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One song morphed into another with amazing beats. Thinking back to her more introspective music of the 90s and this decade, to come full circle and put out something brighter and more poppy with the great club beats was genius and makes sense. To me, Confessions on a Dance Floor is some of her absolute best work, an album where she had a lot to say but all tied together in this atmospheric, moody sound. I have to say when I bought this CD, I was disappointed at first. I give this a five because it was such a departure from all that she did in the 90s and this decade with Ray of Light, American Life, and Confessions (which I adore those albums). Hard Candy s a purely dance club music album which never fails to put me in a fantastic mood halfway through.
It is a much brighter, happier album than Confessions, even though Confessions is a club music album, too.
So original.
I love this album.
The songs didn't seem to stand out like singles and her vocals at times seemed very thin.
Even the songs that are more serious regarding lyrics have a lighter, brighter melody or more energetic club beat.
A wonderful ambience to the album.Wait, you're saying, but this is a Hard Candy review.
Why I prefaced it with CFADF is because after listening to Hard Candy a few times I came to understand where she was going and loved the vibe of the album as a whole.
Madonna never fails, and she, certainly, didn't on Hard Candy.
But the sweetness to the dance music frees your mind from clutter and a nice return to form for those that loved her very early '80s music, but with an updated twist.
Most critics hailed "Confessions" as a much-welcomed return to Madonna's early dance-music roots. To top it off, former Prince guitarist Wendy (of Wendy and Lisa fame) provides ample support. Again a clever interlude ("See my booty get down") makes it fun and memorable."Miles Away" also received airplay and its personal lyrics made a connection between Madonna and fans since her separation from Guy Ritchie became public shortly after the release of this CD. Ironically, it has the same tempo and reminds me of the 1980 hit "And The Beat Goes On" by The Whispers. It's relentless beat and "Get stupid" interlude make this one a standout.The same can be said for "Heartbeat", with it's pulsing beat making the song itself seem like it has a lifeline. The Timbaland effect actually works in its favour. Madonna's "Hard Candy" was met with mixed reviews when originally released in April 2008.While the album does have a few faults, I would place it on par with 2005's "Confessions on a Dance Floor". Madonna is always great when in "defensive-tough-chick/stay-away-from-my-man" mode (think "Thief of Hearts") and I can't praise this track enough."Incredible" seems like some sort of hot mess upon first listen, but there is something engaging about it, especially the second half when it gets a little more frantic.Another winner is "Beat Goes On" which is also rather retro-sounding.
Madonna sounds very playful delivering the sometimes non-sensical lyrics. The strings on the outro are gorgeous. Also working in its favor, it sounds different from anything else on the album.Unfortunately, the last two tracks are kind of a let-down. It has a great 1979 retro-vibe from the first note, borrowing heavily the Nile Rogers/Bernard Edwards "Chic" sound which I have loved since 1979. I, for one, wish that COADF had been more varied, something that "Hard Candy" manages better than its predecessor.While the opener "Candy Shop" sounds like something that would be more at home on a Britney Spears CD, it's a little better than "4 Minutes", which is the weakest track here despite the fact it received lots of radio airplay and reached #1 in some markets.Madonna unfortunately seems desperate on this album to work with then-mega-successful producers such as Timbaland and Justin Timberlake, and their sounds overshadow her own.Fortunately, things improve greatly on the next few songs."Give It To Me" is a fantastic club song and should have been the first single. I could do without the Kanye West appearance since I can't usually stand his arrogance, but the rest of the song is so good, I can tolerate him here."Dance 2Night" is an average mid-tempo track.
"Miles" is serviceable but not outstanding."She's Not Me" on the other hand, though much too long to be radio-friendly, is absolutely the song that makes this CD a must-have for me. The bells and chimes are very Anita-Ward-like and it even has Donna Summer-type "toot-toot, beep-beep" whistles. I would probably like it better if it didn't have the Justin Timberlake influence.While many reviews have panned the Mexican-flavored "Spanish Lesson", I find it a lot of fun. "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" is competent enough, but it's another JT rip-off and "Voices" is forgettable at best.I would say about half this album is average, but the standouts still make it a worthwhile purchase.
In short I just wish Madonna would recapture the magic her 80's stuff had. That being said this is the first album of hers, since "Bedtime Stories" that I don't have any qualms about pulling off my CD rack. Britney is another one of my favorite entertainers (both her and Madge put on great shows) and without first becoming a fan of hers, I may have never became a Madonna fan. The songs have only been some of the finest and most successful pop songs of the past twenty-seven years.
The special something that made you play the CD/Record till you couldn't play it no more. The only difference is unlike Britney, Madonna's much more versatile in the material she puts out. Sadly since the start of the 2000's it seems like Madonna's been more of a follower instead of a leader. Of course by now it's safe to assume the entire world knows of Madonna, But just in case you forgot: Madonna is a pop star above all other female pop stars. It's not really as much the lyrics fault, instead the blame lies in the erratic production. and I cherish it highly. "Heartbeat" is a great song that reminds me of an unreleased song from Madonna's demo called "Don't You Know." "She's not me", "Dance 2night" and the Kanye West collabo "Beat Goes On" are all nice grooves.The ballads on this album are a lot better lyrically, than some of the ballads on her three previous albums.
For years now I've been wishing for Madonna to get back to those simple times, but I've ended up being slightly disappointed with each new release. As I said before i'm a "Madonna purest" and believe she does best on simple dance songs, this song IS a dance song, but the lyrics sound like they could've come straight from her film "I Am Because We Are." I mean talk about too much going on at once. The production literally sounds like a train crashing and it's really bad. I'm a self-termed "Madonna purest", Which simply means I find myself enjoying the carefree and heavily dance-able songs of her early years the most (It's hard to top those early classics). Classics like "Holiday", "Like a Prayer", "Vogue" and "Express Yourself" have cemented her status as the one and only queen of pop and though there have been many imitators (Everyone from one time 80's pop princess Debbie Gibson to recent star Lady Gaga) there's still only one Madonna.Needless to say I'm a huge Madonna fan since childhood, But I must confess it wasn't until I became a Britney Spears fan that I realized where Britney got her stage persona from. to make matters worse, Justin Timberlake gets more screen time and it all ends up sounding like an outtake from his last album.Thankfully the rest of the album gets better. Some of the best tracks are the dance songs and Madonna doesn't disappoint there. The shots and interviews sort of reminded me of one of my favorite eras of her's (Erotica).
Don't get me wrong "Confessions on a Dance Floor" was great, But five years later I don't seem to get much of a kick out the thing. In the months leading up to the "Hard Candy" release date, I was delighted to see a more sexually free Madonna in interviews and photo shoots. "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" is probably the best Justin Timberlake collabo Madge has ever done. Madonna is the only recognized "Queen of Pop" and for almost thirty years now she's been making us (for lack of a better word) get our grooves on to her irresistible blend of Pop and Electro dance grooves. "Give it 2 me" is a provocative, dance floor scorcher that shouldn't be missed.
Aside from the disappointing "4 Minutes" and the horrible (and incorrect) "Spanish Lesson", the up-tempos are all winners. "Miles Away" is a heartbreaking ode to the long distance relationship with her then husband Guy Ritchie and the albums closer, "Voices" is a haunting and well written piece (this is what "Like it or not" should've sounded like) and I must also mention that I LOVE the clever "Are you walking the dog, or is the dog walking you." line.In closing I find this album an improvement over the previous one. it's Madonna getting back to her roots and mixing dance music with other genres (hip-hop, electro.etc) to create a unique music experience. "4 Minutes" is one of the weirdest "save the world" anthems I've heard thus far. In all honesty though while I admire Britney and enjoy her music immensely, I view Britney as a sort of Madonna imitator.
It's simply Madonna doing what she does best - making dance music (good dance music at that). I understand Madonna's the "Queen of Reinvention" and I don't want her to repeat herself, But can you really blame a fan for wanting the "Queen of Pop" to get some of her old mojo back. I was excited about the project, until I heard her collaboration with Justin Timberlake on the radio. No, it doesn't break any new ground, But that's part of the reason I like it. Good job Madonna and keep up the great work.
Overall, I can even hear echoes of her debut album from 25 years earlier. Madonna's previous release, 2005's "Confessions On a Dance Floor" ranks as among the greatest improvements I've seen in almost any artist that I've listened to ever, considering how badly "American Life" turned out to be in my book. "Give It 2 Me" is pure fun and picks right up where songs like "Hung Up", "Sorry" and others left off. With such a high bar raised with COADF, it was very difficult to even come close to matching it. The follow-up "Hard Candy" certainly is a few steps down from that but overall still is a very enjoyable release, and another good Chapter in Madonna's legacy of music. It is arguably my favorite song on this album and was a well-deserved hit on the charts.
I just purchase "Hard Candy" and "Erotica" by Madonna. It's like your cute little relative smudging his or her hands all over your Limoges or heirloom tablecloths with chocolate. You know when you have an adorable, gifted and talented relative who doesn't know when to quit and keeps messing up your valuables. Well, Justin Timberlake's mitts have invaded "Hard Candy", along with that boorish Timberland. It was like an older relative trying to keep up with the little darling, but getting exhausted. The 'Timbers' overproduction and heavy beats overpowered Madonna's vocals.
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