Hard Candy is the eleventh studio album from the chameleon of pop colloquially known as Madonna and the follow up to her 2005's hugely successful Confessions On A Dancefloor album.
Throughout her career, which spans three decades she has consistently proved to have her finger on the musical ... Read review
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eleventh album, and it reached the number one spot in no fewer than twenty seven countries. This is an awesome image of this musical icon, which is taken from the promotional artwork developed for the hit album.
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A review by micksheff on Hard Candy - Madonna June 29th, 2008
Author's product rating:
Originality
Average
Lyrics
Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks
A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Average
Value for Money
Satisfactory
Advantages:
Some good songs
Disadvantages:
Some not so good songs
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Hard Candy is the eleventh studio album from the chameleon of pop colloquially known as Madonna and the follow up to her 2005's hugely successful Confessions On A Dancefloor album.
Throughout her career, which spans three decades she has consistently proved to have her finger on the musical pulse and her ability to re-invent herself to capitalise on the trend of the moment is one of the most important factors that has contributed towards her phenomenal success. Another factor that has contributed towards the success of the world's biggest selling female artist is her ability to surround herself with the hottest people of the moment.
Hard Candy always promised to take a RnB direction and news that she was working with today's hottest people like Timbaland, Pharrel Williams, Justin Timberlake and Kanye West confirmed this to be the case. Always a fan of Madonna I was rather dismayed to hear that this album would have an urban/hip hop pop feel to it. "4 minutes" gave us a taster of what we could expect and also gave Madonna her 13th UK number one single. On first hearing this single I was not overly impressed and whilst I admit that the song did grow on me a little it still remains one of my least favourite Madonna singles to date.
Unlike previous Madonna releases I remained surprisingly reserved about Hard Candy and I had no immediate plans to rush out and buy it. The weekend before last however I did finally take the plunge and add it to my collection but it would remain intact inside its cellophane seal for three full days until I finally got round to playing it.
The album contains twelve tracks as below:
1. Candy Shop 2. 4 Minutes 3. Give It 2 Me 4. Heartbeart 5. Miles Away 6. She's Not Me 7. Incredible 8. Beat Goes On 9. Dance 2night 10. Spanish Lesson 11. Devil Wouldn't Recognize You 12. Voices
On the very play first I was actually amazed that I didn't hate this album and for me there were two obvious standout tracks. These being the upbeat and ridiculously catchy Give It 2 Me and Miles Away. Unlike Confessions On A Dancefloor where we are treated to uninterrupted beats and strange noises on Hard Candy we find a dozen much more normal sounding songs. These are on the whole proper songs, with good musical arrangements and for the first time for years these are also Madonna songs with strong lyrics. These lyrics are tales of regret, lost love and missed opportunities. It is easy to imagine that these are heartfelt words about all not being well in the Madonna/Guy Ritchie house.
The album kicks off with Candy Shop, which has to be an obvious choice for a future single. Pharrel's influences here are very evident and it seems for a moment that rather than take control Madonna has actually allowed herself to sit back and let the experts do all the hard work. This could also be said of 4 minutes where Justin Timberlake has a more prominent place than Madonna herself. Candy Shop is a song that is packed full of insinuations and double entendres. On Candy Shop Madonna briefly revisits her naughty Erotica days but lets Pharrel give it a beat that still works today. The result is a catchy little song that is a lit bit naughty in a Hanky Panky sort of way, but without the shock value that alienated a lot of her fans during her Erotica and Sex book phase.
Give It 2 Me belts out at a much faster and harder pace than its two predecessors. This is to be the second single to be lifted from the album (released in the UK on 14th July 2008). Like a breath of fresh air this is one of my favourite tracks from Hard Candy and is much more like the Madonna that I know and love.
Miles Away has wonderful lyrics which leave you thinking about the state of Madonna's marriage. This is quite a slow song but it is not a ballad. On Hard Candy there are no ballads but Miles Away and later on with Devil Wouldn't Recognize You are the closest that this album gets to a ballad. Miles Away is a standout track for me and one of the songs that I have listened to a lot.
She's Not Me is a song about Madonna Wannabees. It has been said that this could even be about Britney Spears who has previously worked with Madonna and was of course the former lover of Justin Timberlake. Here Madonna sings: "She started dressing like me and talking like me, it freaked me out, she started calling you up in the middle of the night, what's that about?" and later "She started dyeing her hair and wearing the same perfume as me, she started reading my books and stealing my looks and lingerie". Did Britney really stoop so low- I think not.
Spanish Lesson is one of the album's stranger moments, where we find Madonna giving us a string of Spanish phrases followed by their English translations. Didn't Geri Helliwell do something very similar to this a few years ago and if I recall that was wasn't very good either.
Beat Goes On will appeal to RnB lovers but didn't do a lot for me but then the album ends with an almost operatic opening to a track called Voices which made me sit up and listen again. After an intro that could have been inspired by Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody Madonna asks "Who is the master and who is the slave?"
I think that Hard Candy has some good songs on it but it is not as good as a lot of her previous work. This album marks the end of her contract with Warner Brothers so it could be argued that her heart was not fully in it, but I don't actually believe that. Madonna is a perfectionist and puts 100% into everything that she does. I think that on Hard Candy she has made two obvious choices. Firstly she has taken a RnB route to try and win back a lot of her American fans that deserted her in droves with her anti-American American Life album and secondly she has recorded twelve songs that are less inclined to make good singles but collectively will appease her fans and maybe also find a new audience for her. This is probably another shrewd business move as Madonna knows that singles sales are now so low that it is album sales that she would be much better concentrating on.
Madonna may be about to turn 50 but she does still seem to have her finger on the pulse!
Advantages: variety of styles Disadvantages: you either like it... or hate it!
Here is a woman who knows exactly what she's doing, and how to do it! It took me a while to settle into the album... 4 minutes and give it to me were completly saturating the radio stations over the months. This put me off the album. I was not a huge fan of her previous album as it was a little too clubby, dance and I prefer her calm melodies! (not all the time). It was when I heard 'miles away' that I became hooked. I decided to go to my local music ... ...first 3 tracks, but I fell in love with all the others! Her music is easy to listen to, calm, melodious and well worth the trip down to the music store! The first 3 tracks are dance and reflect her last album. The other 8 tracks are excellent in my opinion. My favourite album still remains 'The immaculate collection'!
I would always suggest that you test the album in a shop or at a friends place before buying! ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Great lyrics, Elements of Hip Hip Disadvantages: Music are a bit boring if listen too much
...with a brand new album, Hard Candy. This album is her 10th album and it marks her 25 years in music. Her debut single,Everybody, was released in 1983. This Material Girl singer is often claimed one the best female singers in history. Hard Candy's first single with Justin Timberlake has reached #3 in the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 in the UK singles charts. It's second single ,Give It 2 Me, generate moderate success. Hard Candy is really unique ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: one of the best buys of the year Disadvantages: nothing
True to it's title, Hard Candy certainly is sweet with hard hitting beats and fresh new flavours. Get It, Turn It Up and Enjoy the delicious new direction madonna has taken in her career spanning over 27 years, your tastebuds will certainly be acheing for this hot new hit from one of america's most successful female record artists of all time; madonna, 'Hard Candy' is a work of art, its fresh, it's new, its modern, and every song, makes you want ... ...unique vocal ability, which graces the tracks, but with the help of timbaland justin timberlake and various other producers such as p. williams, t. mosley and nate "danja" hills it has proved to be a slightly urban but nevertheless another great album which has already proven its greatness in the UK charts as having the Number 1 single '4 Minutes' and the number 1 album 'Hard Candy' already passing mariah's highly anticipated new album 'E=MC2' to ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
It has always amazed me how this woman keeps going and in such a good style, taking into account her not - so - exceptional voice. Good producers, excellent business mind, getting top new artists involved is the answer, I guess... I was a bit uncertain about the album at first, not knowing what to make of it. "Give it to me" was well of a mock and the whole thing didn't seem to have any harmony at all. Only after few listenings did I come to appreciate ... ...varied with gave the initial impression of chaos. Yet each track is clearly defined and perfectly constructed "wholeness", a Master Piece. Obviously (?) excellent entertainer and fabulous dance tunes. The front cover is a disappointment - one would think the lady can age in style, too. The image does not diminish the quality of music but it is in bad taste. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Eccentric, bubbly, and potentially brilliant Disadvantages: At times seems more like the producers album
...If ever there was an artist that did not require an introduction it would be Madonna, the Maradona of the music industry and the most successful solo female artist in the world. 'HardCandy' comes as Madonna's eleventh album spanning over a career that first began in 1982, and will be the last album of original material released from her on the current contract -- although you could say it is a certainity that she shall continue to be present in the studio despite being a few months over her 50th birthday. The butt of many jokes, it is undeniable that shall still looks in great condition as she jumps around in leotards, and doesn't exactly fit in with the half-dead, nursing home impression that some give of her.
Through the 'ages' Madonna has certainly been consistant at releasing a sound that matches where ever music is at that...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
...This was a must buy as I love the new Madonna and Justin Timberlake single 4 minutes, so this was a must have.
This album delivers a fresh sounding Madonna with a bit more edge to it and you will not be dissappointed with the outcome.
This is 2008 and HardCandy certainly returns Madonna to the throne of Queen on Pop with a little added crunch. Although I never thought she got off the throne.
This is also the 1st time that she's taken a back seat and not produced anything on her album. Instead she has gotten in Timbaland, Timberlake and Pharrel to name a few, which have helped the appeal of this album a greta deal.
My favourite songs are: 4 Minutes, Give It 2 Me, She's Not You and Beat Goes On.
Here's how I rate each track:
1. Candy Store 8/10
2. 4 Minutes 10/10
3. Give It 2 Me 9/10
4. Heartbeat 8/10
5. Miles Away...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Pue Madonna Disadvantages: Over-produced at times
...So here we have it, Madonna's final album for Warner Brothers. Although this is by no means her best offering, it is still a worthwhile buy. Whilst some of the tracks are, in my opinion, outstanding, others are rather questionable. However, at the end of the day, this is pure Madonna! When Madonna is on top form, no one is comparable, and even her most ardent critics are pushed to doubt her credibility; I suppose this is why she has been at the top of her game for the past 25 years. Contrary to what I've heard on the radio and T.V., this is not a Hip-Hop album, but something altogether different from what is presently out there. It has a dancey and upbeat feel to it, and hits all the right spots. Although it is, at times, reminiscent of her previous work, HardCandy is testament to Madonna's ever-evolving musical style...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Album Notes: HARD CANDY continues in the driving, club-oriented vein of 2005's CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR, proving that Madonna has lost none of her energy and verve with age. In terms of material, in fact, HARD CANDY bests its predecessor, and the artist continues to make herself relevant in the 2000s by adding distinctly hip-hop grooves to her increasingly electronica-driven sound. Remarkably, the result never sounds like a blatant commercial appeal. As with nearly everything she's done, this groove-heavy disc is distinctly Madonna's own. The Material Girl sculpted her sound this time out by hiring some of the hottest producers on the scene, including Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, and Pharrell and the Neptunes. Cuts like the lead-off single, "4 minutes" (a duet with Timberlake), and the thumping, sexy title track sparkle with a contemporary club feel, begging listeners to turn it up and shake it. Yet Madonna's classic pop sensibilities are far from lost in the mix. "Beat Goes On" recalls vintage singles like "Holiday"; "Heartbeat" is sleek, singalong Europop; and "Miles Away" is a love song that rides a sweet midtempo groove. Fun, danceable, and infectious, HARD CANDY is another winner from one of pop's all-time icons.
Album Reviews: Rolling Stone (p.80) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "A songwriting team of American chart royalty helps Madonna revisit her roots as an urban-disco queen....Like CONFESSIONS, HARD CANDY celebrates dance as salvation, but even the euphorically groovy 'Heartbeat' and 'Dance 2night' strike wistful notes." Entertainment Weekly (p.116) - "[A]n unpretentious, nonstop dance party. In tunes like 'Give It To Me,' she's unabashedly reviving the celebrative spirit of early singles like 'Lucky Star' and 'Holiday'..." -- Grade: B+ Uncut (p.97) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "HARD CANDY could be her most unpretentious and consistently enjoyable pop record since LIKE A VIRGIN." Blender (Magazine) (p.74) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[S]linky, playful music with undercurrents of adorable psychosexual intrigue..."
Titles on disc 1
1.: Candy Shop
2.: 4 Minutes - Madonna & Justin Timberlake/Timbaland
3.: Give It 2 Me
4.: Heartbeat
5.: Miles Away
6.: She's Not Me
7.: Incredible
8.: Beat Goes On - Madonna & Kanye West
9.: Dance 2night
10.: Spanish Lesson
11.: Devil Wouldn't Recognize You
12.: Voices
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