Music - Madonna > Reviews > A Ray of Light

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
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

Advantages:	Good Music
Disadvantages:	No lyrics written in CD booklet

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The new millennium saw a change in Madonna as, ever at the forefront of popular music trends, she took the earth mother vibes of Ray Of Light and transposed them to the heart of the dancefloor. The end product, Music, is a wondrous mixture of the familiar and the audaciously new--tracks like "Amazing" and "Runaway Lover" would have slotted nicely into the more uptempo sections of Ray Of Light, whereas tracks like "Impressive Instant" and the title track "Music" take Madonna closer to the sound of the dancefloor underground. William Orbit, the man responsible for producing the Ray Of Light album, has a hand in proceedings again, but the majority of tracks are produced by French whizzkid Mirwais, who brings a distinctive Gallic House feel to the proceedings, taking Madonna's voice and putting it through a vocoder until it sounds more like an instrument rather than a vocal line. Whereas Ray Of Light was her album of the joys of motherhood, Music is clearly the sound of a woman in love, for hard evidence look no further than the ballad "I Deserve It", with its opening line "This guy was meant for me", clearly dedicated to the father of her second child, Guy Ritchie. With a well-balanced mix of downtempo and uptempo numbers, all stamped with her innovative style, Music is further proof that Madonna is still way ahead of the pack