Madonna set the pop world alight back in 1998 with the release of her album “Ray Of Light”. This was a collaboration with music producer William Orbit, his style and her voice proved to be a great hit and the album was well received by the critics. Since then a number of artists have followed in her footsteps and employed the services of Orbit (most notably the All Saints on their “Saints And Sinners” album).
To keep ahead of the pop rat race Madonna has again taken her music to a different level by using a variety of different producers. Some tracks on this album feature the work of Orbit and these tend to be in a similar vein to the previous album. The most adventurous tracks are Madonna’s collaborations with French producer Mirwais Ahmadzai who uses a lot of vocal effects in his work. Also present on the production is Mark “Spike” Stent who has previously worked with Oasis and Mansun (Madonna the Indie-Rock chick? We shall see…).
Most notably when you listen to this album you will notice that it is a lot shorter than “Ray Of Light” – a good 17 minutes at least. The spiritual feel of tracks like “Shanti/Ashtangi” has also been dropped. If “Ray Of Light” was an album about motherhood then this is an album about her love for Guy Ritchie.
So
with this new theme and all these different producers, has Madonna delivered another classic album or “do too many cooks spoil the broth”?
The opening song on this album is also the title track, “Music”. For those of you expecting a continuation of the theme set by “Ray Of Light “ are in for a big shock, Mirwais is at the helm for this track. The song sprints out of the starting blocks and keeps up this upbeat pace throughout, it sounds like hip-hop music meets disco, 21st century style. The video for this song was also quite amusing with Madonna being driven around by her chauffeur (Ali G) before becoming a cartoon superhero!?! Anyway, back to the review – great track, more of the same please!
Guess what? My wish came true! Yep , “Impressive Instant”, like “Music”, is another Mirwais production except in fast forward mode! This is another dance style track, with outstanding lyrics and vocal performance. In case you didn’t guess by the title, this is a love song written by Madonna for hubby Guy Ritchie.
“Runaway Lover” sees the return of William Orbit as producer. He takes over the baton from Mirwais extremely well to oversee another up-tempo number. It is very similar to her song “Ray Of Light” on the previous album, but lyrically it could not be further from the truth. Another outstanding offering.
The fourth track is “I Deserve It” and production again swings back to Mirwais. This is another classic ballad from Madonna, although this one has amore mellow but distinctly funk groove. It starts as though it is just going to be an acoustic track but gradually the drum machines and sound effects are introduced very subtly.
Next up is “Amazing”, which is another song produced with Orbit’s assistance. The song has an excellent vibe to it and another obvious love song for Mr. Ritchie. This song is an excellent example of William Orbit’s ability and is probably more in keeping with Madonna’s previous album.
“Nobody’s Perfect” seeing the return of vocal distortion so Mirwais must be back in control. Madonna’s haunting voice is backed ably by the simple guitar, and this forms the backbone of the track. The lyrics are quite odd, as it seems as though Madonna is asking for forgiveness for her previous crimes (well that’ll be that “Sex” book then).
“Don’t Tell Me” is another odd sounding track. I guess the only way you can describe it is as a country & western ballad meets dance. It is quite a simple song really, just a short acoustic guitar piece, drum beat and a string arrangement blended together in perfection. Why hasn’t anyone thought of this doing this?
“What It Feels Like For A Girl” begins with Madonna reading a short section of “The Cement Garden” by Charlotte Gainsburg (Sorry I’m not the “font of all knowledge” – I read the credits on the sleeve notes!). This is a great song to just sit back, relax and just chill out to.
The laid back feel is continued on “Paradise (Not For Me)”, the final collaboration for Madonna and Mirwais. This song has a strange and eerie feel to it, many through the use of Xylophones and French lyrics. It’s really quite an oddball of a track – even for this album.
“Gone” is a stripped to the bare bones track . It really is a simple song, just Madonna and an acoustic guitar player. I think this is the stand out track on the album, it shows just how good a singer she is, and that she really doesn’t need to rely on vocal distortions etc. for a good performance. I guess production here is probably more due to Mark “Spike” Stent than the others that are credited.
Finally we get “American Pie” – William Orbit style. This was released in early 2000 is a reworking of probably Don McCleans most famous piece of work about Buddy Holly. This song seems to meet with mixed opinions – some people think it’s brilliant whereas others think it ruined a timeless classic. Me? I guess I can’t really sit on the fence so sorry, Madge it’s bloody awful!!!!
As with her previous “Ray Of Light” album, Madonna has again dragged pop music into uncharted territories. It’s really refreshing to see a top artist willing to experiment with their work and actually succeed. I belive this album would have been better if “American Pie” had been omitted – “Gone” serves as a perfect finale to the album. I must admit though I`m not a great fan of artists doing cover versions – “money for old rope” comes to mind for me. This aside, “Music” is a brilliant album and was probably the best release of 2000, and restored Madonna back as the “Queen Of Pop”.
Get yourself a copy now!
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Great opinion. I ahve one of those love-hate things with Madonna. As a person, I think she sucks, but the music is so infectious, I still end up buying it! Is it me, or is that gap in her front teeth getting wider?
jefferson 15.05.2001 18:10
Very comprehensive and informative op, thanks!
anjib 04.05.2001 16:20
**off topic** sorry. If you still need a use for the awful herbal toothpaste, then I believe it is a good way to get marks out of net curtains and wallpaper. Not sure if in this case it may leave little green marks behind!!!! ;-)
The new millennium saw a change in Madonna as, ever at the forefront of popular music ... more
trends, she took the earth mother vibes ofRay Of Lightand transposed them to the heart of the dancefloor. The end product,Music, is a wondrous mixture of the familiar...
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Apr 5th, 2001
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