Hard Candy

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

New Madonna alBUM!

Out today!

Timbaland and suchlike!

I didn't like it much (after yo-yoing on it a bit). But what do you think?

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

It's about half good-to-great, half APPALLINGLY BAD. '4 Minutes' and 'Give It 2 Me' are awesome, totally banging. 'She's Not Me' is funny once you realise she's taking the piss. The closing two tracks are great and really redeem the album, because until I got to them I was kind of wringing my hands over the album. 'Candy Shop' might be the worst album opener of Madonna's entire career, though, and a lot of the lyrics are beyond awful...clunky and trite.

The music is all standard early-00s, nothing which makes me go WHOA and quite a bit which makes me go ZZZ, but mostly passable. I still hate Pharrell.

Also, given that this follows hot on the heels of Mariah's triumph and Janet's way-more-than-adequate effort, it does feel as though Madonna is letting the aging-diva side down somewhat. Though I assume Madge will at least be better at picking the singles - Mariah releasing 'Bye Bye' instead of, oh, I dunno, ANYTHING ELSE on E=MC2 and Janet still failing to release '2nite' or 'Luv' are total head-spinners.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

now I've read it, your review is basically otm, esp re her awful listen-children phrasing these days (though I don't think the singing lessons are to blame at all, it's been a gradual process since American Life - her voice is pretty good on Ray Of Light and Music!)

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I think PARENTHOOD is probably as much to blame actually! The listen-children phrasing is fairly new.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

have you heard the Mariah and Janet albums yet btw? I assume you have given that you've heard, like, Lykke Li and Santogold.