Customer Reviews

Ray of Light

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Madonna's 1998 album RAY OF LIGHT was a rebirth in many forms. It had been 4 years since we heard a real studio album from Madonna, 1994's BEDTIME STORIES, before was 1992's EROTICA, so as usual people didn't know what to expect from Madonna. She surprised us all, by returning with this album, RAY OF LIGHT, which is one of her best albums.

The album is totally electronica, working with William Orbit she created this sound, which works extremely well here. Since 1994, there had been lots of changes in Madonna. She released the ballads compilation SOMETHING TO REMEMBER in 1995, took the world by storm with her role in EVITA in 1996, and also had a child in 1996, which obviously changed her profusely. As well it appears she found religion in hinduism. All of these changes are brought to light here. She talks about the joys of motherhood on the poignantly beautiful "Little Star", she deals with the death of her mother on the hauntingly beautiful "Mer Girl", she tells it like it is on "Drowned World/Substitute For Love", about replenishing and renewal on "Swim", love and acceptance on "Nothing Really Matters", a sense of longing on "Has To Be".

Overall its a complete album start to finish, fans arent/wont be disapointed with this one. The import is worth it for the extra track "Has To Be", which was a bside, its a great track. Overall this is worth checking out, so give it a try.

This is madonna's best album to date, that's for sure.

i will not review this album track by track, but i have to say that listening to this albu is a truly amazing trip to madonna's soul, is a very personal work.

my favourite track is drowned world (substitute for love), that was a single outside the states.

the plus of this edition is the exellent song has to be.

a song that is truly a masterpiece, so beautiful, and so quite, but her voice is in her best!.

So, if you don't have this album, now you can get this edition, and i promise you that you won't regret.

And if you want more madonna, get also:

**MUSIC: really upbeat and is exellent to dancer to.

(fav songs: amazing, don't tell me, i deserve it)

**AMERICAN LIFE: a great album, no matter what people said about it. with the deep lyrics of ray of light and the exellent music from the music album

(fav songs: love profusion, mother & father, hollywood, intervention, xtatic process)

**SOMETHING TO REMEMBER: with the WONDERFUL i want youç

**REMIXED & REVISITED : great remix ep, including the rock mix of love profusion, wich is my favourite remix of the AL era

So, you can't go wrong with her, she is not only an icon, i really don't care about that, i love her music, tht's what really matters at the end

BYE!!

This has to be her best CD! I orginally checked the USA version out of a local public library here & was quite impressed. Although I don't like Madonna for the way she acts & things she says, I thoroughly enjoy many of her tunes--especially "Frozen", which is the high point of this particular collection. Because the other songs are so likeable (except for "Mer Girl", which is the low point of the CD), I just had to get this import out of curiosity over the bonus track, "Has to Be". In my opinion it was a major mistake to include "Mer Girl" on the USA version rather than "Has to Be". If you like "Frozen", you'll definitely enjoy "Has to Be", so order this CD today! It's terrific!

Wow for me a big Elctronic fan i just wanna say that it is a great cd . The deep Ambient sound and the beautiful voice of madona make this cd a great Tribue to Elctronic Pop Music its sound Like Depeche-Mode with the Specially vibe of William Orbit

This has to be the BEST CD I've ever bought in my entire life! Not only has Madonna shown the world what she's made up of, but she has allowed herself to be transformed and subsequently, produce such emotional, yet distinctive style only she herslef can pull off! Definately the best album of the year! Buy it!

Can Madonna top herself? Seems so on this one. Maybe we should had seen what was coming from the hint of electronic on Bedtime Story. This CD becomes the soul of Madonna. Excellent work. The bonus track is well worth the extra money. Turns out, it is one of the best tracks on the whole CD.

Wow for me a big Elctronic fan i just wanna say that it is a great cd . The deep Ambient sound and the beautiful voice of madona make this cd a great Tribue to Elctronic Pop Music its sound Like Depeche-Mode with the Specially vibe of William Orbit

I know what you're thinking, that Madonna is forty years old, and shouldn't try to make a comeback, you might even wonder if she ever was appealing to anyone at all. Believe me, this is the best C.D. I have ever owned, I listen to it at least once a day!!! The mixing and layering of William Orbit, and Patrick Leonard add new rhythms and sounds to the catchy tunes, this is one of those all hit C.D's that doesn't just have one good track. Theses songs are not a waste of money, at all, it's worth ever penny. If you do get it trust me you'll be listening to it for hours and singing along to it too. I cannot explain the feeling that you get while listening to it, it is an experience you do not want to miss.

What can you really say about Madonna...typically, either you like her or you hate her and there seems to be no middle ground. Up until Ray of Light, I never liked Madonna or any of her songs but this album truly was a revelation when I heard "Power of Goodbye" and decided to buy the album. "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" opens the album up with lots of introspection and a good slow beat. "Swim" is a song that lyrically tells the world to end all its problems, and for each of us to let go of our burdens and not let them bury us. "Ray of Light" is one of the worst songs on the album but it's not as bad as some of her songs (thinking of "Tell Me" and "Music"). "Candy Perfume Girl" reminds me of the much more sensual Madonna many are used to but the electronic beat puts an interesting groove to this song...wonderful song. "Skin" follows beautifully, still with provocative and inviting lyrics but also the electronice edge that actually gets harder and faster. "Nothing Really Matters" is a strange video I'm not crazy about but the song is actually really good and a fun dance track, fitting in perfectly with the previous tracks. "Sky Fits Heaven" is an okay track but sort of mediocre on this album and "Shanti/Ashtangi" following it makes these tracks what I like to call "the new found beliefs" and honestly, I don't think these are strong tracks at all and seem out of place. "Frozen"...the second best track on the album...this is an AMAZING song here, something we have never heard of with the dark and rushing sounds throughout it, not to mention absolutely piercing lyrics (and the video is a work of art!). "Power of Goodbye"...the best song on the album still...this song lyrically is so strong even though it's pretty simple and allows for the building passion and constant psychological tearing of leaving someone you love (another beautiful video!). "To Have and Not to Hold" is an okay track but after following two powerhouse songs that have a unique beat, this song seems to aburptly stop the album completely...placement would have been better at the very end of the album. "Little Star" just gets on my nerves and it's one of my least favs. "Mer Girl" is lyrically a good song but again would be better probably as the third song or fourth song on the album. "Has to Be" ends of this import version and lyrically is sort of simple but it's not a bad song either. Overall, this album is probably the best Madonna has ever produced, lyrically and artistically, and hopefully if and when she makes a new album, she'll return to a deeper form of music that is found on this awesome album.

This is bay far my favorite Madonna album. The partnership of Madonna and William Orbit produced a unique sound that dominated the sound of popular music at the end of the 90's.
The extra track, "Has To Be," on the Japanese album is good, but probably not worth paying more than double the price of the US release for just one track. However, it is worth searching for a reasonably priced used copy.