MDNA
The Queen of Pop may be growing older and she may be writing about things she never dreamed she\'d be contemplating back when she was telling Papa what not to preach, but Madonna is still musically as youthful and limber as ever. *MDNA* is her \"divorce\" album, an idea that gathers steam when you hear words like \"pre-nup\" and \"ex-wife\" bounce up in the mix. A committee of producers ensure she gets the sleekest sounds currently available and when she toys around with her image, it\'s mostly to prove that Lady Gaga still has competition. \"Give Me All Your Luvin\'\" features a cheerleading section that includes M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj. \"Superstar\" unashamedly pushes a chorus that\'s simplistic but effective. The most interesting moments are the most explicit, when Madonna sheds whatever politeness she\'s maintaining for what she\'s really thinking. \"Gang Bang,\" whose violence seems aimed right at ex-husband Guy Ritchie, and \"Some Girls,\" where the hurt and bitterness sounds a bit like the pot calling the kettle black, represent Madonna 2012-style.
Madonna's 12th studio album, featuring collaborations with M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj, is the product of both a merger and a divorce.
The title of Madonna’s new MDNA is working on several levels. There’s the association with MDMA, the already-passé drug of choice among the current crop of nü-ravers who have been steadily influencing the pop charts, and whom MDNA is clearly courting with shiny club-pop that’s begging to be plugged into the playlists…
Most pop stars reach a point where they accept the slow march of time, but not Madonna.
"It will leave even her most hardened fans feeling crappy once the buzz has passed"Early reviews of Madonna's 'MDNA' album have been very good indeed.
If you've watched her astonishing Super Bowl performance - during which she even manages to make pop-rap numpties LMFAO seem sufferable - you’ll know Madonna has definitely still got it.
Madonna's 12th album fails to come alive until long-term collaborator William Orbit gets involved, writes<strong> Gareth Grundy</strong>
Madonna pilfers the title of one of her earliest rivals’ songs during the hook of “Girl Gone Wild,” only to defang it of its feminist bent.
<p><strong>Alexis Petridis</strong>: Neither triumph nor disaster, Madonna's new album is business as usual – but then this is no usual business</p>
Madonna pleasingly, self-consciously holds her own in Gaga gangland. CD review by Thomas H Green