What does it take to be the queen of pop? Surviving the music business for more than 20 years, like Madonna has, and hitting the charts again with a brand new album, “Confessions on a Dance Floor.”
“Confessions” is an upbeat dance album that you will not be able to get out of your head.
“Hung Up,” the first song and single from the album, has a sample from ABBA’s song “Gimme Gimme Gimme” and manages to get you on the dance floor. The track provides a great beat that sets the addictive tone for “Confessions.” The lyrics are not complicated, but the beats keep you so distracted that the lyrics seem to melt away.
Despite the controversies that Madonna has raised in the past with her persona and many albums, “Confessions” manages to be relatively tame.
However, Madonna is provocative in the song, “I Love New York,” in which she says, “If you don’t like my attitude then you can just f*** off/Just go to Texas, isn’t that where they golf?”
The most impressive thing about “Confessions” is its ability to mix genres of music to give the album a revived 70s feel. The eclectic feel of “Confessions” will manage to bring in listeners from all audiences (especially those closeted techno fans who jump at the chance to listen to techno in public).
Aside from the techno and computer generated voices evident on the album, Madonna also draws upon other ethnic backgrounds, all in good fun.
In “Isaac,” Madonna uses a Jewish chant and light classical music as the background to the chorus. Madonna’s use of religion in her songs has been controversial in tthe past, but instead of shying away from the controversy, she sings in “Like it or Not”: “This is who I am /You can like it or not/You can love me or leave me/Cause I’m never gonna stop, no no.” Basically Madonna knows she is dominating, so she will say what she pleases.
Madonna’s voice is comfortable in its familiarity. At the same time, Madonna shows growth as an artist. In “How High,” Madonna questions the point of achieving such great success and evaluates her life so far.
Madonna brings maturity and confidence to “Confessions.” She manages to step back from her life to evaluate it, admitting she does not hold all the cards. This is a level of humility that many artists never achieve.
“Confessions” will leave you in a trance. No matter how much you hate Madonna, it is hard to hate “Confessions.” Once you turn on the album, you will feel like you are in a club dancing the night away and not caring about what tomorrow brings.
Are you ready to dance?
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