Reviews (page 7 of 8)
I can understand the historical weight this album has. How controversial and revolutionary it was back in late eighties when it was released. But the music itself it’s not exciting in most of the cases. Don’t get me wrong, some songs are legendary, but the album as a whole, has flat points. I think it has songs you should listen before you die. I think you should have a basic knowledge of the context and relevance of late 80s Pop scene, but not all these songs are worthy or the album works as a full entity.
As to be expected high level pop from Mrs Donna, sounds of its time but nifty vocals and thumping pop. Can only ever associate it with discos at holiday camps.
Pray for this shite to end
Started strong. I sang along to bits of it, but it fizzled out.
I had a good old sing song to 4 or 5 tracks, of which are scattered across the album, to the point that these tracks are the only thing holding it all together, the rest feels like filler, albeit very well produced filler.
I have never really sat down and listened to Madonna before despite her influence. This album proved to be an eye opening experience. This is some of the best crafted pop I've ever heard. There are sounds that certainly date it, but overall, it is musically coherent. There are moments that verge into baroque pop (Dear Jessie into oh Father) that I was surprised by and really enjoyed. The content of this album is very personal and grapples with issues of family and abuse told through a religious lens. I enjoyed the religious imagery and felt that it gave the album a more literary sense; it certainly shows how much thought was put into this album.
One could argue that Madonna was The Artist of the '80s. But this particular album is average at best. 2 1/2 stars, and I'm rounding down. If this had the name of another artist on it, it would get little attention.
Understimulating. I'll have to listen again
i like the first song but i don't think this is my type of music
Great pop album with a few duffers - sadly the two Prince tracks in that. First time I've listened to this and plenty to recommend it but ultimately not perfect pop.
Aika geneeristä poppia. Like a Prayer nyt on klassikko ja Oh Father oli uusi ihan hyvä yllätys
Never been a fan. But this record was huge
I was pleasantly surprised to find this as underwhelming as it was. Because I'd always wondered if I'd missed out on some genius, which is what so many people tell us she is. I hate the video of Like a Prayer, but it is a strong song, while Cherish is a sweet bit of pop. Is forgotten just how boring Express Yourself was. Truly terrible. The rest was lightweight and really quite boring. Just filler. As for Dear Jessie: people go to jail for less. Madge is the ultimate triumph of style over substance.
There are a few songs I love, and her voice is great, but later efforts are so much better.
There's some catchy bops on here but like most 80s music it just starts to wear down on me until I end up hating it.
Madonna seems to be a bit of a controversial figure these days with how much she has changed her appearance. Personally, I think she’s pretty punk. She knows how she wants to look, and doesn’t really care what other people think about it. I think that’s pretty admirable. Songs I already knew: Like A Prayer, Express Yourself, Cherish Favourites: Cherish, Till Death Do Us Part This was a really fun album! With it being Madonna, I was wondering if I’d actually know most of the songs once I listened, but I surprisingly didn’t. That being said, even the unfamiliar songs were generally enjoyable. There were a few songs that did feel a little weaker, but certainly no songs that I’d consider to be bad. Overall, this is very enjoyable 80’s pop music, and I’d recommend this album to anybody that enjoys a bit of cheesy pop.
Great Album
I’ve been looking forward to listening to some Madonna albums from this album but honestly I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. The first two songs are classic 80s Madonna but then it starts to become bland abba like music before the last two tracks turn into rock or something. It wasn’t bad but it was almost too stereotypically 80s for its own good. Excited for like a virgin though.
Wow this is bad. This album makes me understand why grunge took over everything in the early 90s. If I was 16 when this album came out,, my entire personality would become "not this". Like A Prayer is a good track, but I think the rest of the album makes it worse in context.
Really disliked this, and Madonna lacks vocal ability
Album took a massive nose dive after like a prayer. Such a good song, and the rest if the album is... trash. Nah, not for me.
The two opening tracks are bangers. Cool to hear Prince on Love Song, never heard this full album before from front to back. Cherish is adorable. Some of these songs are a bit longer than they need to be; I’m sure there’s radio edits (which I have heard for as long as I can remember). This pop music is ubiquitous. Dear Jessie’s lyrics are a bit of a trip but there are some cool layers in this song. Keep it Together has some rad guitar parts. I like when she says the thing about the computer in Act of Contrition
The first two tracks prevented this from being a single star outing with Madonna.
I really didn't enjoy this album. The album opens with such promise as the title track is an excellent pop song. Then it goes completely downhill. With the only saving grace being Cherish. The slower tracks such as Promise To Fly and Oh Father are just brutal. Keep it Together is a decent track. Pray For Spanish Eyes is a decent slower tracker, with solid instrumentation throughout. The last track is a head scratcher - comes across as some sort of joke track. It is cool that a lot of the guitar on this album is from Prince.
The Material Girl. I don’t know if it was the era or these particular songs but I couldn’t Keep It Together. I can’t even remember what it sounded like, I just blocked it from my memory after listening to it on Friday. I did NOT Cherish my time listening to this one. I mean, Like A Prayer is good and famous for a reason. Other than that, I didn’t find much here. Dear Jessie makes me feel like I’m watching a terrible live musical, and I’m sitting in the middle of row, inescapable of the shittiness that is occurring in front me. A true assault of the senses. I’m not familiar with Madonna’s catalogue, and this doesn’t make me want to be.
Woof, this one was rough. Starts off strong with the title track but its all downhill from there. My eyes almost rolled out of my head listening to Dear Jessie. Didn't think it could get any worse than that song but then Act of Contrition came on.... Didn't even make it through my second listen, had to turn it off. Boooo!
She is a pretty great singer but this album is kinda weird. Some decent stuff in here but a lot of fluff and 80s trash I have a hard time with. And then that last song is just an awful finish. There are some rock elements in here that sometimes get me going for sure, but overall just didn't connect with it.
Boourns
Has the same kind of rhythm as Brothers in Arms where it starts off with some bangers/upbeat songs, then really slows down which I don't quite understand. I really like these poppy songs though, I could certainly boogie this album. Dear Jessie sounds like every Disney song ever (not a bad thing). One of my biggest knocks is the album felt disjointed from song to song. Pray for Spanish Eyes was probably my favorite after the first 2 songs.
This album was all over the place. I wish it had the upbeat feel of the first two songs throughout the whole album but I still enjoyed it
This started off HOT with Like a Prayer and Express Yourself. Kinda faltered towards in the end in that bleh 80's sound but definitely an enjoyable listen.
This was really fun, and with a classic well known song
Dropped hard after “Like a Prayer”.
solid pop album through and through with one REALLY good song (Till Death Do Us Part)
I've never been a big fan but I know some of the songs. Interesting that Prince is on here too.
Hated this album when it came out. Still hated it after listening to it today. Not even Prince could save this turd.
Some great tracks here
Apart from the brilliant and controversial title track, the rest of the album is uninspiring.
Titelnummer is sowieso een banger. Maar eigenlijk ook leuk album voor de rest.
would be more of a 3.5 but it's just such a fun time
Great singer and very good writing and very forward thinking, especially for the time in 89. Nothing bad on here, especially how omnipresent some of these tracks became over the years. But only one or so that I would keep for myself (which, surprisingly, were the least popular songs on the album based on the listed number of Spotify plays)
2/5. Most of the album is a miss unfortunately. There is the first song, a little of the second, and most nice sounds throughout. Lower than average for sure.
an extra star only for “Cherish”
Var litt usikker på om det var en 3 eller 4 fordi jeg var ikke i Madonna humør i går, men vet jeg ofte kan havne i et Madonna humør og høre på det igjen
My mom loves this album
Like a prayer is very catchy and I really enjoyed the collab with Prince but this isn't really an album that I personally would listen to very often. Still liked it
What a phenomenal example of 80s/90s Pop. Madonna is a Queen and an icon and I will fight anyone who says otherwise The fact that she's still blazing the trail decades later is nothing short of incredible
Alright. Some jams
28th March 2023 Listened on the drive in to London. Saw accidental death of an anarchist with Harry and woody, stayed at woodys. Too much whiskey. There are loads of queens of pop but Madonna one of ‘em. Sounded like a soundtrack to a Disney film.
I don't get why people like Madonna. She has the worst kind of nasal vibrato, just not pleasant. The first two tracks are interesting enough to save this album, but just barely.
- Never listened to a Madonna album before - Not my thing but I can see why it was popular - First two tracks are way better than the rest of it - Fav songs: Like a Prayer, Express Yourself
Not my style but a good album
Madonna's response to herself. HOLD ON PRICE ON TRACK 3. Gotta give respect to the Prince. okay back to my main point. In the 80's Madonna had built this image of herself, being this ultimate pop star who does dance-pop hits and appeals to teens. Given the provocative Like a Virgin and her growth in maturity at the end of the 80's, it felt appropriate for Madonna to reflect on things and return with a Catholic lens. Hence, Like a Prayer. It's okay. A lot of Like a Prayer is cheesy and leans into adult contemporary, a genre doomed to be uninteresting and bland.
Nice
I was looking forward to this one, classic Madonna album. Opens huge with Like A Prayer which is just an absolute belter of a tune! Tails off somewhat after that, with not much else of note on the album that I could tell. If you’re mad for Madge then you’ll love this I would think, if you’re not a heavy fan you’ll find it pleasant enough but nothing to set your heather alight. Solid 3 stars.
I get why it was a hit. Every song kinda sounded the same though
A classic pop album!
It's wonderful how this isn't one of my top3 of Madonna's but still a fantastic record. It rockets to a very strong start, with the tender ballad "Promise to Try" sandwiched before the iconic "Cherish." A couple of the slow burners don't go over as well the aforementioned one ("Oh Father," "Pray for Spanish Eyes"), and the second half falters somewhat noticeably as a result. While True Blue was easily more sophisticated than her first two records, this one pushes it further. Madonna's more pronounced interests in religion, feminism, LGBTQIA+ activism and all that mean that she's way more potentially tiring for people who just want to enjoy the music without her views being overbearing. Truthfully, I don't think that prevents Like a Prayer from being a marvelous pop album. Ultimately, it's still among her best studio achievements.
3 hits and a lot of bleh
Listened on 3/20/23 3.5/5 Favorite song: like a prayer Madonna is an icon and so is this album
Like a Prayer was really the only song I was a big fan of. 2.5.
Just some classic catchy pop straight through, makes me understand how big Madonna was
It’s a Madonna album.
Omg, I’m having a Madonna crisis…the previous album I listened to (Ray of Light) opened my ears to the fact Madonna does not have a strong singing voice and I can’t unhear it. I thought I loved this album but actually - nope. One song really got me in the feels though - Promise to Try - but it was the lyrics more than the delivery. Possibly? I don’t know anymore. But whatever, Madonna doesn’t and shouldn’t care what I think. You go girl!
Damn no wonder she is so popular
I really did not like this one at all
A couple of the hits on this are great. The rest I thought was alright.
Production sounds great on this, songs are super catchy. Could easily tell Prince worked on this even before his feature. Enjoyed the first half of this album, second half got a lil too out there. In usual pop fashion, the subject of the lyrics become so broad to the point that it starts to sound generic.
Not really my vibe but I appreciate the sound
okay ngl this is actually REALLY good like the number of times i went "oh it's THIS song!" was ridiculous, bunch of huge hits with that signature 80s madonna feel to it. very solid!
The pop album, not a fan of pop
Highlights: "Act of Contrition," "Till Death Do Us Part," "Dear Jessie" This seems like an instance of image and brand superseding music. The deeply personal subjects don't make the lyrics inherently good. It presupposes a fan's parasocial emotional investment. There's a real clumsiness to her lyrics, like the phrases don't have rhythm or carry melody. Some ideas are better than others, but they also contradict in an artless way, like how she immediately goes from moaning about how glad she is to have escaped her father to a blunt insistence on keeping families together. There are interesting hooks, busy keybass -- but also thin mixing and overwrought, hokey backing vocals. The Prince tracks are all standouts that make we wish he'd kept them for himself. The other striking elements in her music are very reminiscent of Kate Bush. In the end, it has good moments musically, and even some striking performances like parts of "Spanish Eyes." But there's nothing she contributes to her influences, and it's no culmination of those influences. Derivative, maudlin, and annoying much of the time.
“Like a prayer” is a good song and then it quickly goes downhill from there. Some of the background singers highlight how weak her vocals are. End of the album is all filler. Not sure how this made the list other than cultural significance. So much processed synth it’s like McDonald’s for the ears. There is probably a candidate for a female Rickroll (Madroll?) in here.
As pop goes, this isn't bad. I'm not going to go out of my way to listen to it again, but I wouldn't be miserable if it was on in the background somewhere.
Really enjoyed this album. The clean and bright shine that emanates from every pore of this album is so much fun to listen to. Such a great sound with so much pop star power.
Some decent some not
Bit of a mixed bag but alright
Like a prayer is good the rest is just shit
Classic pop. Some strange songs on here, but all enjoyable.
Wow, having been sour on Madonna for a while this was a really enjoyable surprise. I had no idea that Prince was involved (in at least 4 songs by my count) with this one, and no idea he played guitar on the title track! Generally a very solid album with some stellar moments. Great find.
Let me get this straight - Madonna collaborated with PRINCE for one of the songs on this album, and THEY DIDN'T RELEASE THAT AS A SINGLE?
Pleasantly surprised by this one. I've only heard Madonna's hits, but I found myself tapping my toes to pretty much every song. And Like a Prayer (song) is likely her best song. It's complex, catchy, perfectly written and executed. About as perfect of a pop song as you can get. That song alone is worth 2 stars, then add Express Yourself, Love Song (with Prince!) you get an easy 4 star album. It's a bit dated with the sampled instruments, which keeps it from being a 5 star to me, but I'll definitely spin this one again.
кроме известных ничего не ухватило (конечно, за три раза-то); очередные ревелейшны про каверы; вокалист она не особо
Not my thing but a few classics on there. The rest seems solid if you like the type of music.
Three of the four indelible tracks (namely ‘Like A Prayer’, ‘Cherish’ and ‘Express Yourself’) all appear on the Immaculate collection in superior forms. The other one, the fantastical ‘Dear Jessie’ is a must listen here. The rest of it is serviceable filler some a bit weaker (‘Promise to Try’ and the also the Prince duet dissapointingly).
Title track is a certified banger but I feel like the rest just can’t live up to it. Still, some solid pop.
My parents weren't big Madonna fans so I know next to nothing about her discography. Maybe I'm a liar and actually knew more Madonna than I previously thought. My favorite song on this album is Till Death Do Us Part by far. I thought it was something a little different from her style and it honestly reminded me more of Pat Benatar but I really enjoyed it!
Very solid pop with some funky influences!
Not my jam! Didn’t win me over.
Lame
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Like a prayer, Express yourself, Till death do us part
The title track is a pop great, and most of the album comprises quite varied and moderately interesting songs. I don't think I'll play it again though. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Like a Prayer Date listened: 06/02/23
sonzao tri
Average. Not my genre, but not terrible
Title track is great of course. Some songs pop songs but her singing doesn’t really do anything for me. The prince contributions are probably my favorite part. 3
Really tough to rate. Started off hot with like a prayer, and I love the prince contribution. “Promise to try” was pretty torturous, then dear Jessie was pretty awful too, although the ending was kind of cool. and the ballad after that was miserable. But then keep it together was sick! Spanish eyes was weird but points for castanets. Last song was pure prince. Emotional rollercoaster here but I guess 3? I kind of think the bad outweighed the good on this album for me though
This is fine. The songs start to blend together. The hits great.
Not a big fan of Madonna, although I do like a handful of songs. None on this album unfortunately. Big fan of Prince, so I liked his duet with her. I'm rating low because it's not my type of music.
Heard it before?: Yes Enjoy it?: Yeah, just wish it kept the same vibe from the opening and seems to calm don rather quickly which makes it drag a little to the finish Favourite song: Track 1 - Like A Prayer
Easy listening pop for teen-age girls in the 80's, not aged well but still something to hum at.
Already knew some of these songs and “Till Death Do Us Part” was a good new find. I probably won’t come back to this one but I enjoyed it for what it was
Strong start and finish. Lots of slow, 80s ballads in the middle that were a little touch for me. 3.5
The hits are the hits, the filler was filler, & the Prince duet was a nice surprise. 2/5: I wouldn’t turn it off if it came on, but I wouldn’t put it on voluntarily.
I've never really listened to pop music extensively before. Something about being anti-pop appealed to me in youth, but I do think of it as somewhat of a guilty pleasure genre now. I'm catching up. I know Madonna is a legend, and I suppose I was expecting to feel differently about Like A Prayer. This great expectation that I would fall in love with some poppy goodness. Bath in some sweet sounds. The title track is definitely a highlight. Overall, it was fun and decent to listen to while exercising, but that's all. Nothing really caught me. Maybe there's better Madonna out there, or at least some I'd enjoy more. I guess for another day. Also on the last track, "what do you mean it's not in the computer?". Almost startling. Ratings are getting tricky now because I want to be consistent to a degree. Somewhere between a 2 and a 3, but probably closer to a 2.
I’ve never listened to Madonna before outside of hearing her in malls in the 90s and on MTV in the early 2000s. Starting off I do wish the drums were a little punchier on Like A Prayer and Express Yourself they seem so timid. Nervously placed in the background. Once the slow moving hits on Love Song pop in you hear what sounds like completely different production style. Likely due to the difference between club bangers and deeper cuts. I won’t pretend I know what I’m talking about. There is some incredible instrumentation on this album. The string arrangements are beautiful. All of the funky gits and synths stood out on the tracks more than Madonna herself at some points. Personally I’ll give this a 3 but I totally understand why this is on the list. Individual song notes below: Love the gospel bit of Like A Prayer. A very epic opener to the album. Although, in a way it feels like I just walked into the middle of a conversation. Love Song is an excellent duet between some of the greatest to do it. As mentioned in my overview, I loved the production on this track. Let’s see if it is a total standout from the rest of the album. My favorite part is when madonna says kiss me in French and Prince goes “what?” Till Death Do Us Part has SO much cool shit going on. Funky clavs, wild synth, epic. Not to mention Madonna’s personal lyrics about her and Sean Penn’s seemingly very toxic relationship. Dude seems to have a serious anger problem. Really enjoyed this one from start to finish. Promise To Try sounds like a live performance. Very raw. Heavy track. Very cinematic. Beautiful cello solo. Cherish has this line “Romeo and Juliet they never felt this way I bet” and I just loved the delivery of it. Otherwise I couldn’t really get into this track. It was kind of just ok. Love the chorus-y guitars on Dear Jessie but holy moly the rest of the song is a little too musical theater-y for me. Oh Father is another very personal track. I hear where Beach House could’ve been inspired in the chorus with Madonna’s delivery of “you can’t hurt me now”. Wonderful slidy guitars on the outro. I love how Madonna turns it around lyrically with empathy towards the end. Keep It Together is for sure my favorite single out of the lot. It’s groovy, funky. Madonna has some excellent lyrical flow that is just so easy to bob your head to. Little sine-y bleeps on the final verse made me say wow. Madonna’s voice on the chorus of Pray For Spanish Eyes is so so great. I love the subtle crunchiness. Easily the best example of her voice on this album. It’s so raw, almost grungey. I don’t know what other word to use but damn she is going for it. I wish I understood Act of Contrition. It’s a little chaotic and seems unfinished. Reminds me of one of those tracks that starts way way after a CD ends but then boom hidden track. Weird.
Can you separate your revulsion for an overplayed pop sound, just to appreciate the album’s place in music history? Sometimes you just can’t.
Some great songs and some very forgettable ones like Love song and whatever the last song was. I loved the 80s pop sound - like a Michael Jackson. Low 4 for me.
I am really ignorant when it comes to some pop music. Typically it just goes in one ear and out some other. White noise. For instance, the only time I can consciously remember having heard “Like A Prayer”—a song I’m sure I’ve heard hundreds of times and just not realized it—was at a karaoke night a few weekends ago. I remember all the women in the establishment hitting every note, while I couldn’t fathom a single melody or even tell you it was by Madonna. Then the guy standing next to me turned and yelled at his belting-along girlfriend, “Is this just about a blowjob!?” To which she responded, “Yes!!” And continued to sing. Any pop super-hit circa 1989 about a blow job is pretty cool in my book. Makes me kind of miss the days when sexually innuendo in song was wrapped in double entendres and metaphors. Not that I don’t like “W.A.P” and such. Just different. And this song is really quite good. Same goes for “Express Yourself.” Can’t tell you I’ve ever actually listened to this song, though, again, I’m sure I’ve unconsciously heard it hundreds of times. But that’s kind of a strength here as I don’t have any baggage associated with Madonna, this album, or this style of music. (For reference: I was born in 1993.) I find this song to be bright and cheery. Reminds me hugely of stuff the B-52s were doing at the time (I actually checked to see if the deep backing vocals were the work of Fred Schneider; they weren’t). And of that last gasp of the chipper, bright, and grossly-colorful 80s, before Nirvana came on the scene and changed alt/pop rock forever. I know this Madonna album is decidedly a pop album and not rock. BUT, it really does not sound too different from rock acts of the day. There’s Bowie and Talking Heads and R.E.M. all over this record. I mean, hell, Prince makes an appearance in what is just an insanely weird cut for a pop song. Kinda great minimalist, funk/R&B infused instrumentation on that number. And the personnel on this album, everywhere, is just a who’s who of pre-eminent rock session musicians. The whole project is bursting with talent. Weird to have “A Digital Recording” printed right on the album art, like that was some sort of selling point in 1989? I appreciate the Sticky Fingers reference of the cover image, and the political, feminist use of it by Madonna which pairs well with her boundary-pushing sex positivity that is really on full display on this record. It’s kind of punk rock. And taken as a whole, it’s that sentiment that probably represents her greatest cultural influence as an artist. This is at least as good as that Queen record we did yesterday. In fact, it’s better. On first listen, I thought the second half of this album got a little limp…but boy, nope, turns out Madonna knows how to sing some serious ear worms and each time I listened to those later tracks they got better and better. In fact, “Cherish” is probably my favorite track on the record right now and it’s going in my playlist rotation right behind “Killer Queen,” from yesterday. I’m very tempted to give this album a 4. But I won’t. Just know that it’s close!
This album is basically impossible to review. I've turned it over a dozen times in my head, in the last week. Did I enjoy listening to it? Almost universally no. Pretty much anything in this corner of pop, anything ABBA-adjacent is baseline annoying to me. But then...! You go into the history behind this record. Madonna's intentions, to make an album about forgiveness, atonement. A reckoning with her Catholic upbringing. The last song ("Act of Contrition,"), with the backwards music, where she realizes all the platitudes, the posturing toward God doesn't get her into heaven. I mean... that's an Extremely Good premise for a record. The parts that are darker, more moody... I like those parts. I like how human Madonna feels on some of these records. I like Prince's guitar playing, I like his duet. Can this record pull itself from under all the cheesy 80's production, all the misguided choices? I am completely unsure. I'm not gonna lie that I thought about this record a lot. Even if it's not to my taste, I have to give Madonna credit... there's a lot of ambition here. 3/5
Very generic 80s pop, couple of decent tracks, some not so, Love Song is awful, lyrics filled with cliches except were they even cliches in 1989? Probably.
Great first track, really catchy pop song, but descends into mediocre schmaltz very quickly. Lyrics go from cheesy to painful throughout most of the rest of the album, it's like ABBA but without the catchiness or the charm. 2/5. Probably a 1 without the single.
The songs everyone knows on this album are absolute bangers but the rest of the project is solid as well. Some songs go on for too long, some could just be better, and the album as a whole could have more tracks total. Enjoyed jamming this thing out but it’s really rough around the edges. Worth the listen!
Good but I like her later work more.
Hit after hit. Definitely a fun listen, trails off to more ballads towards the end
Madonna hit machine but a lot of misses on this album. Too many hair-tossing sobbing numbers in minor keys like the title song and Papa Don't Preach. Go deeper and you find Love Parade which is excellent, with a strange almost Brian Wilson texture and production to it - I could listen to it all day. Best song in her typical style is Cherish.
not for me
I'm not a fan of Madonna in general, but this album is a classic. Imo, it's simply Madonna's most genuine album.
Bangers!
meh
Couple of belters. Lot of shite.
There is a reason why Madonna has remained a music and cultural icon to this day. She's great at what she does. These songs are memorable, they stand the test of time, and they're just plain good. Classic pop songs that have Madonna's signature edge and boldness means that they're never going to get old. Standout tracks have to be the iconic singles of Express Yourself, Like a Prayer, and Cherish, but the record as a whole is enjoyable.
Surprised by how many songs I already knew!
Not really my jam except for the Prince duet
Very good, one of the best pop artists at the top of her game. Probably wouldn't have been a 5 without Prince turning up, but he did, so ... Cherish is a wee charmer, title track is obviously a classic, Dear Father and Oh Jessie are better then I remembered them being. And Prince is on this! Probably my first 5 to a pop album, but fully deserved in my opinion.
no me gusta madonna pero tiene canciones guays
When Madonna sings “let the choir sing” and then the choir sings…chef’s kiss
Enjoyable if not wholly original disposable 80s pop. I think Madonna is underrated nowadays, and I think younger people don't really get just how massive she was. But also it's just fine. She ain't reinventing the wheel here.
I like Madonna
Great players on this one.
Fun pop stuff, lots of classics.
3 bangers
Very familiar with Madonna's hits, but not much else. Like a Prayer is Madonna's 4th studio album. This is said to have been a confessional record. It contains songs about her parents, and bonds with her family members. A lot of controversy surrounded the music video for Like a Prayer. The video shows Madonna dancing in front of burning crosses, and making out with Jesus. All that said, one can not take away the fact that Like a Prayer is a phenomenal pop hit that has stood the test of time! Express Yourself is another phenomenal hit. Madonna called on the amazing musicianship of Prince on this album a few times. They duetted in the song Love Song, and Prince also played guitar for the strange album closer, Act of Contrition. Overall, a good album, not something I would revisit a lot, but I can see how it deserves to be on this list for its influence on pop music. Favourite songs: Express Yourself, Like a Prayer, Love Song Least favourite song: Promise to Try 3/5
CLASSIC!
I knew the album from before, there is only a couple of songs I liked from it but it is solid since prince plays the guitar in some pieces.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN ITS NOT IN THE COMPUTER?!?
Classic Madonna, took me back to my childhood listening to 80s music
'Like a Prayer', title song e capolavoro, diciamolo. Pure 'Express yourself' non male. Secondo me prosegue maluccio per quelle che erano le premesse. No dai 4 stelle meritate.
Nice, funky percussion, upbeat, good tonal balance, fun listen.
Eh.
A couple notable tracks and I was pleasantly surprised by the Prince track but some uninspired music overall
One of the best album history. You couldn't die before listend all the songs. A lot of hits from 80s and 90s an much more.
It was about July of 1989 when I heard this album and I remember exactly where I was. I was in the Finger Lakes region of New York with the people of my childhood hero, Karl Johnson. We were waterskiing and tubing in the lake by day, but by night, the kids of a variety of ages would gather on the dock and listen to tunes. Like a Prayer was the one that hit and hit hard. It was a truly singular song and it was tremendously exciting. I still just love it. Perhaps because of those warm nights in New York, but probably just because Madonna is amazing. To this day, I follow her Insta and she's awesome. Tonight when I revisited 'Oh Father' again, it hit me so differently. I have a friend that says we all love strings because they make us all feel the feelings. that can be said about this intro which I had to rewind and listen to about 16 times today. It's really excellent. Probably TMI as usual but the song now, today, is so much more relatable with my own relationship with my father that has shattered the false golden haze of childhood and has now become so diminished. And I realize his shortcomings. Pray for Spanish Eyes is also an underrated Madonna song. Go to 2:01 and listen to what she does with her voice. It's nuts. It's organic. It just spits into a million shards and I think that is just the raw amazing power of Madonna-- before auto-tune y'all. Nothing but pure talent. We don't have singers like this today. Not really.
Wow! Was really looking forward to this album and then I listened to it. Ugh, I'm not sure why. Still, Cherish and Express Yourself are straight up guilty pleasures.
Madonna in the 80s was iconic and era-defining. And then she reinvented herself with 98's "Ray of Light," becoming a techno diva. She's now reinvented herself again in her 60s, but don't look. It's kind of scary. And we should instead focus on "Like a Prayer," which along with "Ray of Light" are the only Madonna albums on the list. "Till Death Do Us Part" is the only non-hit that captures the magic of "Like a Virgin" and "Cherish," which both hold up as delightful pop gems. "Promise To Try" is awful, though now that I read it's about the death of her mother I feel bad. But it's also a big no-thank-you to "Love Song," and "Dear Jessie." "Pray for Spanish Eyes" is the only slower tempo song that works for me. Madonna was a pretty frequent presence in my house when I was kid (I think my parents only owned Madonna and Paula Abdul CDs), and looking back on those albums and songs, I think her self-titled debut and "True Blue" are stronger albums that are more deserving of the list.
Oof, this album has aged about as gracefully as Madonna herself. Super dated sound, weird artistic choices (looking at you Act of Contrition). The title track is still solid.
This was surprisingly not good. Like a prayer and cherish are solid. Everything else was uniformly terrible.
After Love Song, which was not great nor good, I was fully prepared to rip Madonna for ripping off Prince’s sound. Turns out it was Prince. Even with Prince it’s still a bad song. Act of Contrition is also a very bad song. The hits are nostalgic, but as jkav pointed out, quite repetitive. Like A Prayer, Express Yourself, and Cherish aren’t enough to overcome the mediocre and bad offerings on this album. The, what I consider, cheesy 80s pop music doesn’t do this any favors 30+ years later.
Our first Madonna album I think, though not sure if we will see any others. This one is usually her most acclaimed. Like a Prayer is a classic and I really liked Cherish as well. I know I’ve heard that a few times before. I can imagine young people growing up when this album coming out and having it change their life, but not so much now. Many of the songs didn’t really pop for me, and some felt too long and repetitive. But overall a good album for this list.
It was only a matter of time until we got Madonna. I know she's a big deal but I really don't know much of her music, so this is a welcome exercise. The album opens strong with the title track, one of the few Madonna songs I do know, and after that it was a mixed bag in more ways than one. It's obviously pop music, but there's a wide range of sonic influences at play, leading to mixed results. Only a couple other tracks that I'd save, even though I do think it's an interesting pop album as a whole. Hard for me to see the fuss in retrospect, but maybe there are bigger Madonna projects awaiting us? Favorite tracks: Like a Prayer, Love Song, Oh Father. Album art: What would be called "midriff" by people seeking to have it covered up. Some antique old lady looking jewelry hanging over (I assume) Madonna's waist. It's a little saucy but only by suggestion. Not a bad cover, her logo in the center is pretty cool. 3/5
The singles are great, but the rest of the album was meh. Wonder if I only liked the singles since you hear them constantly. I should probably give it another chance since it started off so great
Some backward guitar and a BOOM. Life is a mystery. Everyone must stand alone. I hear you call my name. And, it feels like...home. This isn't Madonna the outrageous or Madonna the classy vogue icon. This is middle Madonna to me. And, while some of the tracks are middling at best there are one or two standout pop songs. Unfortunately, the song with Prince on it is a disappointment and the album closes terribly as well. This wasn't the soundtrack to my youth, but I can get a little hit of nostalgia from some of it. It sounds way more 80s than a record coming out in 1989 should.
Unfortunately, not a fan.
Some great songs, but as usual Madonna's voice is somewhat lacking
I've never listened to one of her albums. The title track is brilliant. Otherwise there are some catchy hits but it suffers from that bright/big drum 80s production which I really dislike and often whinge about. 80s albums average under 3 in my rankings. It's a shame as I always think of the 80s as a golden age of pop. 3 (It would have been a 2 without the title track)
It's a classic. My dad heard "like a prayer" from the other room and immediately started singing so yeah. It's a good album, not all songs are in my opinion good but still, I would probably listen to it again.
Like a Prayer is the lead single, and its the peak of 80s cheese synth. Cherish is also in that same vein. Honestly, this is a summer bubblegum album. Listening to it in winter seems a little wistful and not quite appropriate. Spanish Eyes kinda sucks. Summer I could see this being a 4. winter its a meh.
Really carried by the strength of Like a Prayer and Express yourself, the rest is not good or vital.
Like A Prayer makes me elevate 50 ft in the air consistently without fail
Very solid pop album with a lot of gospel music influences.
Now this is a prayer I can get behind
Never actively listened to madonna. Really nice pop - 4 stars
I was 100% predisposed to love everything about this album just by knowing “Like A Prayer” and “Express Yourself” are here. And… yeah! It took me a little bit to process but by the 2nd time “Oh Father” came around I was sold. The religious tone of the album threw me off, not gonna lie, and at this point in my life I’m not necessarily searching for the kind of sound “Like a Prayer” offers, but I was ultimately won over by how personal Madonna gets in these songs. Instead of evoking her more (sexually) provocative side, Madonna reflects on bittersweet, violent relationships in “Till Death Do Us Part”, sings to an abusive dad in “Oh Father”, asks us to not settle in “Express Yourself” and makes her best case to get into heaven in “Act of Contrition”. This is the Madonna I want to remember, one who was brilliant at combining sound with substance to create memorable performances.
This is Madonna being more introspective and sensitive. Still very 80's and is ok as it goes but a bit bland. No real cutting edge but then it is pop.
standouts: express yourself, love song, oh father and like a prayer
Thats a surprise, some variety to my last days. And it's welcome
I actually like some of her stuff.
insanely good… loved it! what do you mean it’s not in the computer?!?!?
Several songs i really liked and recognized, and also some really weird ones.
Starts off strong. Is let down a little by the end. Couple of the songs are really catchy. Like a prayer and express yourself are a mean 1-2 punch
This is basically as good as Michael Jackson's Thriller. The singles are pop classics.
Madonna's voice has never been the main attraction but the top tier production on the album brings out the best of it. The singles are all massive songs. Pop perfection. The rest of the album is a mix of solid synth pop and softer ballads. All in all its a great collection at an important junction in Madonna's career.
good
Finally, some wholesome Christian pop/rock with a positive moral message. Sadly, Christian music is vastly underrepresented on this list. I’ve asked my pastor to include this record as pre-mass entrance music at our megachurch on Sundays.
Er zijn wel wat nummers van Madonna die ik tof vind, maar het grootste gedeelte vind ik gewoon saai. En nadat ik een recent interview van haar zag laatst vind ik haar ook nog een het paard getild wijf! Sterretje minder dus ook nog.
Toen vond ik het wel tof, maar nu klinkt het wel erg gedateerd.
Nostalgie maar ook nog altijd best goed aan te horen.
Leuk dat Prince nog even voorbij kwam. Ik herinner me dat de clip met de brandende kruizen een grof schandaal was, op Walcheren dan toch.
"Like A Prayer" is the fourth studio album from Madonna. Four producers were involved including Madonna herself, Stephen Bray, Patrick Leonard and Prince. One of the things that stands out is the variety from song to song and I think using all these producers helped that. On her first three songs, she goes from pop to more dance to soul/R&B. This is considered her most introspective release, a confessional record with songs about her Mother, Father, family and God. It drew critical acclaim for taking on serious, personnal subjects. Plus, the music is very solid in its production. The album begins with the self-tilted "Like A Prayer," a massive hit world wide. A guitar intro and the guitar remains kind of in the background throughout. The synth and backing vocals gives this a church feel as it should since it's about a child's/teens' relationship with God. At its hear it's a pop song and a great one at that. Let's go dance in "Express Yourself." I love the strain in Madonna's voice and the extended album version. A song about female empowerment and gender equality. To me, the third single "Cherish" takes us to more pop, early 80's Madonna. It's lighter, peppier. I think just a happy song about a relationship. "Dear Jessie" was inspired by producer Patrick Leonard's daughter and is more like a pop lullaby. Strings, synths, trumpets. It changes pace. Fantasy imagery with pink elephants and mermaids. Another inspiration must have been the Beatles as well. "Oh Father" is most defintely a ballad, with strings, a baroque pop one at that. Based on Madonna's relationship with her Father. A very mature Madonna vocal approach highlights its seriousness. The sixth and final single is the funky "Keep It Together." Dedicated to Sly and the Family Stone. Nice percussion, congas and a banjo. Very nice production. Madonna stresses the importance of her family. An interesting ending in "Act of Contrition" with searing guitar (sounds like Prince), gospel singers and spoken word sometimes screaming by Madonna. Hmmmm. I really like the variety from song to song on this album with everything still very much in the pop category. The production is high with the strings, horns, synths, percussion and backing vocals. A definite recommendation to the whole album including the songs you might not have heard.
Just wasn't really into this. Pop that was catchy at times and had "deeper" lyrics and the cultural impact was probably meaningful, but I doubt I'll re-listen.
Meh. Én definert hit og den liker ikke jeg.
Classic 80s vibe
banger
SO GOOD
Another Madonna record that was incredibly consistent. Once again, I feel bad for having previously dismissed her as a singles artist, this and Ray of Light were both top notch pop albums
I didn’t finish it, wasn’t a huge fan.
4.5/5. It is really amazing.
Trop de morceaux cheezy et mievres pour que j’aime écouter l’album au complet.
Like a prayer, express yourself and cherish were big hits at the time. Madonna was huge in the 80s, I've heard this album many times. Overall it wasn't bad, some songs still hold up as good pop music
I was actually looking forward to this album as I know of Madonna and her biggest hits but I never heard much of her other songs. Overall, I'm a bit disappointed and feel underwhelmed by her music despite how much of a pop icon she was in the 80s and 90s. Express Yourself shows how much she influenced Lady Gaga, it's crazy how similar the songs sound. I don't regret listening to this just not the type of music I enjoy.
Some good songs
Classic Queen of Pop
Not my favorite of hers, but it's great
Hay una Madonna mejor que la de este disco, acaso? El sonido de este álbum es un poco el resumen de una década maravillosa en cuanto a lo musical, el pop de los '80 rompió, para bien, con muchas cosas del pasado que habría que festejar siempre.
8/10
A couple of great songs on this album. Mostly cheesy generic pop though. I'd only ever listen to the hits on purpose. 3.5 stars
Good album, but for a pop album I feel like the songs are too long and the album drags. I can see it's importance but it doesn't really do it for me.
Not her best but it's decent
Interesting thing about popstars - I know all the hits, but I have never heard any of their full albums. The same rule applies to Madonna. Like a Prayer is definitely one of Madonna's best songs, but when I looked into the album, I didn't recognise any other track. What's even worse, I didn't like any of the other songs. They were average at best and probably were used as a platform to tell Madonna's story, which honestly I'm not really interested in. There is not much to say about the album, great titular song and the rest is basically a filler. Pretty dissapointing for for apparently "best album of her career".
p610. 1989. 5 stars An absolutely perfect pop record. And beneath the shiny veneer of love songs and chart hits there are also songs about religion, domestic abuse, sex, dysfunctional family relationships, loneliness and loss. There is not a weak track on this. "Romeo and Juliet/They never felt this way I bet"
A good Madonna album. A little more subdued than I was expecting, but I liked that. 'Like a Prayer,' is obviously a banger of a song, but virtually everything was upbeat and catchy. It never really hit the highs that the titular song set, but I'm not sure it needed to. Not my favorite Madonna album, but definitely a quality one.
Ce n'est pas mauvais, mais malgré la quantité d'influences variées, l'album sonne monotone. C'est du pop respectable, mais à part Like a Prayer et Express Yourself, j'oubliais l'album au fur et à mesure qu'il jouait
I hate Madonna so much. But, she's an icon and ONE of her albums should definitely be on this list for posterity's sake. That ONE album should be this one. It's Madonna in her prime (not teeny-bopper Madonna or old, washed-up Madonna). Giving it a one-star bump out of respect, but it's a 2 at best.
I've never had the desire to listen to a Madonna album and I've had to tolerate her songs on radio since she first came on the scene in the 80's. Her "hits" are undeniable catchy and have obvious commercial appeal, so I really wanted to like, Like A Prayer. This is clearly a concept record, family and religion being the obvious themes, as most of the songs are her confessions and recollections of her youth. Apart from the handful of well-known songs on the album, the rest is junk, filler that was tough to sit through. I also made the mistake of listening to some dance-mix versions of some of the songs....does anyone prefer those versions to the originals? Oh right, if you're at club, loaded and drugged up, you want seemingly never-ending loops of the song, Like A Pray throbbing through your body, right? One star each for Like A Prayer and Express Yourself, zero for the rest.
La reina del pop. Un megahit. Un 4.
Pray for Spanish Eyes, Like a Prayer
I've never heard this album in full. Like a prayer has always been a bop, express yourself is great and tbh i definitely hear the argument that born this way was influenced by this. like at minimum was influenced. i like the production on till death do us part. cherish starts out great, im boppin my head. oh i have heard this song before i think. it's long though.
Tracks 1. Know this, it goes hard lol 2. Never heard it but its decent ok my attention span left chat
eh
catchy! lotta bangers.
Love the title track. Rest is solid pop, but not really anything I want to listen to. Mostly a 2, “Like a Prayer” is a 4+
Very fun late 80's pop! You can definitely hear Prince's influence. Expected to get a little sick of it, but every song was really fun! 4.5 and rounding up!
Not what I expected. 2
Ihan solid. Princestä yksi lisätähti.
Comparativement à Ray of Ligth c'est un super Album. Je vois l'influence de Prince. Cependant, ca tombe un peu à plat pour la deuxième partie de l'album, car ca commence vraiment fort. C'est pour ca ue la note glisse un peu sous 4, et aussi parce que c'est vraiment pas mon style. 3.5
One of my all-time favorites.
Fun and dancey. I came to this not quite realising the roots or spread of Madonna's popularity. Now what I know. This is great.
Was not exactly a fan as a teenager, given my predeliction for hard and heavy music, but listening to it in full for the first time I was suprised how many songs I did know, and just the quality of the "pop".
Meh
good classics
Taste-pandering schlock has its vices, its uses and it heroes. Here's an example of all three, with the former complexified if not always improved coming from someone who's most definitely the latter. Prince can stay, the ballads can end, the hits will last forever. If you walk away no more sure who she really is: you're not supposed to. If you walk away having been momentarily intensely interested in her performance of who she isn't: job done.
Nicht so meins
Yes. This is some of the finest pop music ever put on record.
Starts off strong and then turns into what you think of when you think of a Madonna album. She shouldn't be singing slow songs that expose her voice for what it is. Best track: Like A Prayer
The singles are some of Madonna's best but the rest of the album is a bit of a mess and average at best
6/10. Like a Prayer is a fun song, but the album as a whole was a little underwhelming for me
There are some tracks I don’t care for and the production is tinny in spots but generally a good effort from Madonna. I like the funkier songs, the Prince appearance, and the lyrical depth of certain songs. 7/10
Ehh couple of good tracks rest didn’t click
I imagine Gaga listened to this a lot before her debut.
I like a lot of Madonna. I don't like a lot of Madonna on this album.
iconic.
Не знал, что Мадонна такие песни исполняла. Где-то очень даже лиричные и мелодичные композиции попадаются. Где-то в духе 80-ых. Здорово.
Oh god, my 13 year old sister is back. Goddamn if this didn't age really well. Catchy, well produced (maybe over produced). The big top 40 hits hit the memberberries better than the lesser-known tracks. Still a pretty neat listen.
nepaspeju noklausitites visu ejot uz nocniku pec lokala, bet loti labs vaks un man patika pirma puse
Ha ja niet mijn ding, maar wel leuk om een keertje te luisteren, kende die oude muziek van haar niet.
3/5 Pretty good. Some good beats and hooks, but I wasn’t crazy in love with it or anything.
I’ve always had trouble understanding how you can communicate tough themes through a pop song. I like dark lyrics against an upbeat background as much as the next guy, but pop to me is for dancing, not really to sit in your room alone and ponder the bigger themes of the music. I’m not saying every song on this album is a pop song, Promise to Try, Oh Father, and Pray for Spanish Eyes are ballads, and I’m not even sure what to call Act of Contrition, but I find the themes of the other songs set against the synthy dancey background come across as cheesy. Madonna is an icon to be sure, a legend in the 80s and still to this day, but I’m not sure any of the songs besides the bigger pop singles do anything for anyone besides make them want to listen to the bigger pop singles instead. Also, why is she talking to little kids in like three of the songs? A fun fact is that my dad went to high school with her. He said she was very popular. My favorites: Like a Prayer, Express Yourself, Cherish
Boring
Good, but not my cup of tea.
Classic 80’s pop
Singles are decent. Rest of the album is filler and absolute 🗑
Some of these songs are great, some just feel like they're trying to claw for the pop charts.
Brings me back to my childhood. "Love Song" with Prince was a pleasant surprise. Only knew the radio/MTV hits before, and of course those are the ones that resonate with me most due to nostalgia. Feel like the album loses steam halfway through. Nothing could really hold my attention after "Cherish."
Was hoping for more interesting genre-defining 80s pop but I feel like this album doesn't have much to add to her already existing catalog.
Forgot about these but had a memory of my sister getting this album and listening to the whole thing. Start of my parents Christian shaming music….
Other than the title song, the rest of the album is meh
This is exactly the kind of album I looked forward to hearing when beginning this project. Something that I know all the hits to but have never listened to the full album. This was great and it was fun to take in the whole thing.
Good album. Some notable hits and some strange tracks that I couldn’t jive with. Good listen none-the-less.
Oh well... Madonna. Guess it would be ridiculous not to include at least *one* of her albums in this list given her impact on popular culture, and after checking out most of her records, it seems to me that *Like A Prayer* is the best choice, because it's maybe the only album of hers which is not invaded by an overlong string of clunkers that have aged poorly, apart from the obvious timeless hits. Here it needs to be pointed out that her records from the nineties and naughts surprisingly sound *even more dated* today than the ones from the eighties, if not more. But to be honest, it's an overall problem in her discography. Madonna was so bent on commercial success that her instincts (and producers) always led her to favor styles that would go out of fashion in a year or two--if they were not already dated by the time the record came out. So when the songwriting was not top-notch (and it wasn't in many cases), the whole thing sounded ludicrous to listeners with less blatantly commercial tastes. And this even back then. To be honest, I first expected *Like A Prayer* to be pestered by that same sort of problem given my knowledge of the second and third singles, "Express Yourself" and "Cherish". The first one is still bearable in an eighties nostalgic kind of way, but the second just sounds plain cheesy to me. But the thing is, those two singles are actually among the less compelling cuts in this album, and most of everything else is surprisingly very good. Of course, there's the title track opening this record. Everybody knows it, so I don't need to describe in details its gorgeous gospel arrangements, off-kilter chord changes, unnexpected rhythm drops and overall soulfull atmosphere. It's one of those timeless hits Madonna will always be remembered for. About the other good stuff now: The sensual duet with Prince, "Love Song", provides the kind of kinky kicks you can expect from the association of those two household names. It croons and moans and writhes just the right way. "Till Death Do Us Part" is a lively and catchy mid-tempo song displaying one of the rare instances Madonna could do rockier stuff without sounding too insincere or overaffected. Its lyrics are also an uncompromising take on domestic psychological abuse, which doesn't hurt. "Promise To Try" is a touching ballad, unpretentious but still effective. Its minimalistic piano-driven struture makes sure it can stay fresh after all these years. Compared to it, the strings-laden baroque pop chops of "Dear Jessie" are nothing short of astonishing: the music sounds like the love child of *Around the World In A day*-era Prince and Kate Bush. Sorry for the horrid mental picture I'm suggesting here, but believe me, musically it still works out very well. The next track, "Oh Daddy", is probably the centerpiece of the record, and certainly its emotional heart. It's all in the title. Heavy strings support a very personal song where Louise Ciccone settles scores with her father, and if you feel like someone eavesdropping on something you shouldn't hear while listening to it, the heartrending arrangements, the irresistible chorus, and the somewhat cold, detached way Madonna sings the latter make for a fascinating listen. After this feat, the bland pop-dance number "Keep It Together" is underwhelming to say the least, but the record fortunately ends on another high note, the acoustic-guitar and latin-trumpet-driven torch song "Pray for Spanish Eyes" ("Act Of Contrition" after it is nothing but a goofy experimental bonus track for me--so experimental that you feel like you're listening to Sonic Youth's parody album *Ciccone Youth* instead). So that's it: 10 real songs. Two clunkers and one half-clunker against seven keepers, including one timeless hit. Of course, only *one* timeless hit may sound a little stingy compared to the usual three you could find on *Madonna*, *Like A Virgin* and *True Blue*, to just mention her eighties albums. I suggest owning a compilation if you really enjoy those more famous songs (like *The Immaculate Collection* or the most complete *Celebration*) and just forget about those LPs. Unless you're a huge fan, or obsessed with eighties' cheesy sounds, they're not really worth it. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 840 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 87 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 39 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 33
Quite flat and boring nowadays
At the time I thought it was the best Madonna album, but now it sounds a bit flat and some of the songs appear to be pretty weak.. probably the first Madonna album that had some 3* singles.. Still, it contains some classic Madonna / Leonard singles (the first two songs are obviously 5*) and most of the songs are 4*. So 4 stars seems to be about right (but I would not have included it on the list..).
A decent pop album with a couple of good songs, but no more than that. Actually found the vocals to be rather weak on this.
I came of age with 90s era Madonna and my first “album” of hers was The Immaculate Collection, her first greatest hits compilation. So to me, she’s one of those “just the hits” kind of artists. And let’s be honest here, her hits are huge, they totally slap, and all of them unlock core formative years memories for me. The remix of Express Yourself on the compilation album is so much better than this original version. When I got around to buying this album I remember feeling kind of let down by it in comparison. I forgot how much I liked Love Song, that collaboration with Prince is the best thing on this album to me now. They play off of each other in such a sexy way, I dig it.
Iconisch album maar niet mijn genre
A classic
I didn't get to do a proper sit down and listen in one chunk but there were some good bops on here :)
It's fascinating how fresh some of the songs sound but the album as a whole is dated to the 80s
I never listened to much Madonna before but had vague memories of her being considered risque and controversial. I was surprised how much of the lyrical content was positive, empowering, and wholesome. Not nearly as bad of a listen as I was expecting. "Like a Prayer" and "Cherish" were standouts for me. I doubt I'd ever call myself a fan, but her status as the Queen of Pop is obviously warranted.
Who doesn't know Madonna? While I am not a pop music fan, this album shows why Madonna's music has been a mainstay in this genre. Some good tracks here, but I can't see myself going out of my way for another listen.
Well. That was a shock
Incredible opening song, masterpiece. The rest of it is vapid and tedious. Some light funk and latin from the session guys, and guest spots from Prince, does little to excite the bland pop.
kinda boring
I respect Madonna's fame and notoriety as a musician and her impact on music as a whole will last forever. I just do not enjoy most of her music past her hits. It is just not my type of music and most of it is just meh. She gets a 3 instead of a 2 just because of her impact on music.
Love song with Prince was a stand out Too many ballads Pray for Spanish Eyes has a hilarious intro Act of Contribution was punk as fuck
Surprisingly, the title track was the only song I was familiar with from this album before today. I really enjoy a lot of popular artists from the 80s, but Madonna's style of pop doesn't really do it for me. Songs like "Express Yourself", "Love Song", "Promise to Try" and "Cherish" just sound outdated and cliché to my ears in 2022. On the plus side, "Like a Prayer" deserves the hype and remains a powerful opener three decades later. I was also pleasantly surprised by "Till Death Do Us Part" and "Pray for Spanish Eyes". I'm a sucker for emotional/epic tracks with violins, so I enjoyed "Dear Jessie" and "Oh Father" much more than I probably should have. "Act of Contrition" was a very unexpected, but unfortunately uninteresting closer. Standout tracks: Like a Prayer, Till Death Do Us Part, Dear Jessie, Oh Father, Pray for Spanish Eyes
its groovy it feels VERY 80s (not a bad thing) i can for sure see the influences in later music from this album the first few songs are pretty good, second half not so much 5/10
Just really good pop
A great 80s pop album and one of , if not Madonna's best. I always though of Madonna as a singles artist as opposed to an album artist. She tries to put together a complete album here, but misses the mark by a bit (compare it to George Michael's Faith, for example). Like a Prayer and Express Yourself are terrific 80s tunes though. The production is good, but not great. Some tracks, such as Like a Prayer are much better in their single mix.
Starts very strong with 2 really good songs. If you told me the third one was by Prince I would believe it. The rest is good pop music. She could have been a great rock singer but I guess this is where the money was.
An EP of the best songs on here would have gotten a 5 from me but there’s just too much filler. The title track is the clear standout for me but Express Yourself and Pray for Spanish Eyes were also great. The duet with Prince was a fun surprise too. Since Madonna is only an ok singer for me the instrumentation was major in whether I liked a song or not and there were more I found “meh” than great. Would give a 3.5 if possible.
Like a good collection of songs should be.
Meh
Good enough to make me forgive her for playing hours late in Brisbane, not finishing until hours after public transport had stopped running, having to wait forever at Boondall (middle of nowhere location for the Brisbane Entertainment Centre) for a taxi, not getting back until something like 2:30am and having to get up and go to work a few hours later. She was really good, but still. Peak Madge, but also peak MTV.
Is it a strong album? Not all the way through. Is it a banger? Yep.
Puro pop. Aburrido. Extremadamente comercial
Some fun 80s hits, some cheesy moments.
Tiene 3 muy buenas canciones, pero el resto como que le faltó. Like a prayer es una de las mejores canciones de Madonna en mi opinión.
Singles good, the rest is forgettable.
A couple of absolute bangers. The rest is passable enough. But enough about Madonna lol 👍🏾
Way overdone from top to bottom, with too much of everyhing (including her star power and ambitions). Simple pop songs, infectious dancey hooks are made to bear too much weight (primarily of Madonna’s artistic and cultural ambitions) – one hears a star wanting to be even bigger and brighter and the songs aren’t the right platform, lacking much more than glittery surfaces and studio tricks. The songs aren’t necessarily bad – ”Til Death Do Us Part” and “Promise to Try” have their appeal, but even “Cherish,” the best of the lot, ultimately fails to move one beyond the sense of “oh, that’s sorta pleasant.” The whole thing nets out as just okay, which hardly seems worth all the effort and expense. One gets the feeling all of the songs would’ve been improved by abridgement. It’s a truth not commonly enough acknowledged that pop songs such as these falter once they get past the 3-minute mark. … their sell-by date is three minutes. The claim that this is best pop record since Revolver is ridiculous.
Some pretty perfect pop songs on here. Iconic and anthemic. Loses a bit of momentum towards the end so I was considering 4 stars but the singles are so strong I’ve got to give it full marks.
she has exactly one really good song and its not on this album 2.5
Pretty friggin good pop
From thos prject i have learned that i like Madge more than i thought i did. That said, a few weak tracks that sound 'made for disney' let the big tunes down badly.
Indifférent Prefs: Like A Prayer, Till Death Do Us Part Moins pref: Spanish Eyes
Being 8 when this came out the singles unsurprisingly surrounded me. I liked the title track of course. Less bothered by the others. Into the Groove is fabulous but not on this album, which I've never listened to before now. I was not aware of the Prince duet, which is a lovely little nugget to add to my library. The deleted track Supernatural is also going in. Exception on the singles, Dear Jessie I had completely forgotten existed and reminds me a lot of Erasure on The Circus. Nice.
I wouldn't say that I enjoyed this album but I did appreciate it more than I expected to. If you were alive in '89, you know the hits here. Because they were shoved down your throat along with the unchallengeable assertion that Madonna was a force of nature to be worshipped as a goddess of pop. And maybe she is because I generally associate pop music with vapid lyrics underscored by watered down music. And that's what we've got here with "Like a Prayer". That said, the production values here are frankly insane. I mean, damn. When you've got a Madonna-level recording budget, I guess it shows. It doesn't cover the fact that she's actually not a very good vocalist and most of the songs really aren't that great. Prince even makes an appearance but is unable to save "Love Song" from being an utter mess of a track. But the recordings are beautiful and the mixing/mastering are truly top-notch, so there's that.
I remember a bunch of these tracks from when this album was released and the accompanying videos on MTV, and even though I considered myself far too cool in the late 80s for popular music, I thought back then the songs were catchy and enjoyable. I haven't listened to these songs in a mighty long time, so giving this album a full listen-through -- something I really hadn't done yet as my exposure to this material came from public airplay -- I hear how strong a songwriter and dynamite a performer she is. This is a very good album. I don't know if I'll ever really seek it to listen to intentionally, but I do appreciate the good work here.
It was OK - but Madonna isn't really my taste
I've never heard Love Song before and never knew Prince and Madonna worked together
I actually liked the whole album way less than I thought so would. Interesting. 🫤
I enjoyed listening to my first Madonna album front to back. The hits are great, and the B-sides are surprisingly interesting.
So nostalgic! The hits are so good on this album, the rest I could live without.
Lovely little time capsule. Other than her (brilliant) singles on this, the rest shows an unexpected diversity of styles. I really dig it.
Promise to try - quite a poignant and somber song amongst the woodland of the other up beat pop songs Revelation never heard love song with Prince Some good well known singles and lesser if you’re not a fan
Meer van genoten dan ik verwachtte
Decent 80s pop, but other than the hits I found it a bit boring
Title track is genius - as well as ‘Love Song’ - the rest make up one of Madonna’s most complete albums I’ve heard. Prince’s contribution to the album also shine through. Good album.
Starts ok. Becomes a bit much
I could do without Act of Contrition at the end but otherwise this is close to perfect, starts on a high with Like A Prayer/Express Yourself and the quality doesn't really drop. Disappointed in myself that I'd never heard this in full before
Like a Prayer is great, Cherish is cute, Act of Contrition is funny.