Hard Candy
WEA
April 29, 2008



I know I may be a little biased, being a huge fan, but seriously, wow. The beats and melodies are amazing, and even kind of beautiful (on "Heartbeat" and "Miles Away" in particular) and she really sounds as if she is not only having fun with the new album, but serious about giving us something great to listen to. With a strong hip-hop/dance feel, the songs are powerful and seductive. With lyrics like "sticky and sweet...my sugar is raw" and "I got candy galore’ on "Candy Shop," she kind of shows her fun, young side, even though she’s just turned 50, and songs like "Heartbeat" and "Miles Away" are just awesome, and have an emotional side to them, too. With their electric synths and pulsing bass rhythms it’s impossible to ignore at least, even if the idea of listening to a Madonna album isn’t that appealing for most of you out there. Personally, the reason why I love Madonna so much is I’ve always thought of her as having these sort of... alternative sensibilities, and a punk spirit. She’s always misperceived as arrogant when really she’s kind of shy (although you wouldn’t know it), and I find that interesting in a way. From her 80’s electro-dance pop to her sexually charged Erotica album, to now, she’s always been different and was always honest in her highlighting of a specific genre of music on her albums--n never exploring a genre just for the cash-ins, but for the fact that she loved the particular style of music she was creating. - TotalTrash