Music

Over produced electronic tech over powering nearly every song, Madonna almost became a backing singer. Sorry Madge you can do much better

i'd like to apologize for every bad thing i've said about britney spears.

Madge is one of the iconic, all-time great pop artists, no arguments, and this is one of her better albums with some great singles on it. I note that this has been expunged from more recent editions of 1001 Albums, presumably because it is so similar in vintage, style and intent to Ray of Light (and Ray of Light is clearly the superior album). And Madonna is an amazing pop artist, but, as a pop artist, probably better represented by singles than albums. And the singles here are bangers. There are some production elements that date the album -- the occasionally egregious autotune, the digital glitch effects, the synth that goes "weeeeeeee-oooooooo-yoooooooooooow" -- but these are largely all forgivable. If you push into the cutting edge of fashion, then your records will eventually end up sounding of their time. I am less forgiving of the bonus track cover of 'American Pie'. Not because I feel that the song is somehow sacred -- my eternal and burning hatred of that song is a matter of public record -- but rather because she has somehow made it even worse. It is four full minute shorter than Don McLean's original album version -- thank heavens for small mercies -- but it still feels stilted and joyless and it drags on forever before coming to an abrupt and anticlimactic end. I blame the record company for the inclusion of this mistake. Everyone should own at least one of Madonna's singles compilations; they are full of bangers and show her at her best. Personally, I love The Immaculate Collection, although I understand if you also want some of her post-1990 hits as well. For me, Music would only scrape into her top five studio albums, but it is still a very strong pop album. Most pop artists would kill for an album this good.

Auto-tune fuckery.

A bit dull and a bit derivative. Definitely some Daft Punk and other big late 90s pop influence, it just felt a bit disingenuous.

It amazed me that somehow 750+ albums in, and this is only my 2nd Madonna album. Then I remembered that this is her electronica phase. And this book creams in its pants if anything comes anywhere near close to uttering the word "electronic" A couple of real clunkers on this one. And the vocoder is also too much.

This is not the Madonna that I like. Hate the electronics. Could be her worst album.

From this album I could not explain why Madonna is a huge pop star

I’m all for Madonna but this is NOT iconic Madonna. Everything’s crazy over-produced and auto-tuned. Give me just about any other Madonna album, but this one ain’t it

Too much auto tune, bad electronic beats, and a terrible iteration of American Pie 💩

Future sounds

MUSIC MAKES THE PEOPLE COME TOGETHER YEAH

The singles from this one were fun and ubiquitous when this album was new. The rest feels like uninspired filler.

Meh, she's not my fave.

What in the actual fuck. So the cover looks like a country/western album, and the songs are all autotuned with terrible repetitive lyrics. I wasn't a Madonna fan in the 80's, but will admit that she was hugely popular and a big part of pop music, but this album seems to have come well after her prime, and I'm not sure what she was chasing here. It's utter rubbish. At least they put the word "music" in quotes, like "cheese food."

You can't blame Madonna for trying something different. This is worlds apart from her 80s material. She embraces the new technology such as auto-tune. While I'm sure this was cutting edge in 2000, it has aged like milk. The production gets old quick and there isn't much beneath the shiny new sound. Her lyrics aren't great. Her feminism on "What It Feels Like For A Girl" feels so hollow and it being smothered by the production certainly doesn't help her message land. The album ends on a sour note with her atrocious take on "American Pie". I won't be returning to this, but I'm keeping an open mind when I get to Madonna's other two records on the list.

Man when Madonna is good, she’s good. As we see even today! She just made a new classic album this year! This feels like the dark side of “Ray of Light” (duh). Similar production, similar electro pop and Portishead vibes, but the songs are a little more downbeat here than the celebratory Ray of Light album. Quite listenable, the sound is extremely modern. There’s entire artists, arguably entire genres, today that are just trying to sound like this album.

Really loved the overall sound of this one, even if the songs aren't as immediately memorable as her 80s peak.

Impressive instant is good I like don't tell me. I like American Pie as well. Overall 3 stars

Surprising album that I really enjoyed

An odd mix of dance and introspection from the mother of pop, but nonetheless interesting. This one is at its best when Madonna is more reflective and in her songwriting element, with some absolutely beautiful songs near the end. She just also mixes in some odd choices with glitchy beats and auto tune that don't quite work. A unique album, worth a listen, maybe not worth more.

After the title track follows garbage with a very high production value. Not sure I liked "don't tell me" because I was bombarded with it in the past or because I actually dig the danceable "striptease" sample

Meh

See my review of the previous Madonna albums. Opinion hasn't changed.

This sounds like one of those AI generated albums.

lov it

I don't know my music history very well (no pun intended) so I can't tell if Britney Spears sounds like Madonna or the other way around, but this album feels like she is trying to sound like Britney. Again, I don't know the exact situation but I do know a few early Britney songs and this has a eerily similar vibe in a trying too hard kind of way. I actually did sort of enjoy some of the things she was doing with vocal effects on a couple songs, and the others weren't exactly offensive to the ear either. Still found myself trying to like the album but I mostly didn't. 4/10

Not everything Madonna does is important and ground breaking. Music off the album Music is great for dancing. Somehow her version of America Pie is devoid of all passion.

On one hand, she does electropop before any major popstar. The good parts are really nice, but a lot of it comes off as cringe and shallow, the title track being a prime example.

This was dross after music

This is musically probably a 3 that I'm going to rate a 2 because I find Madonna pretty insufferable, especially over the course of a whole album.

It was fine???? Idk I didn't really dislike it perse but you're telling me this is an album I just HAD to listen to before I die??? Yeah okay. It's fine. It's nothing special. It makes me sad because it's so not Madonna.

I actually LOVE this version of American Pie because it's so bonkers. Who approved this? Why that beat? Just crazy creative decisions all the way down.

This doesn't feel provocative or edgy which is what I associate with Madonna. This feels like trend chasing and not what I would put as an essential Madonna entry on this list.

Yes, Madonna, we know, you're very very good at constantly reinventing yourself. In this album's case, you reinvented yourself into someone I'm not that interested in listening to - EDM beats, egregious 2000s autotune abuse, chopped-up guitar samples, and generally music that doesn't excite me. Obviously, the title track was a spectacular success, and familiarity makes it catchy, but the rest of the album doesn't do a lot for me. But I'm not Madonna's target demographic anyway, and I feel like she's doing fine without me.

I like this quite a bit. The chopped up guitar and electrobeats with her dreamy voice selling me meaningless nothings. Way to stay relevant Madonna

Fun

There are a lot of songs on here that have never seen the light of day. I think that’s ok though because it sounded like Madonna heard them for the first time on the day she recorded them and then never again.

This is like the worst Madonna album

Wow, Madonna desperately trying to cling to relevance. This is like a McDonald's Hamburger - hits lots of big notes (Salt/Autotune, Fat/Synths, Protein/topical references) but like the McDonalds hamburger is ultimately unsatisfying. Sorry Madge, thanks for playing.

there's not even any bangers on this one Would I listen again: I literally did twice and I don't get it Deserves to be on this list: how 2.4

Okayy

I've been pleasantly surprised by her other albums, but this one feels like a past her prime release. I remember it all over the place when it came out, but it really doesn't hold up.

Hey this isn’t music by Playboi carti, on the real tho is pink pantheress the new Madonna?? Lemme know

I don't really like Madonna, I can admire her more than some of the more recent and less original Popstars, but her music has just never really appealed to me. Some of the production was very interesting, and I liked some of the Glitch Pop moments, there was definitely more to enjoy on this album than on some of her other work. 'Nobody's Perfect' was quite weak, and the cover of 'American Pie' was weird and didn't fit in at all. That being said, I did find moments of enjoyment, which isn't something that I usually find with Madonna's music, so this album is redeemable by some of those factors.

Good start but then I completely lost interest half way.

Not the worst album on this list by any means but pretty far from ‘hear before you die’ territory. Sounds very dated.

Starts pretty strong. This fares better when it indulges in hard pop and dance sounds of the time. Loses steam with all the ballads, which comprise a surprising amount of this. Pick the tempo up and we’re back in business.

Loved it!

What da synthesizer She is trying SO hard to be attractive, but it just ain't working

Starts off OK, second half of the album is barely listenable

I though the first quarter was complete garbage - not a fan of the experimental vocals - it was heading straight towards a 2. I thought possibly maybe this was the album sound, but no, it opened up in a good way in the last half and got rid of the terrible club music-like vocals. Mostly I think this album is an album I've completely forgot about other than certain melodic moments, so I personally don't think this is a must-hear in anyway. I feel because it has Madonna on it as the artist name that it's made people overrate it because of that and think this is a maddening release. I think I could live my life without this one. Highlight Song/s: "Don't Tell Me" and "What It Feels Like for a Girl"

Artiste connue et détestée. Je n’ai pas pu aller au bout de cet album sans intérêt. L’accompagnement electronica/dance est mauvais, et je n’aime pas le chant bourré d’effets et d’autotune. A fuir. =>1/5

This was far from a country album and too techno dance club vibe for my taste.

It seemed to be trying to do pop and dance music at the same time and it didn’t work

Better than I thought it was gonna be tbh. The back half really drags but the front side is pretty solid. I'm never gonna listen to it again, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Sounds just like an extension of Ray of Light-more house/techno/electronica/auto tune tracks. And back half of album really drags. Not really sure why I HAD to listen to this…..

Madonna stays relevant 15 years after her debut when’s she’s 42. That shouldn’t matter but unfortunately it does. Quite incredible. 4.5

Surprisingly good. Must admit its an extremely polished production. very listenable and pretty flawless. I dont buy her albums but this was very consistently good and more entertaining than I expect. Decades of production evolution, and the best music professionals money can buy. She never stops reinventing.

I haven’t listen to any full Madonna records before but wow that was fun! Disco? Check! Pop? Check! Cool ass production? Check! I’m a bit young to have listened to Madonna at her peak but I’m starting to get the hype just from this album. Musssssicccccccc

(8.2)

It’s hard for me to get in the mindset to appreciate Madonna in the first place, much less 2000s Madonna.

Lots of interesting production across this album. Maybe I've been sleeping on Madonna?!?!

One decent track. The rest is garbage.

not very good, but there were a couple tracks that make it not a 1 star, I enjoyed Gone and Music.

Ah a 2000’s Madonna album. I didn’t need to listen to this, I heard the title track enough on Much Music when I was 16 and well it could have stayed there. What a terrible song, what a terrible album. I will admit that Don’t Tell Me kinda scratched an itch of mine, I think the song kinda sucks but I was into it. To pile on a bit more, I think Madonna tried to tag in late on the “Girl Power” movement with her lazy contribution of “What it Feels Like to be a Girl” and to pile on the even further, this album art is dumb. 2 stars

Think this Madonna may be going places.

proto charli xcx. idk why ppl hating this fye

Another record that immediately takes me back to watching TRL when I got home from middle school in 98-00. It feels like the singles from "Ray Of Light" just ended and then "Music" showed right up to hold Madonna's place on the countdown. I wasn't prepared for some of the aggressive autotune on this album. I know that was kinda in vogue (see what I did there?) at the time, but this feels a lot more garish than I like to remember it. What a time. I'm also not convinced this one NEEDS a spot on the list... It kinda feels like 1.) Madonna has been so broadly influential that Mr. Dimery felt that she should have several records on the list, even if they aren't specifically important on their own. 2.) There was some recency bias when the original list was made that compelled him (and/or the critics who helped him) to favor "Ray Of Light" and "Music". I'm not convinced they're her best, but I've also not listened through her whole discography.

Pop die niet licht verteerbaar is, en verder ook niets om het lijf. De 1-2 leuke nummers redden de plaat niet.

Don’t tell me, and music are classic Madonna hits, but the rest filled some auto tuned mediocrity. Definitely expected better

I know this album was sort of meaningful in the overall Madonna catalog in that it was a reinvention and produced a few bit hits. But overall, it's sort of meh and fairly forgettable and another example of an album deep in an artist's catalog that probably could have been skipped to make room for something else that is not represented.

The cowgal album cover is extremely confusing - I'm sure there's a story there but I don't know what it is ... This wasn't bad - another "this is never going to be my thing" album, but there were a few I liked (the last song in particular), and I admire the adaptability. I'm officially lodging a complaint, however, that we're getting 3 Madonna albums on here and not one early one which was (old man voice) by far her best era. I guess I'm Mr. Blue when it comes to Madonna.

I couldn't figure out what was going on with that album.

It’s Madonna

A weird one for the list, feels pretty generic. Doesn't really have any noteworthy Madonna hits on it. Varies between a few songs that I found pretty decent (Music, Amazing, Gone) and a few songs that I thought were genuinely atrocious (Nobody's Perfect, What It Feels Like For a Girl). The rest was just extremely whatever. Of all the Madonna albums, why this one?

Madonna is great, but this is not one of my favorite albums. ★★★

Really did not care for this, simply not music I would ever listen to.

Man, this was way better than I expected. Actually extremely mad fupping interesting. I personally really like Madonna's voice, and the production I think paired so well with it. A couple ones that really stood out to me were music, nobody's perfect, and don't tell me. There are a few times there where I did a double take because I thought my phone was glitching, but it was actually just the production being erratic. Really good just a few skips.

Never listened to Madonna in my life, but I did not think this is what they meant. Genuinely was so shocked on the first track. This album was such an amazing marriage of what I expected from her in an acoustic singer songwriter, and this completely new sound so typical of Y2K, but done perfectly with that weird French producer. This is the kind of sound. I absolutely love in the weird noises that go perfectly together my one complaint came up in about trek five I thought songs were running a little too long, but then I realized every time I would start thinking that about a song there would be some new sound that the producer brought in that was just so weird and awesome. Throbbing bass lines. I love that suppressed drum that uncovers into the chorus in runaway lover. Fuck fucking yes. Genuinely no skips here for me. However, the standouts for me are music, impressive, talent, what it’s like for a girl, don’t tell me, and paradise. Every song is so interesting.

Extremely interesting throughout. It’s crazy how much of this album impacted pop music today. Like charli was raised on it. Not exactly my favorite style

Interesting album honestly. Guess it was a bit of a surprise to her base. Has aged fairly well for a 2001 pop album too!

I'll never understand the popularity of Madonna. All she did was poorly copy other artists that weren't famous.

Well produced and some good tunes but a bit too soulless and calculated for me.

I was not excited to listen to this but I actually really liked it. Maybe not a top album for me but still it’s nice to be pleasantly surprised. Will come back again some day.

I really expected to hate this outside of the singles, but other than the odd dance-y song I thoroughly enjoyed this record and found myself adding several songs I’d not heard before to my liked songs playlist. A very pleasant surprise.

Hey Mr Dinnery, don’t play this album for me! Why this bog standard pop music made it to the list I’ve no idea (if it wasn’t by Madonna it surely wouldn’t be in contention). And to cap it off, a horrific cover of American Pie- you’ll wish the music died alright.

Judging from the cover, you might be expecting a country-influenced album. Instead, we get a very electronic album with some experiemental influences, in a similar vein to Ray of Light, her previous album also produced by William Orbit. It's definitely my kind of thing. That being said, not all of it grabbed my attention, but highlights like the title track, 'Runaway Lover' 'What It Feels Like for a Girl' and 'Paradise (Not for Me)' are enough to warrant a low 4 rating.

Madonna has some great songs, but unfortunately none of them were on this album. It wasn’t terrible, just pretty dull, with rather grating glitchy electronic production and vocoded/autotuned vocals, and very poor lyrics (case in point: ‘I want to singy, singy, singy, like a bird on a wingy, wingy, wingy’). Along with ‘Amazing’, the catchy title track was one of the stronger songs, although the claim on Wikipedia that it has ‘political implications’ because she uses the word ‘bourgeoisie’ genuinely made me laugh out loud. Mostly fine, but not one I’ll seek out again, hence a high 2 stars.

Banging. Sonically, this comes across as an underground album - urgent, mysterious. Good tunes, too But it runs out of steam during side 1. If it was all as good as the first 3 tracks it would be a four star LP. But, no. 2 stars

I don't think there could be a more rando Madonna album here. Sure, she's immensely influential, but this album isn't really one of her profound ones. Yea, we know the first track, but the rest just kind-of blend into forgetfulness.

ooit was deze dame relevant, maar dat is al zeer veel manen geleden

i forgot she was white

Do I have to?

just not that into her you know Will I listen to again: 0%

Título bem pretensioso. É simultaneamente fascinante e decepcionante ouvir esse álbum. Primeiramente, é inegável que a sonoridade desse disco é bem profética das direções estupefatas que a música Pop ia tomando nos anos seguintes. Por outro lado, fica aquela sensação que a Madonna simplesmente estava tentando de tudo pra tentar se manter dentro do zeitgeist. Os efeitos “futuristas” no disco são legais. Com diversos glitches e aquele autotune bem característico da virada do milênio que foi tão zombado. Realmente um produto do seu tempo, mas não vejo isso como algo inerentemente negativo. Tem um charme. Legalzinho, mas não ouviria mais vezes. Bacana. Ok. 3.5/5

No. Just no.

Not her best work, obvs. Why is this even here? Still, it’s freakin’ Madonna, and we get “Music” and “What It Feels Like for a Girl.”

Close enough, welcome back Cowboy Carter Not her best I must say, really preferred Ray Of Light, and surely there’s an album from her earlier career more suitable? Surprised to see flagrant auto tune as a stylistic choice on an album this early, sounded very distracting, and the skipping at the start of Don’t tell me was certainly a decision

Hot ass I feel like I was too harsh on the last Madonna album and have been meaning to go back and give it another chance But god damn Nobody’s perfect sounds like what everyone thinks reality awaits sounds like and the American pie cover sounds like really bad karaoke 1.5