Why the world needs a brilliant new Madonna album

[groovyguy 63,864]

http://attitude.co.uk/world-needs-brilliant-new-madonna-album/

Posted On 14 Jul 2014 17:13

By : Nick Levine

 

Why the world needs a brilliant new Madonna album

The woman who has always been above social media has been having a torrid affair with it of late. 2014 shall forever be known by this fan as the year the Material Girl embraced Instagram and treated us to everything from gratuitous boob selfies to her homage to hairy underarms. And I’ve loved it. Through her iPhone Madonna let us behind the platinum curtain – even inside her very posh Upper East Side Manhattan master bathroom to witness everything form her post work-out beads of sweat to her son David Banda on guitar.

 

Yet of most fascination has been the cheeky way she has beckoned us inside the recording studio. The Queen of Pop has been teasing the world with progress of her as-yet-untitled (unless it’s called Unapologetic Bitch â€“ and Lord don’t I hope so!) 13th studio album.

 

The list of potential collaborators is so far impressive: Sky Ferreira/Haim producer Ariel Rechtshaid, Wrecking Ball co-writer MoZella, MIA collaborator Diplo, DJ/producer Avicii, former Lady Gaga collaborator Martin Kierszenbaum, pop singer Natalia Kills, US hit-maker Toby Gad.

 

The imagery teased out recently is also exciting: Homage to Betty Page, mysterious veils and religious imagery? Check. But there’s also some cause for concern. Why? Because Madonna seems so close to getting it right. And we all know what happens when Madonna gets it slightly wrong. Two words: Hard Candy.

 

Some might argue her last studio album MDNA was a disappointment. I actually loved many moments on the album but there was a sense, right before the album dropped, that something was out of alignment.

 

It’s hard to pinpoint what was missing. The world was hungry for Madonna’s ‘A’ game. The reality is, we got glimpses of it. William Orbit suggested in retrospect that M was pulled in too many directions to really focus on making the record the brilliant return to form that songs like Gang Bang and Addicted promised it could be.

 

She had a clothing line, a world tour, a film and a perfume to promote. Music – the source of all her power – had been relegated to a mere portion of her time, a part-time job and unfortunately something had to give.

 

I assume it was the laser focus on the dance floor that lost out in the end, and the project suffered.

 

Thankfully the accompanying tour did not. We witnessed Madonna in her full prime, mercilessly slaying audiences with her bold confidence and celebrating dance at the centre of her circus. Yet when the confetti cleared there was the sense that the Madonna train had passed through town without a trace. The era, like Hard Candy, didn’t seem to permeate the zeitgeist the way Confessions on a Dancefloor had a few years before.

The problem is, Madonna is consistently brilliant. When she hits her sweet spot, it is the music equivalent of orgasm. Moments like Holiday, Into the Groove andHung Up are prime examples. Reckless abandon on the dance floor yet not throw-away gibberish. Yes, solid dance-pop tunes that you want to make out to, get drunk with or indeed form the soundtrack of a one-night stand to. But they are also songs of freedom, of escape and empowerment. Some might call them the soundtrack to coming out. At the heart of these floor-fillers are universal truths embedded in the human experience: “Only when I’m dancing can I feel this free.†“Soul is in the musical, that’s where I feel so beautiful, magical. Life’s a ball. So get up on the dance floor.â€

 

What is this love affair between gay men and Madonna? It’s distinct from our admiration for all other popstars – a very particular tryst entirely separate from the love Cher, Kylie, Mariah etc. While I can appreciate the qualities all these strong divas have in common, there’s something different about Madonna. If you grew up gay during her reign there is something of her rebelliousness invariably in your DNA. As a teen I identified with her refusal to be categorised. Neither butch nor feminine, tough nor soft. Especially in the 80’s she challenged what the definition of “beautiful†was and her resilience and determination were infectious.

 

I was 12 years old when ‘The Virgin Tour’ was released on videocassette. When other boys in my school were sneaking off to watch boobs in Porky’s or glimpses or nip slips in Conan the Barbarian, I was sat glued in front of the telly trying to learn the choreography from Dress You Up. I saw the sheer audacity in this woman who was teasing, nay, demanding the crowd beg for more. “I said DO you want to hear some more!?’ she screamed during an impossibly long pause in the middle of Holiday. And boy did I.

 

I’m a lifelong defender of American Life, a controversial choice for favourite album when it comes to Madonna fans but let me present my solitary piece of evidence: The song Nothing Fails. It’s the 2004 Like A Prayer only this time, a bit more battered, a bit weary from love and possessed of exactly the kind of depth I hope all Madonna records reach at some point in the album sequence.

As a project, yes I know it is devoid of “hit singles†– but to me it’s a songwriting master class. As an album it’s such a cohesive work of art because clearly it had her 100% undivided attention. It is this attention to detail a great Madonna album needs. It simply cannot succeed without it.

 

Projects that have missed the mark for me did so because they were missing a crucial element: Madonna. I don’t care how many superstar producers, songwriters or hot DJ’s she surrounds herself with – the horse I’m always betting on is the woman herself. When Madonna decides to show up in the studio you get unwavering brilliance. Like a Prayer and Ray of Light are prime examples. Here we have a woman who is in love with her craft and the passion is evident. The truth is, Madonna is always the most interesting element of a Madonna collaboration. Things only go awry when that delicate balance is thrown out of whack. Her collaboration with Pharrell and even BabyFace to a certain extent have always left me feeling like those producers overshadowed the Madonna quotient. Their sound permeated the records and the result was pedestrian. I know, shocking right? Madonna is never EVER supposed to be normal.

 

Madonna’s work with fresh and exciting up-and-coming talent is, for me, always most rewarding. Her work with William Orbit, a relatively obscure choice at the time, was revolutionary. Similarly her Music album with Mirwais completely reinvented her for the 21st century. By the time Madonna got into the studio with Stuart Price she seemed to be on a winning streak. Three incredibly original and yet massively successful pop records – with the edgy excellence of American Life in between.

 

I got into a bit of a “thing†on Twitter when I announced I was writing this article. I encountered a few snarky comments – from “tell her to start acting her age†to suggestions that Madonna didn’t write her biggest hits (completely fiction – she’s one of the most prolific and gifted pop writers around and strangely rarely gets this credit). I found myself defending Madonna’s right to get her kit off – even if it doesn’t do much for me, her refusal to “age gracefully†is so in keeping with her core values I can’t help but encourage it. With respect, Madonna fans are fiercely protective and the one common factor I noticed was a passion for Madonna to “get it right†whatever that means. My argument has always been that the focus has to be on songs and the discipline must come not just in the gym, but on ideas. On music.

 

All songwriters or artists get lazy – it’s HARD to be good. U2’s Bono has a great phrase about striving for excellence: “Good is the enemy of great.†And it’s true. Madonna is easily and effortlessly good. No one can deny that. But when she’s great, there is no one and I mean NO ONE alive who can touch her in pop music.

 

In this period of quiet before the storm I want to send out some cosmic rays of light to the queen. All the signs are there: the determination, the focus and the joy of being an artist. We can all debate which era, which look or which persona was strongest but there’s only one person who can deliver the goods. Help us Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone. You’re our only hope.

[Guest]

While I agree with him on many points, it does annoy me to see so many fans so fixated on what they want... their expectations, rather just enjoy the music. Of course, social media wasn't around back in the early Madonna day, so it was harder for fans to connect and over analyze, but we didn't sit around, thinking about how she should "get it right".  We just enjoyed what she gave us. If we start going by what WE "expect", is it really a Madonna album? No! I say that with any artist. Sure, she has let some artists overwhelm the direction of a few of her albums, but that's her choice. After all, RAY OF LIGHT is just as much as William Orbit's album as Madonna's. But the moment, she secures Timberlake, Timbaland and Pharrell on HARD CANDY, people say she simply handed over the reigns to them. To me, that is ridiculous. If you think about it, all her albums took on heavy influence of the main producers/collaborators.  Look at CONFESSIONS ON A DANCEFLOOR, like Orbit on RAY OF LIGHT, this is very much Start Price's sound. The fact is, Madonna wouldn't get any of the sounds she's had on her best records, if it wasn't for being heavily influenced by the producers that collaborated with her.

 

I predict people are going to be disappointed with album 13. Why? Because it seems that many fans seem to enjoy the records most which she has less producers on board. This new album seems to have a big mix of people just like MDNA and HARD CANDY has. Oh wait, some will say, but those albums included collabs with flavors of the month, etc.  That's just silly. Then why not say the same about LIKE A VIRGIN when Madonna brought in Nile Rogers (who had been working with many other artists prior to her)?

 

We're not in the studio. We don't know how much input Madonna puts in from album to album, but it's quite apparent to me, she's always in control. It's her choice to salt and pepper her albums with whomever that may give something new to her that she hasn't done before.

 

The idea that she had too many things on her plate while working on the MDNA album is bull to me.  How is that really any different than any other album? When she recorded LIKE A VIRGIN, she was being pulled in all sorts of directions. She was filming DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN. Not only that, she was determined to be successful in films at the time. The same goes for TRUE BLUE. During the conception of that album, she was getting married, in a play with her husband, and making a film with her husband. While recording LIKE A PRAYER, she was in a play and she also filmed BLOODHOUNDS OF BROADWAY. When recording Erotica, she was also wrapping up A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN as well as filming BODY OF EVIDENCE.  During the time, she was recording "Music", she engaged in a new relationship with Guy Ritchie, got pregnant, finished up promoting a film (The Next Best Thing) and planned a wedding.

 

I'm not going to say every one of her albums are stellars, but I can attest each one of them really has some awesome gems on them. In fact, I really appreciate the author of this above article, mentioned his appreciation for AMERICAN LIFE.  I agree. It was an album where she took a great risk. Isn't that what people are asking now? Do something off the cuff, different and not expected? Well, that album was just that. She also did a lot of promotion behind that album... TV ADS, interviews, performances, etc. Again, this is what fans are asking for her to do now. Oh, I know, she got too political back then!  Did she? Maybe so, but do you think it's going to change with this next album when it's supposedly tied to ART FOR FREEDOM?  Sorry to say, but that project has a political pull into it. A lot of what she's against with that campaign is how governments are in such control of people, etc.

 

Me. I'm just going to enjoy what she releases because she has yet to disappoint me. I understand we all have our favorites and we do expect a certain Madonna sound, but this idea after 30 years, that she has to prove something to us fans, is ridiculous. FACT: Madonna is still one of the biggest entertainer acts around and still gets plenty of press and attention for an act who is in their 50's. Not many entertainers her age, get the same sort of attention. And if you're going to say, 'yeah, but it's negative attention'.  Guess what? It's always been negative attention. Do you think LIKE A PRAYER didn't get a huge boost in sales and attention because of the controversy with Pepsi??  Let's back up several years earlier? Do you think the initial criticism from her own manager and other people in the music business who thought she sabotaged her career before it really got started when she performed "Like A Virgin" on the first VMA's, stopped her from being the hugest phenomenon since Elvis, The Beatles and Michael Jackson??  Much of Madonna success has been based on negative attention. There have been detractors from day one. Still, each new album she gains new fans. And while some albums may not be as successful as others, she still finds a way to still come out on top. 

 

I say either stay on board, or just get off the boat if you're still doubting she's going to bring it on the next album. At this point, it doesn't matter because she's still able to reach a hell of a lot of people with her work whether it's old fans or new found fans. Not many other 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's acts/band can say the same.

[Voguerista 12,181]

I've thought every Madonna album has been "brilliant" in some way and I have no doubt it will be the case this time. Every time she blows me away with what she creates in some way. Oh sure, there was been a few songs along the way that I don't favor, but, she has never disappointed me.  If she wants to be serious, that's fine by me, If she wants to just be playful and joyful, that is fine by me too. Just bring on "M-a-d-o-n-n-a". She is "legendary" for a reason. I just feel so blessed that she still wants to make music.... and to live in this era and time and to be part of this amazing ride. 

[Guest]

I've thought every Madonna album has been "brilliant" in some way and I have no doubt it will be the case this time. Every time she blows me away with what she creates in some way. Oh sure, there was been a few songs along the way that I don't favor, but, she has never disappointed me.  If she wants to be serious, that's fine by me, If she wants to just be playful and joyful, that is fine by me too. Just bring on "M-a-d-o-n-n-a". She is "legendary" for a reason. I just feel so blessed that she still wants to make music.... and to live in this era and time and to be part of this amazing ride. 

Exactly, she could have easily just hung it up after her first few records and lived a totally different life. Many of those new fans after RAY OF LIGHT she gained, could have never been part of this ride she constantly takes us on. It's rare for entertainers to stay as famous as she has, for 30 years. The problem is so many people loose faith in their favorite artist because they are looking for them to duplicate the previous work they enjoyed so much. Madonna has never done that. She keeps forging ahead and with each new record brings us something new. I can't wait for #13. Even if it's something that I don't like as much as her previous, I'm sure there will be something on the album and during this new era, that I will greatly enjoy. I always do.

[Voguerista 12,181]

You are right...she has never "duplicated" herself. She's always tried to do the exact opposite. There were times too when I had my doubts. For instance, I never thought she could remake American Pie and that I'd end up liking it. That was a huge lesson learned to never assume anything before any new release....single or otherwise. Hey, and I never liked Take A Bow, but, that didn't mean I feared the worse and thought she was doomed. I mean...after the release, she turns around and makes an extraordinary and beautiful video for it. Again, it seems there is always something to love about her work and why I love her so much.

 

Ya know..it's pretty amazing when you think about how Madonna has been able to re-invent herself over and over. It's helped her to stay refreshing all of these years...even in the not so popular times music wise. If anything, that to me is part of her "brilliance". Have many artists out there been able to do the same?

[groovyguy 63,864]

I've thought every Madonna album has been "brilliant" in some way and I have no doubt it will be the case this time. Every time she blows me away with what she creates in some way. Oh sure, there was been a few songs along the way that I don't favor, but, she has never disappointed me.  If she wants to be serious, that's fine by me, If she wants to just be playful and joyful, that is fine by me too. Just bring on "M-a-d-o-n-n-a". She is "legendary" for a reason. I just feel so blessed that she still wants to make music.... and to live in this era and time and to be part of this amazing ride. 

Preach it, girl!

She has never disappointed me with her albums. M13 will definitely not disappoint me. In fact, I'm super excited that the album is connected with Art for Freedom. For her to still be the most celebrated and relevant female artist after 30 years in the ever fickle music market is evidence of her brilliance and talent. 

[groovyguy 63,864]

I think it’s a great article that builds up the album expectations in a positive way. What I like most is that it’s written from the perspective of someone who obviously is a fan of her work and really knows her discography.

[Voguerista 12,181]

Thanks and you and Liam preach it too! And I love how it's connected to "Art For Freedom" as well. All of the rumors so far give me chills...in a good and powerful way. 

[madgefan 10,178]

Hope the album is almost in its last phase cause I sooo wanna listen to it

[Guest]

Thanks and you and Liam preach it too! And I love how it's connected to "Art For Freedom" as well. All of the rumors so far give me chills...in a good and powerful way. 

Like you, I'm ready for it. And I am glad she's making it part of her ART FOR FREEDOM. It tells me that there's going to a lot of meaning within the lyrics, etc. Still love her dance songs with minimal message, and I'll take them too if that's going to be part of the album too.

[Voguerista 12,181]

+1^^ You said it!!!

[Voguerista 12,181]

And if there was any question about "brilliance" with her last album, I look at this picture (that Groovy posted in the first post) and it's all I see....

 

[groovyguy 63,864]

Rebel Girl, your comments are 

 

[groovyguy 63,864]

Not only is Madonna the most important female artist of all time, she is also the most influential female artist of all time!

[Voguerista 12,181]

Aww thank you so much!!! 

[Voguerista 12,181]

Not only is Madonna the most important female artist of all time, she is also the most influential female artist of all time!

Isn't that the truth!!! So a part of her brilliance as well.