that you're "cheating" her out of a profit because her whole album was on Napster for two months and ended up becoming the biggest selling debut of an album she's ever had...interesting, isn't it?) If you like what you hear, go ahead and buy it. If you like the techno version of "What it feels like for a Girl," go buy the DVD, which has the audio track on it rather than the album.

Well, well, its been over 6 years in its release, and it still gets a HIGH play count from me, the CD is so amazing and is just as good as Ray Of Light, in my opinion. Okay here is the break down:

01. Music: (9.99999/10) Great way to start of the album. I love how she says, "do you like to boogie woogie, do you like my acid rock" very clever lyrics and just great dance music. Remixes are good too! I just think that it has been played a lot but its still good!

02.) IMPRESSIVE INSTANT: (10/10) OMG THIS IS MY FAVORITE MADONNA SONG LIKE EVER, THE LYRICS ARE BRILLIANT AS WELL AS THE BEATS, SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SINGLE AND HAD A MUSIC VIDEO WITH IT, I REALLY ENJOYED THE VERSION ON TOUR BETTER, (AND HEARING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME ON TOUR, AND ON THE ALBUM MAKES YOU GO.. "WOW") AND THE REMIXES FOR THIS ONE AS WELL ARE JUST AS BRILLANT AND AMAZING, THERE ARE LIKE 10 REMIXES ON THE ONE I HAVE, AND HAS A RUNNING TIME OF 78 MINS, JUST ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT, IT NEVER EVER GETS OLD!!!! (Buy the Album for this Track, you WONT BE LET DOWN! Promise.) If Universe and Love At First Sight is your thing, this is the song for you... If you cant tell I could go on and on about this song, SO GOOD!

03.) Runaway Lover: (10/10) 3 Dance songs in a row! This is another stand out track from the CD, once you listen to it, your hooked! "uh uh no way!" should have been on the Drowned World Tour 2001 :( Oh well, Remixes are good too, espically the one by DJ Tiesto! (should have been a single)

04.) I Deserve It: (8/10) My least favorite Song on the album, its okay i like the ending of the song the beats are funky country! :)

05.) Amazing: (9.5/10) Title says it all, should have been on the Drowned World Tour 2001 :( Remixes are alright too.

06.) Nobody's Perfect: (10/10) Another one of the better songs on the album, kind of like "Sorry" but with a different and better twist, great slower song, and remixes are GREAT If you dont buy it for Impressive Instant, buy it for this one!

07.) Don't Tell Me: (9/10) I think I have heard this song too much, Good song, has that techo/country vibe again, remixes are okay too..

08.) What It Feels Like For A Girl: (9/10) Alright so I'm a guy and yea dont really like the lyrics but its still good nonetheless, and great for this album... Remixes are some of the best ones I've heard in my LIFE!

09.) Paradise (Not For Me): (10/10) Longest song on the album. My cousin got me to love this song, it does grow on you, and very different from any other song on this album; Should have been a opitional single, and no remixes either which is a bummer :( The Video on tour had a pretty awesome Chinese thing going on...

10.) Gone: (8.5/10) Good way to end the Album, however though the album starts off with a BANG, you think it would end with a BANG, but no, just a slow and easy going song. It is good, however, a nice 'fresh' sound.

TOP 10 Picks: (in order)

01.) Impressive Instant
02.) Nobody's Perfect
03.) Runaway Lover
04.) Paradise (Not For Me)
05.) Music
06.) Amazing
07.) What It Feels Like For A Girl
08.) Dont Tell Me
09.) Gone
10.) I Deserve It

Overall 9.5 out of 10 Please just get this CD you will like it and enjoy it very much, and will love it for all that it is. You wont be let down I promise, What have you got to lose but like 10 bucks... trust me!

I must admit that I was never really interested in Madonna's music, although I respected her for her marketability. But "Frozen" on her last CD did the job and I really liked it. Now MUSIC is truly an excellent CD and that's what I call artistic freedom. MUSIC shows us an artistically free Madonna, going over the top, making music for the fun of it and it works. The title song as simple as the instrumentation and the lyrics are, is captivating...wants you to put on your dancing shoes and party all night long. Usually on a CD you only find one or two songs that are good, but on MUSIC I liked 9 songs out of 10 and that means a lot. "Nobody's Perfect" and "I Deserve It" are great songs too. Don't be fooled by the cover, it ain't a Country album and it's not really Pop either, instead it's hip artsy techno with some rock elements mixed in--it sounds really good. This CD is a must-have in every CD collection. There you go, girl--nice job!

Though this album is far less intense than her previous award winning Ray of Light, it's new content and catchy rhythms make it just as fun and exciting. When I first bought it, I didn't think much of it, and I thought it lacked in musical intensity and mature material. But I've grown to love this album in all it's simple glory. Obviously with Music, Madonna has tried to make a dance album, plain and simple. And she has succeded in making something catchy and meaningful. Ditching William Orbit (major Ray of Light producer) for a less electronica sound, she's come up with more syncopated rhythms and dancable music than ever before.

Music, the title track and the dance romp everyone knows, is the opener for this album. Madonna pulls us in with her sexy and seductive words -- 'hey Mr. DJ, put a record on, I wanna dance with my baby'. Getting down to the rawness of music, Madonna makes her point loud and clear with nothing more than a simple beat and only a few instruments. A song with very high club appeal, it's strong and vibalicious.

Impressive Instant, the second track, features Madonna warped and morphed to the max. Her voice is stretched high and low, dense and thin, while accompanied by digitally enhanced sounds. What else can I say about this song? It's strange that's for sure, but dancable and catchy.

Runaway Lover, one of the few tracks on the album produced by William Orbit, has some winding instruments and more syncopated rhythms. It also features several different guitar riffs.

I Deserve It, a simple ballad, is melodic and, though not as emotional as previous hits like Frozen, has a genuine honesty that I love. The featured instrument in this song is the acoustic guitar, which is beautifully played.

Amazing, the fifth song, has an obssesiveness about it that makes you want to play it over and over. Not surprising since this song is about getting hooked on the wrong man. It's got some piano pieces in it that make it vulnurable while the beat and bass keep the song strong.

Nobody's Perfect, a beautiful song with a once again warped Madonna, is nothing short of perfection, ironically enough. It reminds me of The Power of Goodbye on her previous album. It's the strong strings and orchaestral sections in this song that really get my thumbs up.

Don't Tell Me, the guitar anthem of the year, is strange but fun. Do your own thing and have a good time and be confident. That's this song. You'll either love it or hate it. It's cut guitar and tremelo strings make it just as catchy as it is annoying. But again Madonna has succeded as successfully mixing lyrics and music to create something that sounds awesome.

What It Feels Like For A Girl, the eighth track, is a masterpiece. There's a british woman (unknown if it's Madonna or not) saying some things on stereotyping of women in the beginning, which makes this song a quick hit for women all over the world. In a way, this song reminds me of Don't Stop from Madonna's Bedtime Stories album. It must be the beat, because the lyrics certainly don't match. It also includes some intense strings.

Paradise (Not For Me) has a strange quality about it, and is mysterious. It's syncopation makes it hard to find the beat at first, and the morphed voice of her speaking is captivating. Also in this song is a verse where she speaks French. It's quite a long song, but the emotional strings and her sounding like she's nearly crying throughout make it a wonderful piece.

Gone, the last track, seems like an incomplete conclusion to this album, but it fits in some way. At the very end, we hear Madonna sing one word a cappella -- of course, 'gone'. It's kind of scary in a way, and you wonder where the rest of the song and/or album are. But this song is honest and simple, fitting the others well.

I missed William Orbit a great deal on this album, though Music has a certain kind of maturity that is very different than Ray of Light. More easily understood, it would explain it's broader appeal and more chart-topping hits. An album is good when it gets you into a mood that stays the same from beginning to end, and Music does just that.