MADONNA- HARD CANDY
April 2008: Madonna´s new album appeared in Europe. The tittle and the cover of the album remind the “Erotica” album. Many fans ask themselves if Dita character came back.
Madonna the dominatrix, the leader, the force, the mistress of an endless sexual reign without age.
Anyway, I must confess the first time I heard the new album I didn´t give not a penny for it. In later attempts my ear opened to the hip hop rythm that she introduced in this work. The music is surprising. Totally different from other albums. One thing that always surprises me about her is the ability she has to change the sound of every album. I suppose that this also has to be with the collaborators she chooses.
Let´s say “Hard Candy” is a good album in general although I prefer “Confessions on a dance floor” because I find it much more coherent and sound balanced.
A weak point is that Madonna´s voice is low. Sometimes yo have to make an effort to hear her.
The good things are the new digital arrangements used. They seemed to have been taken from mobile phones technology. It´s according to these modern times. Well used and placed.
The lyrics are not especially good but I find that she talks about feelings she wasn´t able to speak about in the past. She is a married woman now. She has a husband and children. She´s a world away from the sensual single lion she was: always trying to seduce every beast on earth. Now she seems worried about her man. The song “She is not me” seems revealing. Is she talking about some of her husband´s affairs…?. I love this song because she sings it absolutely convinced, she shouts “She doesn´t have my name”. (We know it Madge. No one has or will have your name).
In my opinion, Madge is going through the highest period in her life. Everyone around the world pays tribute to her many years on stage. In the past, it would have sounded flamboyant to hear all those voices singing “Hey Madonna”, adoring her as in the beginning of “Dance2Night“, song which I definetely love.
“Spanish Lesson” blew my mind. I adore every time she shows her love for Spanish culture and language. The value of this song is not the Spanish flavour- sound or even the lyrics, which are sung in a pretty bad Spanish by the way. The value is that sparkle, that touch, the magic that flows in the concept of it. I think everyone out there is turned on when listening that bridge that says:“If you do your homework, baby I will give you more”.These 3 tracks are my favourites, and that´s why I talked about them first, but continuing with the rest of the album, “Candy shop”, opens the album. I think the lyrics should have been better as well as the images and the concept of the album in general. I have this feeling about she has represented every fantasy on earth. She has played so many characters, has wore so many costumes that maybe there´s a lack of new ideas coming up around her.
“4 Minutes”, is the second track and even it was so announced in the media, I don´t find this the best track of the album. It has a good beat, yes and maybe the line “we have 4 minutes to save the world” is so well said and well used as the “tick tock” pronounced by Madge.The base of “Give it 2 Me” reminds me to a circus. The lyrics “Arrest me” and later “undress me” are very sexual and strong.
“Heartbreak” as well as“Miles away” give me the impression to talk about this new married woman analising, shouting a critic or just doing an exorcism of all the problems or her new life.
“Incredible”
appears as the nostalgic track. It tries to catch past times and experiences.
“Beat goes on” is a beautiful song. It´s one of those encouragings beats. You have to dance, celebrate, say what´s on your mind. Don´t waste your time! Pure Madge´s ´80s style! but with a more nostalgic- quite rythm.
“Devil wouldn´t recognize you” and “Voices” are probably the only two serious tracks. The lyrics are not so evident and the music is thicker. Lines like: “Voices ringing in your head, tell me what do they say…?” “Who is the master and who is the slave” makes you think many things. Some bridges sound as taken from the soundtrack of a Tim Burton´s movie. They are strangely gothic and totally cut the atmosphere of the album.Madge is not the same person even in the pictures… she is not the girl that wanted to eat the world anymore. She looks tired in her glance… like keeping the business going, like tired of the same old song, but no matter what, every fan keeps loving her and waiting every new work.
To conclude and trying to compare, I would say that Confessions was an original sensual album. Hard Candy tried to be a second version of Erotica, but is not an erotic album. I think is just a good sexy recycled work that explores some chapters of Madonna´s new life.
