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152 of 168 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Madonna: Post-Modern Pop Freedom Fighter, April 28, 2003
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.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Signs of a good album, August 13, 2005
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.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Americanmix, April 29, 2003
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.
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