Madonna

[poseidon]

ampage said:

Is Roadrunner like DSL?

Start trying to eat healthy as well Pat, I packed on some pounds since quitting, but it is WAY worth it.

Roadrunner is high speed internet service courtesy of Time Warner. It's cable. Not that I know the difference between DSL and cable. I have the 'light' service which is about 15-20 bucks less expensive per month than regular road-runner. Light is supposed to be 5-6 times faster than dial-up. I would go with dial-up if I had regular, in-door phone service with SBC. As I use the mobile for everything I find it impractical to have phone service other than mobile.

Hey, I don't pay for the mobile anyway. Perk of the job.

[poseidon]

Pre-ordered "COADF" at Amazon.com today. With tax/s&h $13.97. My one cd for the month.

[poseidon]

RollingStone magazine's review of "COADF" was given 3 1/2 stars:


Madonna


Confessions On A Dancefloor


Originally released: 2005
Warner Bros. Records



In 1985, Madonna's navel ruled the world. That year -- which opened with "Like a Virgin" perched at Number One, and would later see "Crazy for You" knock "We Are the World" off the top of the charts -- she boiled down her philosophy, her definitive worldview, to one phrase. It kicked off "Into the Groove," perhaps her most sublime single ever (also the theme to Desperately Seeking Susan, still the only good movie she's been in). Over the most Eighties-sounding synthesizers imaginable, she proclaimed, "And you can dance -- for inspiration."
Twenty years later, the world's most famous Kabbalist has found other ways to seek enlightenment. But as Confessions on a Dance Floor illustrates, Madonna has never lost her faith in the power of the beat. Driven by kaleidoscopic, head-spinning production -- primarily by Stuart Price, better known professionally as Les Rhythmes Digitales -- Confessions comes on like an all-out disco inferno, and takes our girl Esther out of the English manors and yoga studios and back into the untamed club world where she made her name. This is an album designed for maximum volume. It's all motion, action, speed. The tracks are constantly shifting, with dizzying layers of sounds and samples dropping in and out, skittering and whooshing across the speakers. Unlike the crystalline precision of latter-day Madonna discs like Ray of Light and Music, the sonic signature here is a powerhouse density -- on tunes like "Future Lovers" and "Push," it's damn near psychedelic. Not only do the twelve songs all blend together like a ready-made DJ set, it's as if they also come pre-remixed.

Confessions also provides a crash course in dance-music history; aside from the candy-coated Abba sample in the first single, "Hung Up," there are fleeting quotes from the S.O.S. Band, the Tom Tom Club, the proto-electro novelty hit "Popcorn." Mrs. Ritchie even nods to her own past, with melodic snippets from "Like a Prayer" and "Holiday" peeking through.

For Madonna, the quest for transcendence has always been closely linked to the ecstatic release of dancing. But where her previous efforts at claiming dance-floor supremacy have usually revolved around the subject of music itself (think "Everybody" or "Vogue" or "Music"), on Confessions she shifts her focus to empowerment and self-sufficiency. "I can take care of myself," she sings on the throbbing "Sorry," a sentiment restated on "Jump" as "I can make it alone."

The only time the tempo drops is on Confession's centerpiece, "Isaac." The song was reportedly inspired by the sixteenth-century mystic Yitzhak Luria, which Madonna denies; whatever the case, with its Hebrew chanting and Rabbinic, spoken-word commentary, it's the disc's most explicit nod to her spiritual practices. The galloping beat and cascading acoustic guitar loop create an intriguing dynamic, evoking both African and Eastern European music, but the lyrics are elusive. "All of your life has all been a test," she solemnly intones, and then there's something about "wrestling with your darkness" -- like too much of Confessions, it's too indirect to add up to much.

A few other songs hint at the lessons learned from her religious awakening but fall short of revelation. On "How High," Madonna claims, "I spent my whole life wanting to be talked about," and asks, "Will any of this matter?" only to conclude "I guess I deserve it." The closing "Like It or Not" is intended as a bold declaration of independence, but its string of cliches feels lazy ("Sticks and stones may break my bones"? Madge, you can do better than that). On the other hand, her willingness to rhyme "New York" with "dork" on the spiraling "I Love New York" is a flash of the old Ciccone sass -- the album would have benefited from more.

Madonna's songwriting has always been her most underrated quality. But while Confessions absolutely hits its mark for disco functionality, its greatest strength is also its weakness. In the end, the songs blur together, relying on Price's considerable production magic to create tension or distinctiveness.

Coming off her last album, the tepid American Life, the forty-seven-year-old mother of two wants to show that she can still stay up late. Confessions on a Dance Floor won't stand the test of time like her glorious early club hits, but it proves its point. Like Rakim back in the day, Madonna can still move the crowd.



ALAN LIGHT
(Posted Nov 03, 2005)










Madonna

[poseidon]

"It kicked off "Into the Groove," perhaps her most sublime single ever (also the theme to Desperately Seeking Susan, still the only good movie she's been in)." - Alan Light.

I disagree with Mr. Light's opinion stated above. I've found several Madonna movies extremely entertaining. "Dick Tracy, Body Of Evidence and Evita" come quickly to mind when I think of entertaining Madonna in the movies.

Some sucked-the-root bad though: "Shanghai Surprise" (whats with the pig-sh*t M?) "Who's That Girl" and "Swept Away" easily come to mind when thinking of annoying Madonna in the movies.

I will confess though I saw "Who's That Girl" at Mann's Chinese Theater back in '87. Twice in fact. 18 years ago I even thought it was kinda good...things change.

[poseidon]

Here is the link to listen to Madonna's new album "COADF" in it's entirety, for free courtesy of MTV.COM

www.mtv.com/bands/az/madonna/1002963/album.jhtml[/url]

[Matheus]

Listened to the new Madonna album a couple of times, and here are my thoughts.

Many people have talked about the album "harkening" back to Madonna's earlier years, but you can hear flashes from her entire career, and yet it's a progression. Regressive progression. I think the thing that comes to mind most, and what I'm seeing here and having seen the Re-invention Tour, is that she's not mourning her past anymore. Having fun with it, yet it's still Madonna where she's at now. I dunno.

What sucks about listening to it on VH1.com or MTV.com is that I can't skip "Hung Up," which I've heard about a hundred times. It's a silly song. No meat to it. The sound of it is fucking amazing, but it's not really my bag lyrically.

My favorite tracks: "Get Together," "Sorry," "Future Lovers," "Let It Will Be," "How High," "Isaac" (which is definitely not about Isaac Luria, any retard who hears the song can see that), and "Like It Or Not."

What was surprising was that she is using her deeper voice a lot here, a lot more than in her last three albums. Some of the songs remind me of the soulfullness of her voice during the "Bedtime Stories" album. It's nice to hear a little bit of that old Madonna in there.

She still seems to be obsessed with finding the humanity in technology, and I think she's succeeding. This is all rather scatterbrained, cause I can't skip back and forth through the tracks, which is cool. It's like listening to one long song, kinda like a journey with no ending till you actually get to the end.

It's impressive. Sonically, it's my kind of music. Lyrically, other than the lead single, I'm happy with it. I think, at the end of the day, it's up there with Like A Prayer and Ray Of Light in her pantheon of truly great albums.

[poseidon]

I'm going to have to listen to it a third time before writing an opinion I think. So far "Jump" is my favorite song. That much I can say for certain.

[poseidon]

"Jump" has the feeling/sound/rhythm of another great dance song kinda in the league of... "Vogue"

[poseidon]

"Confessions On The Dancefloor" My review:

After the third listen I have to say this is one great and enjoyable dance album. "Hung Up" is only the beginning of an album that to me, is in the genre of music I have always liked and really can "get-into": Pop-Disco.

Which group sings that 70's song "Baby we can do it, do it right" that is sung in "Get Together?" I want to say "Kool And The Gang or the Bee-Gee's" but am sure I'm probably wrong. Another danceable song comes on the third song on the album "Sorry." Love all the various languages and words that mean "Sorry." Next comes a song that totally blows me away, "Future Lovers" which opens with the melody of Donna Summer's classic song "I feel love." What can I say I LOVE this song. Definitely contains a beat that is so 80's get down and dirty bath-house-ish.

Next comes "I love new york" which is sooo like, valley-girlish. Like all the other songs with the exception of "Isaac" these songs are so feel-good, get-out-of-yourself, dance your ass off 70's and 80's music sounding.

The blending of songs between tracks is to me, very fresh and original.

"Let It Will Be and Isaac" are my least favorite songs on the album. "Isaac" definitely sticks out like a sore thumb in context to the beat and theme of the album. Neither song is bad. They are my least favorites. The two songs I enjoy the least.

Now comes "Forbidden Love" and "Jump" songs which again very much remind me of music played in bath-houses in the pre-aids days of the late 70's and early 80's. Both songs are wonderful. Again the no-cares-worry feeling that I love so much in music. Particularly dance music.

Thats what this album is folks: a dance album that will go far in the clubs, taverns, pubs, and bars of the world. Better in my own very humble opinion, than every other Madonna album with the exception of "Ray Of Light" in the range of emotion and feelings the words and music invoke in this avid music lover.

"How High, Push, Like It Or Not" just continue the feeling of getting on the dance floor and shakin'-that-thang for all the money that thang is worth...hardy-har-har.

4 1/2 out of 5 Patlogi A.K.A. Mercury stars.

[poseidon]

Favorite to least favorite tracks, not that any of them are bad songs:

Jump

Future Lovers

Forbidden Love

Like It Or Not

How High

Get Together

Push

Sorry

Hung Up

I Love New York

Isaac

Let It Will Be

[Matheus]

Ahhhh... okay... in order of my initial liking...

1. How High
2. Let It Will Be
3. Isaac
4. Future Lovers
5. Sorry
6. Like It Or Not
7. Get Together
8. I Love New York
Give it up to the city, baby!!!
9. Hung Up
10. Jump
11. Forbidden Love
12. Push

Yeah, I think that about sums it up.

[poseidon]

I'm already predicting that "Jump" is going to be an enormously huge gigantic hit for Madonna. It has everything; the snap, the dance, the flash. Everything!

[poseidon]

I think using whom-ever directed "Vogue" should direct the "Jump" video. Done right the song and video could be a great success.

What do you think Mat?

[poseidon]

I still think "Jump" is the best dance song with the greatest chance of "hit-ability." The entire song particularly the vocals and the sound just blow me away. Will make a great maxi-single.

[Matheus]

Mercury,

From what I understand, and the sticker that'll be placed on the CD, "Jump" is slated as the third single after "Hung Up" and "Sorry." So, I think your hopes will come true. I've also read that they're saying 5 singles are going to be released for the album because Warners think the album is that good.

I don't know how well the album will do, but I think it's safe to say that it'll have as many if not more hits on the Dance/Club Play Chart... I believe Madonna had 7 #1s from American Life on that chart (American Life, Hollywood, Nothing Fails, Love Profusion, Mother and Father, Nobody Knows Me, and Die Another Day). Obviously, this is a record. And with Hung Up, she has received her 34th in the history of her career.

People know I'm a Madonna fan, and I gotta say, a lot of not really Madonna fans are quite smitten with "Hung Up," and it's doing very well on radio around here.

As for David Fincher (the director of "Vogue"), I highly doubt that'll happen. He's kind of a big movie director now. Panic Room, Seven, and Fight Club are all movies he directed. I believe he also directed Madonna's Express Yourself and Bad Girl videos.

And most people are saying "Sorry" is the best chance for "hit-ability" on the album.

Who knows, all I know is that I got my pop record for the next 2 years until Madonna will probably release another one. And it never is about the album, even though it's awesome, what always keeps me interested are the ridiculous amounts of remixes that are out there to be found using the only pop star worth mentioning.