Esteban

When all the demos first leaked and the idea of a double album was first suggested, I was all excited and 100% behind the idea of an album of two halves...CD1- Rebel (edgy, sexual, confrontational), CD2- Heart (heartfelt, confessional, traditional). But having lived with the official album for a few weeks and sitting through a mixed bag of emotions, I think they were correct to keep the album as a rollercoaster of emotions, themes and show the conflicting sides of Madonna...she is, after all, a complex mix of ping-ponging between emotions and her many sides exposed/hidden within a single heartbeat- vulnerability, strength, sadness, joy, provocative, solitary etc. Also, I think many of us would listen more to one CD more than the other...I would, if I'm honest, have played "Heart" more than "Rebel" and so Rebel would become tired very quickly...all one theme, but this way (and I always play an album in its intended sequence and never shuffle/skip) I have been exposed and begin to enjoy tracks like Unapologetic Bitch, Iconic, Holy Water, S.E.X. and Illuminati because they are surrounded by my favourite Heart tracks...which makes me begin to listen and grow to love those more Rebel tracks. So, for me, the erratic tracklisting works and makes me enjoy EVERY track instead of favoring a certain side.

When all the demos first leaked and the idea of a double album was first suggested, I was all excited and 100% behind the idea of an album of two halves...CD1- Rebel (edgy, sexual, confrontational), CD2- Heart (heartfelt, confessional, traditional). But having lived with the official album for a few weeks and sitting through a mixed bag of emotions, I think they were correct to keep the album as a rollercoaster of emotions, themes and show the conflicting sides of Madonna...she is, after all, a complex mix of ping-ponging between emotions and her many sides exposed/hidden within a single heartbeat- vulnerability, strength, sadness, joy, provocative, solitary etc. Also, I think many of us would listen more to one CD more than the other...I would, if I'm honest, have played "Heart" more than "Rebel" and so Rebel would become tired very quickly...all one theme, but this way (and I always play an album in its intended sequence and never shuffle/skip) I have been exposed and begin to enjoy tracks like Unapologetic Bitch, Iconic, Holy Water, S.E.X. and Illuminati because they are surrounded by my favourite Heart tracks...which makes me begin to listen and grow to love those more Rebel tracks. So, for me, the erratic tracklisting works and makes me enjoy EVERY track instead of favoring a certain side.

'Rebel Heart' review: Madonna's latest is intensely personal
New York Daily News (Jim Farber)
 
 
Imagine a world where Madonna hates being photographed, where she considers quitting her career and admits to suffering haunting demands that she “act like the other girls.â€
It’s the same world where pigs fly and figure skaters crowd the deepest recesses of hell.
Yet, somehow, that’s the world occupying significant parts of Madonna’s revelatory new album, “Rebel Heart.â€
More credibly than any previous work, Madonna’s latest pulls back the curtain on her life, letting us see her hurt and yearning.
It also finds her licking her wounds over a breakup with a far less powerful boy toy — presumably the decades-her-junior dancer Brahim Zaibat, who she saw for three years, ending in 2013.
Maddy has said that she chose the album’s title to express two sides of her character: the defiant warrior and the aching lover.
While a decent portion of harder, bitchier odes do turn up, the album as a whole presents the softest, most sincere portrait of the star we’ve ever had. In the process, “Rebel Heart†coheres, offering a swift rebuke to whoever prematurely dribbled out its tracks in a dizzying variety of leaks.
 
Along the way, the long, 19-song album offers its share of groaners, missteps and songs more indebted to trendy production than solid craft. But its best moments boast some of the most finely structured pop melodies of Madonna’s 32-year career.
The slam-dunk opener, “Living for Love,†stands with her great gospel-soul songs of the past: “Like a Prayer†and “Express Yourself.†Of the ballads, “Ghosttown†rates with her best: “Live to Tell†and “Crazy for You.â€
The way the producers recorded Madonna both bolsters the melodies and lends her depth. They’ve honeyed her voice: Madonna hasn’t sounded this rich since the sumptuous “Evita†soundtrack. In “Ghosttown,†her deep tone has some of the autumnal ache of Karen Carpenter.
All this isn’t to say Madonna doesn’t chirp, sneer and bray in places. In “Holy Water,†she’s in late-period Joan Crawford mode, putting down all comers with an unseemly pride. Then, in “Bitch I’m Madonna,†she nicks a slogan from someone far beneath her, referencing Ms. Spears’ old “It’s Britney, Bitch†line.
Madonna’s harder side finds a focus in “Unapologetic Bitch,†where she plays a spurned sugar mama. She revels in banishing an entitled young stud back to his impoverished past, a mirror, most likely, of the breakup with Zaibat.
 
The same scenario reels through two other songs: “HeartBreakCity†and “Living for Love,†though in the latter, the loss becomes a spur to celebrate a love that may yet come.
The music in “Living for Love†implicitly references the past, but in other passages Madonna invokes it directly. The lyrics to “Veni Vidi Vici†offer a virtual career retrospective. The title track brings an even broader life assessment — looking back at her attempts to fit in as a youth, as well as her years of acting out with provocative gestures for their own sake. Never before has Madonna copped to the latter motivation in a song. In the end, she accepts the consequences, and embraces the bravery, of her character fully enough to create her own answer to “My Way.â€
The beauty of the song’s melody helps ease its self-involvement. As a lyricist, Madonna has always had trouble making her personal songs universal.
On the other hand, her persona has such cultural resonance at this point, it has become part of all pop fans. Her name is a metaphor for strength and endurance. That makes her potent enough to admit where she’s weak in “Joan Of Arc.†Here, she says that each critique drives her to private tears. In “Wash All Over Me,†she ponders either running from, or accepting the end of, her career.
It’s hard to imagine Madonna expressing things like this before, let alone making them ring true. That’s “Rebel Heart’s†peak feature: It presents a 56-year-old woman who, in the best possible sense, sounds her age.

'Rebel Heart' review: Madonna's latest is intensely personal
New York Daily News (Jim Farber)
 
 
Imagine a world where Madonna hates being photographed, where she considers quitting her career and admits to suffering haunting demands that she “act like the other girls.â€
It’s the same world where pigs fly and figure skaters crowd the deepest recesses of hell.
Yet, somehow, that’s the world occupying significant parts of Madonna’s revelatory new album, “Rebel Heart.â€
More credibly than any previous work, Madonna’s latest pulls back the curtain on her life, letting us see her hurt and yearning.
It also finds her licking her wounds over a breakup with a far less powerful boy toy — presumably the decades-her-junior dancer Brahim Zaibat, who she saw for three years, ending in 2013.
Maddy has said that she chose the album’s title to express two sides of her character: the defiant warrior and the aching lover.
While a decent portion of harder, bitchier odes do turn up, the album as a whole presents the softest, most sincere portrait of the star we’ve ever had. In the process, “Rebel Heart†coheres, offering a swift rebuke to whoever prematurely dribbled out its tracks in a dizzying variety of leaks.
 
Along the way, the long, 19-song album offers its share of groaners, missteps and songs more indebted to trendy production than solid craft. But its best moments boast some of the most finely structured pop melodies of Madonna’s 32-year career.
The slam-dunk opener, “Living for Love,†stands with her great gospel-soul songs of the past: “Like a Prayer†and “Express Yourself.†Of the ballads, “Ghosttown†rates with her best: “Live to Tell†and “Crazy for You.â€
The way the producers recorded Madonna both bolsters the melodies and lends her depth. They’ve honeyed her voice: Madonna hasn’t sounded this rich since the sumptuous “Evita†soundtrack. In “Ghosttown,†her deep tone has some of the autumnal ache of Karen Carpenter.
All this isn’t to say Madonna doesn’t chirp, sneer and bray in places. In “Holy Water,†she’s in late-period Joan Crawford mode, putting down all comers with an unseemly pride. Then, in “Bitch I’m Madonna,†she nicks a slogan from someone far beneath her, referencing Ms. Spears’ old “It’s Britney, Bitch†line.
Madonna’s harder side finds a focus in “Unapologetic Bitch,†where she plays a spurned sugar mama. She revels in banishing an entitled young stud back to his impoverished past, a mirror, most likely, of the breakup with Zaibat.
 
The same scenario reels through two other songs: “HeartBreakCity†and “Living for Love,†though in the latter, the loss becomes a spur to celebrate a love that may yet come.
The music in “Living for Love†implicitly references the past, but in other passages Madonna invokes it directly. The lyrics to “Veni Vidi Vici†offer a virtual career retrospective. The title track brings an even broader life assessment — looking back at her attempts to fit in as a youth, as well as her years of acting out with provocative gestures for their own sake. Never before has Madonna copped to the latter motivation in a song. In the end, she accepts the consequences, and embraces the bravery, of her character fully enough to create her own answer to “My Way.â€
The beauty of the song’s melody helps ease its self-involvement. As a lyricist, Madonna has always had trouble making her personal songs universal.
On the other hand, her persona has such cultural resonance at this point, it has become part of all pop fans. Her name is a metaphor for strength and endurance. That makes her potent enough to admit where she’s weak in “Joan Of Arc.†Here, she says that each critique drives her to private tears. In “Wash All Over Me,†she ponders either running from, or accepting the end of, her career.
It’s hard to imagine Madonna expressing things like this before, let alone making them ring true. That’s “Rebel Heart’s†peak feature: It presents a 56-year-old woman who, in the best possible sense, sounds her age.

From the Daily Mirror, UK:
 
Madonna has revealed how she has whiplash after her Brits fall and described her own performance as "a nightmare".
Appearing on the Jonathan Ross Show, Madonna said: "I'm a creature of habit I rehearse everything, everything, everything.
"I was thrown a wrench at the beginning of the performance. I was told to tie my cape and start much further back and I had to walk further and everyone was worried my cape was slide off so they tied it really tight around my neck.
 
"So here I am marching in like the queen, I got to the top of the stairs and I pulled the silky string and it wouldn't come undone. "My two lovely Japanese dancers they basically strangled me off the stage. I had two choices, I could either be strangled or fall, and
chose to fall."
Wossy then tried to show a clip of the incident at the Brits, but Madonna said: "I don't want to see it, don't make me watch."She added: "It was a nightmare, I like to be amazing, I rehearse and rehearse so when I do a show it is effortless and I create magic. I did the opposite, I actually created a horror show for everyone."
Wossy then asked if it was a stunt and she shook her head.
 
She added: "I'm never writing lyrics like that again the universe was trying to teach me a lesson.
"I didn't hurt my butt but I hurt my head.
"I know how to fall, I have fallen off my horse many times.
"I had little bit of whiplash, I smacked the back of my head. And I had a man standing over me with a flashlight until about 3am to makesure I was compos mentis.
"I am always nervous of live TV, when you singing you can't make any mistakes, the worst thing is you fall down stairs.
"I like to make my shows dangerous but then there is danger."
 
Asked about the cape, she added: "No more capes, cape fear is over."

From the Daily Mirror, UK:
 
Madonna has revealed how she has whiplash after her Brits fall and described her own performance as "a nightmare".
Appearing on the Jonathan Ross Show, Madonna said: "I'm a creature of habit I rehearse everything, everything, everything.
"I was thrown a wrench at the beginning of the performance. I was told to tie my cape and start much further back and I had to walk further and everyone was worried my cape was slide off so they tied it really tight around my neck.
 
"So here I am marching in like the queen, I got to the top of the stairs and I pulled the silky string and it wouldn't come undone. "My two lovely Japanese dancers they basically strangled me off the stage. I had two choices, I could either be strangled or fall, and
chose to fall."
Wossy then tried to show a clip of the incident at the Brits, but Madonna said: "I don't want to see it, don't make me watch."She added: "It was a nightmare, I like to be amazing, I rehearse and rehearse so when I do a show it is effortless and I create magic. I did the opposite, I actually created a horror show for everyone."
Wossy then asked if it was a stunt and she shook her head.
 
She added: "I'm never writing lyrics like that again the universe was trying to teach me a lesson.
"I didn't hurt my butt but I hurt my head.
"I know how to fall, I have fallen off my horse many times.
"I had little bit of whiplash, I smacked the back of my head. And I had a man standing over me with a flashlight until about 3am to makesure I was compos mentis.
"I am always nervous of live TV, when you singing you can't make any mistakes, the worst thing is you fall down stairs.
"I like to make my shows dangerous but then there is danger."
 
Asked about the cape, she added: "No more capes, cape fear is over."

From the Daily Mirror, UK:
 
Madonna has revealed how she has whiplash after her Brits fall and described her own performance as "a nightmare".
Appearing on the Jonathan Ross Show, Madonna said: "I'm a creature of habit I rehearse everything, everything, everything.
"I was thrown a wrench at the beginning of the performance. I was told to tie my cape and start much further back and I had to walk further and everyone was worried my cape was slide off so they tied it really tight around my neck.
 
"So here I am marching in like the queen, I got to the top of the stairs and I pulled the silky string and it wouldn't come undone. "My two lovely Japanese dancers they basically strangled me off the stage. I had two choices, I could either be strangled or fall, and
chose to fall."
Wossy then tried to show a clip of the incident at the Brits, but Madonna said: "I don't want to see it, don't make me watch."She added: "It was a nightmare, I like to be amazing, I rehearse and rehearse so when I do a show it is effortless and I create magic. I did the opposite, I actually created a horror show for everyone."
Wossy then asked if it was a stunt and she shook her head.
 
She added: "I'm never writing lyrics like that again the universe was trying to teach me a lesson.
"I didn't hurt my butt but I hurt my head.
"I know how to fall, I have fallen off my horse many times.
"I had little bit of whiplash, I smacked the back of my head. And I had a man standing over me with a flashlight until about 3am to makesure I was compos mentis.
"I am always nervous of live TV, when you singing you can't make any mistakes, the worst thing is you fall down stairs.
"I like to make my shows dangerous but then there is danger."
 
Asked about the cape, she added: "No more capes, cape fear is over."

From the Daily Mirror, UK:
 
Madonna has revealed how she has whiplash after her Brits fall and described her own performance as "a nightmare".
Appearing on the Jonathan Ross Show, Madonna said: "I'm a creature of habit I rehearse everything, everything, everything.
"I was thrown a wrench at the beginning of the performance. I was told to tie my cape and start much further back and I had to walk further and everyone was worried my cape was slide off so they tied it really tight around my neck.
 
"So here I am marching in like the queen, I got to the top of the stairs and I pulled the silky string and it wouldn't come undone. "My two lovely Japanese dancers they basically strangled me off the stage. I had two choices, I could either be strangled or fall, and
chose to fall."
Wossy then tried to show a clip of the incident at the Brits, but Madonna said: "I don't want to see it, don't make me watch."She added: "It was a nightmare, I like to be amazing, I rehearse and rehearse so when I do a show it is effortless and I create magic. I did the opposite, I actually created a horror show for everyone."
Wossy then asked if it was a stunt and she shook her head.
 
She added: "I'm never writing lyrics like that again the universe was trying to teach me a lesson.
"I didn't hurt my butt but I hurt my head.
"I know how to fall, I have fallen off my horse many times.
"I had little bit of whiplash, I smacked the back of my head. And I had a man standing over me with a flashlight until about 3am to makesure I was compos mentis.
"I am always nervous of live TV, when you singing you can't make any mistakes, the worst thing is you fall down stairs.
"I like to make my shows dangerous but then there is danger."
 
Asked about the cape, she added: "No more capes, cape fear is over."

From the Daily Mirror, UK:
 
Madonna has revealed how she has whiplash after her Brits fall and described her own performance as "a nightmare".
Appearing on the Jonathan Ross Show, Madonna said: "I'm a creature of habit I rehearse everything, everything, everything.
"I was thrown a wrench at the beginning of the performance. I was told to tie my cape and start much further back and I had to walk further and everyone was worried my cape was slide off so they tied it really tight around my neck.
 
"So here I am marching in like the queen, I got to the top of the stairs and I pulled the silky string and it wouldn't come undone. "My two lovely Japanese dancers they basically strangled me off the stage. I had two choices, I could either be strangled or fall, and
chose to fall."
Wossy then tried to show a clip of the incident at the Brits, but Madonna said: "I don't want to see it, don't make me watch."She added: "It was a nightmare, I like to be amazing, I rehearse and rehearse so when I do a show it is effortless and I create magic. I did the opposite, I actually created a horror show for everyone."
Wossy then asked if it was a stunt and she shook her head.
 
She added: "I'm never writing lyrics like that again the universe was trying to teach me a lesson.
"I didn't hurt my butt but I hurt my head.
"I know how to fall, I have fallen off my horse many times.
"I had little bit of whiplash, I smacked the back of my head. And I had a man standing over me with a flashlight until about 3am to makesure I was compos mentis.
"I am always nervous of live TV, when you singing you can't make any mistakes, the worst thing is you fall down stairs.
"I like to make my shows dangerous but then there is danger."
 
Asked about the cape, she added: "No more capes, cape fear is over."

From the Daily Mirror, UK:
 
Madonna has revealed how she has whiplash after her Brits fall and described her own performance as "a nightmare".
Appearing on the Jonathan Ross Show, Madonna said: "I'm a creature of habit I rehearse everything, everything, everything.
"I was thrown a wrench at the beginning of the performance. I was told to tie my cape and start much further back and I had to walk further and everyone was worried my cape was slide off so they tied it really tight around my neck.
 
"So here I am marching in like the queen, I got to the top of the stairs and I pulled the silky string and it wouldn't come undone. "My two lovely Japanese dancers they basically strangled me off the stage. I had two choices, I could either be strangled or fall, and
chose to fall."
Wossy then tried to show a clip of the incident at the Brits, but Madonna said: "I don't want to see it, don't make me watch."She added: "It was a nightmare, I like to be amazing, I rehearse and rehearse so when I do a show it is effortless and I create magic. I did the opposite, I actually created a horror show for everyone."
Wossy then asked if it was a stunt and she shook her head.
 
She added: "I'm never writing lyrics like that again the universe was trying to teach me a lesson.
"I didn't hurt my butt but I hurt my head.
"I know how to fall, I have fallen off my horse many times.
"I had little bit of whiplash, I smacked the back of my head. And I had a man standing over me with a flashlight until about 3am to makesure I was compos mentis.
"I am always nervous of live TV, when you singing you can't make any mistakes, the worst thing is you fall down stairs.
"I like to make my shows dangerous but then there is danger."
 
Asked about the cape, she added: "No more capes, cape fear is over."

From the Daily Mirror, UK:
 
Madonna has revealed how she has whiplash after her Brits fall and described her own performance as "a nightmare".
Appearing on the Jonathan Ross Show, Madonna said: "I'm a creature of habit I rehearse everything, everything, everything.
"I was thrown a wrench at the beginning of the performance. I was told to tie my cape and start much further back and I had to walk further and everyone was worried my cape was slide off so they tied it really tight around my neck.
 
"So here I am marching in like the queen, I got to the top of the stairs and I pulled the silky string and it wouldn't come undone. "My two lovely Japanese dancers they basically strangled me off the stage. I had two choices, I could either be strangled or fall, and
chose to fall."
Wossy then tried to show a clip of the incident at the Brits, but Madonna said: "I don't want to see it, don't make me watch."She added: "It was a nightmare, I like to be amazing, I rehearse and rehearse so when I do a show it is effortless and I create magic. I did the opposite, I actually created a horror show for everyone."
Wossy then asked if it was a stunt and she shook her head.
 
She added: "I'm never writing lyrics like that again the universe was trying to teach me a lesson.
"I didn't hurt my butt but I hurt my head.
"I know how to fall, I have fallen off my horse many times.
"I had little bit of whiplash, I smacked the back of my head. And I had a man standing over me with a flashlight until about 3am to makesure I was compos mentis.
"I am always nervous of live TV, when you singing you can't make any mistakes, the worst thing is you fall down stairs.
"I like to make my shows dangerous but then there is danger."
 
Asked about the cape, she added: "No more capes, cape fear is over."

From the Daily Mirror, UK:
 
Madonna has revealed how she has whiplash after her Brits fall and described her own performance as "a nightmare".
Appearing on the Jonathan Ross Show, Madonna said: "I'm a creature of habit I rehearse everything, everything, everything.
"I was thrown a wrench at the beginning of the performance. I was told to tie my cape and start much further back and I had to walk further and everyone was worried my cape was slide off so they tied it really tight around my neck.
 
"So here I am marching in like the queen, I got to the top of the stairs and I pulled the silky string and it wouldn't come undone. "My two lovely Japanese dancers they basically strangled me off the stage. I had two choices, I could either be strangled or fall, and
chose to fall."
Wossy then tried to show a clip of the incident at the Brits, but Madonna said: "I don't want to see it, don't make me watch."She added: "It was a nightmare, I like to be amazing, I rehearse and rehearse so when I do a show it is effortless and I create magic. I did the opposite, I actually created a horror show for everyone."
Wossy then asked if it was a stunt and she shook her head.
 
She added: "I'm never writing lyrics like that again the universe was trying to teach me a lesson.
"I didn't hurt my butt but I hurt my head.
"I know how to fall, I have fallen off my horse many times.
"I had little bit of whiplash, I smacked the back of my head. And I had a man standing over me with a flashlight until about 3am to makesure I was compos mentis.
"I am always nervous of live TV, when you singing you can't make any mistakes, the worst thing is you fall down stairs.
"I like to make my shows dangerous but then there is danger."
 
Asked about the cape, she added: "No more capes, cape fear is over."

Many 20 something male footballers fake fall onto soft grass, roll around in 'agony' and get carried off on a stretcher. 56 year old female singer gets unexpectedly dragged backwards down hard stairs- gets back up and performs an amazing song and dance routine. Remember this next time someone tries to give you the ageist/sexism bullcrap ;)

Many 20 something male footballers fake fall onto soft grass, roll around in 'agony' and get carried off on a stretcher. 56 year old female singer gets unexpectedly dragged backwards down hard stairs- gets back up and performs an amazing song and dance routine. Remember this next time someone tries to give you the ageist/sexism bullcrap ;)

Many 20 something male footballers fake fall onto soft grass, roll around in 'agony' and get carried off on a stretcher. 56 year old female singer gets unexpectedly dragged backwards down hard stairs- gets back up and performs an amazing song and dance routine. Remember this next time someone tries to give you the ageist/sexism bullcrap ;)

Many 20 something male footballers fake fall onto soft grass, roll around in 'agony' and get carried off on a stretcher. 56 year old female singer gets unexpectedly dragged backwards down hard stairs- gets back up and performs an amazing song and dance routine. Remember this next time someone tries to give you the ageist/sexism bullcrap ;)

Many 20 something male footballers fake fall onto soft grass, roll around in 'agony' and get carried off on a stretcher. 56 year old female singer gets unexpectedly dragged backwards down hard stairs- gets back up and performs an amazing song and dance routine. Remember this next time someone tries to give you the ageist/sexism bullcrap ;)

Many 20 something male footballers fake fall onto soft grass, roll around in 'agony' and get carried off on a stretcher. 56 year old female singer gets unexpectedly dragged backwards down hard stairs- gets back up and performs an amazing song and dance routine. Remember this next time someone tries to give you the ageist/sexism bullcrap ;)

Many 20 something male footballers fake fall onto soft grass, roll around in 'agony' and get carried off on a stretcher. 56 year old female singer gets unexpectedly dragged backwards down hard stairs- gets back up and performs an amazing song and dance routine. Remember this next time someone tries to give you the ageist/sexism bullcrap ;)

Many 20 something male footballers fake fall onto soft grass, roll around in 'agony' and get carried off on a stretcher. 56 year old female singer gets unexpectedly dragged backwards down hard stairs- gets back up and performs an amazing song and dance routine. Remember this next time someone tries to give you the ageist/sexism bullcrap ;)

Final Super Deluxe cover...red hot!

Final Super Deluxe cover...red hot!