Madame X (and other albums) could have been better...

[Justice 326]

If they only had more contrast. I realized that is what made most of Madonna's albums great. She always made sure to have accessible songs next to more experimental and moody stuff.

Of course, I am not talking about her debut, LAV, and TB. And COADF was an exception. 

Take Music for an example. If it was full of songs like Nobody's Perfect and Paradise, it wouldn't have been the same great album. It would have been very moody and not that enjoyable, like Madame X. 

But if you add Music and other more accessible stuff, then you are being able to bop to its catchy songs and appreciate edgy songs. That is the formula that Madonna should use.

 

HC, RH and MDNA should have had more experimental stuff. Simple as that.

And Madame X could have been such a modern classic. I was thinking about her Latino songs and thought it would have been cool to have an album with such songs, then I was like "Oh, wait, she did Latino inspired album which is Madame X". If only she added more friendly and melancholic pop stuff like Who's That Girl, Madame X could have been different.

If you can't imagine it, then just place her old classics next to Madame X songs and pretend they are new songs. Suddenly, everything on it pops. It makes such a difference.

 

1. Medellin
2. Who's That Girl
3. La Isla Bonita
4. Dark Ballet
5. Killers Who Are Partying
6. Crave
7. Crazy
8. God Control
9. Deeper and Deeper
10. I Don't Search I Find (with disco and Latino elements)
11. Extreme Occident
12. You'll See
13. Batuka
14. Future
15. I Rise

 

P.S. Yes, I am aware that Madame X had some friendly songs and that other albums had some moody stuff, but they needed more of that to achieve a perfect balance. 

[Frankito 185]

Madame X is a masterpiece and I find it very enjoyable just the way it is.  

[Aiwa08 16,190]

1 hour ago, Justice said:

HC, RH and MDNA should have had more experimental stuff. Simple as that.

 

That is your opinion and only your opinion. MDNA and Hard Candy are amazing. Not her best albums but they are really good. She has worse albums (in my opinion) but I don't wanna start the same debate again.

[Drownedboy 1,657]

I think the mistake is doing it so urban and not very centered on melodies. She was always was amazing with great musician like Pat Leonard, with strong music, not just lyrics or attitude. She is a great vocalist and performer, she need strong music to sing. 

[Andreo 5,305]

I always say MX would have been perfect with no aututone, Ciao Bella as the final track and a few more Fado inspired songs (maybe replacing that snooze fest of I Rise). Fantastic but needed more cohesiveness on that side and to be more easy listening imo. 

[Shoful 8,549]

Madame X is an amazing album. Would it have been a “better album” if it was trimmed a bit? Probably. But I enjoy hearing more songs than short for the sake of it being more critically acclaimed. Hard Candy and Rebel Heart are decent tho i think they both could’ve benefited greatly from more refined work on it and perfecting the existing songs. There’s literally a 6 min song of her just say “Sex with you is Incredible!” Like really? I think MDNA is easily her weakest album and she even admitted to it being her most hands off. She would’ve smashed with an EDM sound if the songs were better. Besides a select few songs the album should’ve just been trashed. Madame X is a return to form after the trend pandering of 2008-2018 songs though I think a couple of the safer songs could’ve been left behind

[Pootz333 2,684]

I've realized over the years since Madame X was released and the remixes that followed, my main problem with connecting to that record is the production. And thats coming from someone who loves what Mirwais did on Music and American Life. 

But Madame X had very little replay value for me. Until the remixes came. Some of the best unofficial remixes of her career. Monsieur Adi, Luin, Dens 54, Marco Sartori, Dubtronic etc.

And some fantastic official mixes from Chris Cox, Kue, and Offer Nissim, whose work is usually a miss for me but I have had his mix of "God Control" on replay. A shame that didn't get more official mixes and a release.

I agree about what you say particularly about Music. Even though I love it, that album would have been received very different without "Music", "Impressive Instant", and "Don't Tell Me". I always wish they leaned into that wacky dance sound more and left the more acoustic sound for AL. But different strokes for different folks.

[A. A. Aardvark 4,832]

"And some fantastic official mixes from..."

In the past she was making the album with those sorta guys.

[lap 1,495]

I love American Life album, one of my favorites. On the other hand, Madame X is my least favorite album. I can't connect with any of the songs and I don't listen it for years. 

[Donna 16,129]

I'm sure Madonna reflects back on her work and sees where improvement can be made, but at the time of recording and assembling her albums, she has an artistic direction that may or may not be understandable to some.  Maybe it's a personal reason or something specific she was going for at the time.  It's easy to critique after hearing the demos or unreleased material in why she chose to include certain songs over others. It's usually subjective and I don't really think there is a right or wrong.  What's important is if it is direction or theme the artist who creating the album, is going for.  IMO, each one of her albums are different from one another. There isn't one album I completely dislike.  Still, I favor certain albums over others.  The interesting thing for me regarding Madonna's catalog of music, there is at least a song or two, that even a non-fan likes of hers.  I imagine there are people who just can't stand her, but I'm sure if they fairly listen to all her work, they would find something they actually like. 

[Prayer 14,282]

Her albums are also a reflection of the time they were released and the phase or state of mind she was in her career.

Warner seemed to do a great job helping her to edit her albums and getting out short strong albums with no more than 13 songs.

With her new found freedom in 2011 and Deluxe editions with a lot of extra tracks being so popular back then, she decided to not edit herself that much and include more songs. For the fans that was amazing at the time, it was very exciting to have so many new songs on "MDNA" after years of 13-tracks maximum albums. Of course with "Rebel Heart" this was even bigger.

After putting her heart and soul in the "Rebel Heart" album and promo with no massive success, "Madame X" is where she decided to please herself instead of everyone else and made an album of all the things she liked then, from Maluma to Quavo to fado to bakuka and disco. I know some fans don't like that album but it's 100% her, no limits.

Now we're back to shorter albums with 14-15 tracks maximum, so a new album would fit that angle again probably - "Madame X" kinda did if we don't count the 3 Super Deluxe bonus tracks.

[Markdonna 692]

8 hours ago, Frankito said:

Madame X is a masterpiece and I find it very enjoyable just the way it is.  

Yeah, I actually also thought Madame X was pretty fantastic.  It was bold and many simply just didn’t get it.  The videos were also pretty damn epic.  And I loved all the looks and the Persona concept really seemed very full circle.  Fun tour, too. 

[Blue Jean 15,131]

I liked Madame X. Not every album can be a Ray of Light or Confessions.

[Alfalfa_HampusFL 1,138]

IMHO Madame X is her worst album. Very few songs I really enjoy.

[jesus 346]

To me, Madame X is very close to being a masterpiece (with a few moments where she made some decisions that hurt it slightly)

I think it is a polarizing album for fans because it is more of a sonic experience than a traditional music album.

I see it as a merge of music and sound design, a piece where Madonna's voice is a part of it as instrument and narrator, more than as a singer (though there are plenty of beautiful singing moments in it).

 In that sense, it could be seen somehow like what Bjork is doing nowadays: creating a sonic world where the voice merges and lives in, becoming part of it as an instrument that delivers also meaning and imagery through words.

Some clunky choices in the selection of the tracks take you out of the trip she proposes. She seems to have the tour too much in mind when she makes her latest albums, and therefore the album suffers for it.

The production's style of some tracks (i rise and looking for mercy come to mind now) if slightly reworked to fit the portuguese music style theme of the album would have made more sense as closers. Mirwais should have produced them of at least re mix them somehow in the end.

As they are, they dilute the illusion created and go purely in the realm of the lyrical content. That is why I think some of you would prefer Ciao Bella as a closer: it belongs to the journey she took us to. 

All that said, the album is glorious. Beautiful production, surprising, fresh and not "of the moment" (there is longevity in it).

I love it and I hope she keeps sonically exploring in whichever genre she chooses to dive into (whenever she is inspired for a new album)

 

Edited January 2, 2023 by jesus (see edit history)

[dude78 76]

Interesting topic:

i actually would exclude some songs to make the records appear/sound more serious

MX: Meddellin, Faz Gostoso, Bitch im Loca

RH:  Bitch im M, Unapologetic, Veni vidi vici, Autotune, Graffiti Heart. Sex, Holy Water (i love the baseline but the songs are to childish...or to Gwen Stefani like), Borrowed time, B. Scars (uninspired)

MDNA: L.U.V, B Day,  (songs for chlidren)

[Roland Barthes 5,825]

I would have loved a whole album of Nobody's Perfect and Paradise type songs. 

[PlayPause 2,675]

Oh, what a nice way to start the year by reading your repressed frustrations.

[Musica 192]

10 hours ago, PlayPause said:

Oh, what a nice way to start the year by reading your repressed frustrations.

And yet you replied to it. 

[Musica 192]

Simply put: Madonna hasn't released a decent album since American Life.

Madame X is a complete mess of an album. It required no talent or effort to do it and that's exactly what she did with it: Nothing.

[Markdonna 692]

Yeah, I think that most people who didn’t appreciate Madame X are simply to vapid to appreciate it.  There.  I said it.  And I stand by it.