‘Hard Candy’ Turns 10: A Look Back at Madge’s Midlife Meditation

[PlayPause 2,900]

Not her best album, not her worst, but definitely not one that counts. My main problem with this album is that it came too late for the trend it was trying to jump on in. It felt out of place for Madonna, just like MDNA would. Nothing sounded groundbreaking, almost everything felt canned. Strangely, the super electronic vibe of AL felt more authentic than the brass and groove from HC in comparison. The other problem with this album is the songwriting, even with nop notch collaborators, the whole album is too much and at the same time uneven : lyrics are sometimes uninspired (Give it 2 Me, as fun as I find it, could have been sung by anyone) or completely daft (Spanish Lesson) and ruin the instrumental, or they can be very personal and touching (Devil, She's Not Me, Miles Away) on generic melodies that sound like an insurance company commercial. Imho, the greatest failure of this album are the vocals : her voice was never as annoying as it is on Incredible, She's Not Me, Heartbeat.

And finally, I'll never forget her and Pharrell for the "Get Stupid" bridge on GI2M, it's the most unMadonna thing she ever recorded.

[anel_ 128]

Love this album. Love every Madonna album