Your Least Favorite Madonna Album

[adirondak 2,035]

I have to say Madame X unfortunately. I’m glad she tried to be experimental again, but it did not hit the mark. 

[Veronica-Electronica 353]

For me it is Rebel Heart. There’s some good stuff buried on there but all in all it sounds disjointed and rushed to me. 

there’s that saying “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” and for me, Rebel Heart is the opposite of that. The whole is weaker than the sum of its parts imo. 

also, I think I’m still just butthurt that a lot of the arrangements I liked from the leaked demos didn’t make it to the final album. Like, I will never get over the Avicii arrangement of Rebel Heart being replaced with the arrangement on the album. And while we’re at it, why is the title track relegated to bonus track status?

Rebel Heart is the most glaring black stain in her catalogue for many reasons for me. 

[stefo 7,666]

9 hours ago, Veronica-Electronica said:

For me it is Rebel Heart. There’s some good stuff buried on there but all in all it sounds disjointed and rushed to me. 

there’s that saying “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” and for me, Rebel Heart is the opposite of that. The whole is weaker than the sum of its parts imo. 

also, I think I’m still just butthurt that a lot of the arrangements I liked from the leaked demos didn’t make it to the final album. Like, I will never get over the Avicii arrangement of Rebel Heart being replaced with the arrangement on the album. And while we’re at it, why is the title track relegated to bonus track status?

Rebel Heart is the most glaring black stain in her catalogue for many reasons for me. 

I can feel you, the disappointment for the final release was huge for me too. When I think and talk about that album I actually consider also the demos. It's the excepionality of that era, the excitement, the sense of absurd and it was definitely the way we experienced those songs. I remember it as a unique experience and when I listen to the demos, wich is quite frequent, I feel like I'm listening to "Rebel Heart". There are songs like WAOM or JOA that I NEVER listen in the album version. I must have heard that solemn bore of WAOM three times at most in ten years   while the Avicii's demo with the title track one are my favourites from the whole session.

[Boombox90 4,391]

34 minutes ago, adirondak said:

I have to say Madame X unfortunately. I’m glad she tried to be experimental again, but it did not hit the mark. 

Easily her worst album, but it’s still not bad.

I never listen to it.

[A. A. Aardvark 5,110]

"That's 'coz it's Nile Rodgers."
🥸
I've always thought of her as a singles artist if labels have to put on bottles.

 

[Alibaba 1,567]

I’d have to agree that with hindsight, Madame X makes for a tedious listen. It also happens to correspond to a time in my life that was particularly difficult, and so I don’t have any peripheral memories to bolster any affection for it. Intellectually, there is a concept behind the album, but it fails to ever deliver on fully developing what could have been a master work. The production, dare I say, is what truly drags the good songs into the mud. I think Medellin, Dark Ballet, Killers, Crazy and Crave are the closest to achieving their sonic goals, but even the gorgeous Come Alive, Extreme Occident, Looking For Mercy and I Rise are just plain burdened with unnecessary vocal filters, and either kitchen sink production or meandering studio tricks that never build to a satisfying conclusion. The inclusion of Faz Gostosa is baffling as it belongs on a totally different album, and there are no words to ever describe how angry Bitch I’m Loca makes me as a total waste of space that, in addition to being substandard, adds to the disastrous interruption to the flow of the album that its predecessor begins. Five years later I am quite certain that the overuse of pitch correction and auto tune was a grotesque miscalculation that renders the entire project less heart-driven and soulful, when that is exactly what these songs needed the most. The fact that Madonna hasn’t released an album since makes me wonder if her creative force has been spent, which is truly a shame as I had always hoped for her deepest most insightfully introspective and philosophical work to continue to evolve out of the experiment that was Madame X. 
 

The fact that its heavy-handed approach trumps Hard Candy’s basic lack of appeal to me in making it to the bottom of the list says a lot! At least HC delivered an era that brought joy and smiles to many on a stellar global tour. On tour, Madame X seemed determined to either kill me by asphyxiation from overheating in the stifling theater settings or drive me to suicide with its general darkness, only heightened by Madonna’s constant pain. A very strange era in Madonna’s storied career. Perhaps it will be revisited differently in the future, but upon recently trying to listen to it, I felt the distinct combination of indifference, boredom and sadness. Not a good look. 

[Veronica-Electronica 353]

2 hours ago, stefo said:

I can feel you, the disappointment for the final release was huge for me too. When I think and talk about that album I actually consider also the demos. It's the excepionality of that era, the excitement, the sense of absurd and it was definitely the way we experienced those songs. I remember it as a unique experience and when I listen to the demos, wich is quite frequent, I feel like I'm listening to "Rebel Heart". There are songs like WAOM or JOA that I NEVER listen in the album version. I must have heard that solemn bore of WAOM three times at most in ten years   while the Avicii's demo with the title track one are my favourits from the whole session.

Yeah, I still find myself going back and listening to the demos way more often than the finished product too.  😢 

[gst6662000 409]

16 hours ago, Voguerista said:

At this time, which Madonna album is your least Favorite and/or least played? It doesn't mean you necessarily hate it (or maybe you do?). It's just your least favorite from her Albums.

Mine is.....  HARD CANDY!!

My first forewarning was it's COVER. I've never liked the background and text. It kind cheapens the whole look of it. But, I love the songs Miles Away and Devil Wouldn't Recognize You the most!! 

Ok, so what do you think?

hundredth that motion on this.... hated this album all thuout

[Danton 635]

14 hours ago, Brendanlovesu1 said:

True Blue, I only really enjoy the singles

this one is full of single ! lol

[MPowered 7,775]

80s: Like A Virgin

90s: Erotica

00s: Hard Candy

10s: Madame X

Overall least favourite album(s): Madame X (although MDNA is a close runner-up)

[Rebel 973]

Madame X 

[True Blue 84 2,202]

Madame X is not my favorite but it's definitely not my least favorite. It's pretty underrated actually. After Rebel Heart and Mdna and even hard candy Madame X sounded new and weird but refreshing... 

[Profane 56]

It’s easily Rebel Heart for me. It just doesn’t feel like a Madonna record. It’s a mess and has some truly terrible songs on it. There are a few tracks I like but nothing that’s above mid-tier Madonna. 

[Loughie 7]

Hard Candy.

I feel like that timbaland/pharrell production was already dated when it was released back in 2008. it's aged even more horribly now. Felt desperate.

MDNA has a lot of bad songs, but the good songs are really, really good.

LOVE Madame X. I like it more than COADF,,,

[Voguerista 13,310]

Thanks for all of your choices and thoughts Everyone. So appreciated. Keep them coming! 

[MPowered 7,775]

1 hour ago, Loughie said:

I feel like that timbaland/pharrell production was already dated when it was released back in 2008. it's aged even more horribly now. Felt desperate.

Ironically, the stuff Danja and Timbaland produced back in 2006-2008 is still enjoying great popularity and is even having a bit of a viral comeback. So yeah I wouldn't say it aged horribly, more like the very opposite.

I feel like with Hard Candy people unfairly hate on it because it followed the very fan-pandering and popular COADF. Hard Candy kind of lacks an identity because the visual concept and them got switched around so many times throughout the era. It was indeed very inconsistent. It was also a bit of a defeat for M because she succumbed to what was popular at that time. It definitely paid off though, because the album was still very successful and outside of the US, it did very well commercially.

The real stinker was MDNA which ended her commercial appeal especially due to its abysmal lead single choice.

[Josh Pinder 822]

It's interesting to see each persons take on each album really because there's such range for reasons why least faves don't clock as much 

Like IMO Madonna has never released an album that's bad or poor like my least faves are still good albums or I have memories with them and stuff 

To have a legacy where her least liked albums are as good as some best 

Like imagine if MDNA was released today it literally would fit the clubby EDM trap party rage emotion vibes now! Some Girls could be a Collab with Charli xcx, Get Sam smith on I'm a Sinner, Kim Petra's in Girl Gone Wild, Ariana on I'm Addicted or something it all would fit in ....it's a post divorce, post custodial battle, post ageism type of album of a really insane meld of sounds yet it's a lower ranked album because she'd done incredible stuff....the only reason I rank her first two that low is because her debut and LAV I find very 80s vibe and requires that mood in a way True Blue and Like a Prayer are so elevated ....like Haim, Florence, Lorde, Whoever could nail those albums in this era or future and they still wouldn't sound 80s vibe whereas her first two are very much 80s throwback mostly ....still good and enjoyable but still

[Josh Pinder 822]

7 minutes ago, MPowered said:

Ironically, the stuff Danja and Timbaland produced back in 2006-2008 is still enjoying great popularity and is even having a bit of a viral comeback. So yeah I wouldn't say it aged horribly, more like the very opposite.

I feel like with Hard Candy people unfairly hate on it because it followed the very fan-pandering and popular COADF. Hard Candy kind of lacks an identity because the visual concept and them got switched around so many times throughout the era. It was indeed very inconsistent. It was also a bit of a defeat for M because she succumbed to what was popular at that time. It definitely paid off though, because the album was still very successful and outside of the US, it did very well commercially.

The real stinker was MDNA which ended her commercial appeal especially due to its abysmal lead single choice.

For me I dare say HC is pandering to her debut album ....Confessions actually is very arty layered and different like it feels so futuristic and timeless with it's nods and throwbacks across the hour long runtime it's like art theatre mixed as a blockbuster film ....much like the drowned world era before it ... Wall to wall in detailed accurate sound 

HC was a colossal step down in lyrical and production content because it felt very much this is hit in America ....this will end the record deal let's go vibe and the result was a very good album but despite breaking records for 50 year old madonna ...she sadly I feel succumbed 

[lap 1,568]

12 hours ago, True Blue 84 said:

Im shocked people are saying, True Blue, Like a Prayer or even Like a virgin. 3 of the most iconic albums of the 80s and definitely in the upper half of best albums, with some even top 3.

 

I agree. Only few filler songs. If I could change anything, I would eliminate:

Like a Virgin: Shoo-bee-doo and Pretender for Crazy for you and Gambler.

True Blue: Jimmy Jimmy and LMTWGR for Spotlight and Each Time You Break My Heart.

Like a Prayer: Love Song for Supernatural.

[RUADJAI 15,954]

Rebel Heart… it doesn’t feel like a Madonna album, her vocals aren’t great most of the time, and there’s a hollowness to it. 

[Blue Jean 17,164]

MDNA. There’s some good songs on it but a chunk of it was phoned in. Songs like Superstar and Some Girls are a shit stain on her brilliant discography.

[Tudors 693]

I want to kick like a virgins ass

[RebelMe 3,600]

12 hours ago, MPowered said:

80s: Like A Virgin

90s: Erotica

00s: Hard Candy

10s: Madame X

Overall least favourite album(s): Madame X (although MDNA is a close runner-up)

Erotica? 

[Aiwa08 18,472]

• Rebel Heart: feels like a weak remix album compared to the demos.
• Madame X: has some great tracks, but others really don’t work for me.

That said, even what I consider to be Madonna's weakest album is still impressive in its own way.

[BoyToyMark 691]

For me, Madame X and to a degree MDNA and Rebel Heart.

Just a lack of quality control for me.