Ray Of Light

"how do you do fellow kids?"

A whole lot of investment for a maximum of 15 minutes pay-off. You can certainly die before listening to this one, and in all honesty, at 1 hour 6 mins in length, there is a good chance that you might.

Top tier mid-career Madonna. Confident, composed, and coooool

I was pleasantly surprised by this, as downtempo stuff usually isn't my bag. And it is long, though the beauty of the production can't be overstated (Actually, maybe it can when the cheesy strings come into Little Star.) Madonna's voice doesn't have much zing to it here, but if it did the whole album would have to be retuned to it. She takes you through the hour of music, and the melodies are pretty if not very hooked, and the calming effect of the music is undeniable. I tend to prefer my trip-hop with more of the mentioned zing, but Madonna is absolutely my bag.

The last good Madonna album according to my wife

well, this album could change a person's mind about being a Madonna fan. It was beautiful and amazing!

This album is without a doubt the singular high watermark for 90s American pop, and potentially Madonna's entire career. Between her other albums, I struggle to pick a favorite between Ray of Light, Madonna and Like a Prayer.

AMAZING

what a huge pile of crap

Easily the best Madonna album.

Expecting just a simple pop album, I wasn't really looking forward to this one. But... Wow. I wasn't expecting this album to be quite as electronic as it turned out to be. I never knew there was a Madonna album like it, not that I really know much about Madonna's discography. This is a wonderfully electronic album with some songs that would suit a lounge, and others that would fit in a rave. It's filled with downtempo, house, trance, drum and bass, basically everything my ADHD-ridden millenial British mind can almost automatically adore. To be honest I almost forgot that this is an album by an American singer - William Orbit really brings a lot of British and European flair to the album. There's also some really cool Middle Eastern elements to this - Shanti/Ashtangi makes for a really cool midway(ish) point of the album, and a nice comedown from the trance rush of Sky Fits Heaven before it. From my impromptu research into this album I found out that she had underwent vocal training for her role in Evita, a couple of years before this album, and as a result she came to this album with a broader vocal range than ever. The full-bodiedness of her vocals pairs really well with the electronic direction of this album. I was really surprised by how much I loved this album. It's a fun, ravey, mystical and spiritual record with a bit of everything that the 90s electronic scene had to offer. I wasn't expecting to be seeking out a Madonna album because of this list but it's fair to say that it's what I'll now be doing. Favourite: Nothing Really Matters

Ethereal, lovely ambience

I never knew Madonna was that experimental with the sound in her albums. This one really surprised me, on how much variety it has. You got Trip-Hop, Trance, some hints of techno and much more. I really enjoyed it.

A little like OG Lana Del Rey. Cool electronica style.

Madonna has always been the Queen of Reinvention and jumpin on trends. This is one of her peak moments. William Orbit brought out the best of Madonna with this blissful collection of techno pop. Unlike the bulk of her albums this one isn't patchy either, it is a solid piece of work no song feels like it needs to be skipped

This was a total surprise. The only things I knew about Madonna were the adoption stuff and her hits, more from the 80s with that big, brash style. I really wasn't expecting to enjoy this, but it was easy to listen to and surprising in it's style. I'd happened to get Massive Attack's Blue Lines the day before, so the slightly laid-back trip-hop nature of this was interesting to compare - it's all fine enough, but lacks the drive and energy and rawness of that album: just a little too bland and over-produced in places perhaps. Not half bad though.

I never understood Madonna's popularity. Don't get me wrong. Can she sing? Yes. Has she written, recorded, and produced several hit songs. Sure thing. But she's pretty average in my opinion - and this album is evidence of that. These songs sound like a hundred other songs that came out around this time - there's nothing really innovative or different about it. Every song is 6 minutes long and they could have been 3. In fact, the whole album could have been one 3-minute song. They all sound the exact same. It's like the soundtrack for a Disney movie that was way to sad and weird to make it to theaters. And, even though I'm not a fan of Madonna, this album cannot be her best effort. Not sure why it's on the list.

Once such a daring and courageous beast, this effort seems rather lazy and insipid. Just throwing some EDM into the mix, because, well why not? Madonna reminds me of a wounded sealion gasping for air as it watches its pups be fucked to death by the predatory ghost of Sir David Attenborough.

I like this album - Madonna is going through her sleek, ethereal club phase and it evokes a wistful sense of nostalgia for my 90s life. Some wonderful songs on here, like "Frozen" and "Skin."

(Deep inhale, followed by audible sigh) Ok…here we go. Madonna’s “Ray of Light”. Produced by William Orbit (whose album, “Strange Cargo III”, I found to be utterly loathsome), “Ray of Light” finds Madonna embracing the electronica of the mid 90’s and turning it into a easily digestible product for the masses. Thematically, Madonna draws inspiration from religious mysticism, psychedelia and yoga. Honestly, I am surprised that she isn’t writing songs about the probiotic benefits of kefir or multipart suites about vaccine conspiracies she read on a “very reputable” website. I fucking hate this album. It’s awful. What’s next? That Cher album with all the auto-tune?

ну бест оф зэ бэст оф зе бест!!!! виллиам орбит лучший

disco maduro de madonna? fuck I'm in

Awww yeah! I do not give a flying fuck what anyone has to say. This is fun. And I love it.

Mein Lieblingsalbum von Madonna. Ein Meisterwerk in jeder Hinsicht: tanzbar, wild, nachdenklich, überraschend und insgesamt ein Knaller.: "Ray of light" "Frozen", " The Power of good Bye"

Very surprised how good this was. Sound very trippy

This was GREAT! I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. Added and will be listening again

Madge’s last great album. I love the cohesiveness of it. It’s clear that every song is a part of this album, yet each has its own unique perspective and sound. The Eastern & Middle Eastern influences work well for me, giving the music and the spiritualized edge. Madonna’s voice is in fine form and the production is unmatched. Complicated and catchy rhythms meld with super-rich bass lines and ethereal atmosphere to provide an elevated club sound unlike any other. Frozen is a highlight, with its lush strings, jangly percussion, and almost medieval chord structure supporting her cutting words to a cold, emotionless subject. Little Star, an electronica lullaby to her then-newly-born daughter Lourdes, is unexpectedly touching, yet retains much of the sugary fun that made Madonna a pop goddess.

With a slight dipping with Bedtime Stories and American Life, Madonna's run of albums from Like A Virgin through to Confessons on A Dancefloor - near twenty years, is pretty well unmatched putting her up with critical darlings like REM and Prince. Like A Prayer and Ray of Light are the Everest and K2 in this range - I have a personal preference for the latter as I love the William Orbit wooshes and wibbles that provide the distinctive soundworld of this album. As ever the question is take the singles out and what's left. The answer is a lot. I'll even forgive her a bit of karmic nonsense with the om shantis and everything. This album is almost 25 years old which seems crazy as it still sounds contemporary.

A terrific album, exploratory, interesting, and you can still move along to it.

Madonna at one of her peaks. Is and was a good sound

There are albums that stylistically I think I’ll like, but they prove shallow and unmemorabke. Then there is an album like this that I wouldn’t seem to match my tastes as well but it draws me in. Truthfully I need to give the latter half more time, it didn’t feel as strong, but the first half is strong. Also, randomly… I could picture mashing this up with Talking Heads’ “Remain in Light.”

Dance albums don't usually age as well after 25 years as Ray of Light.

I enjoyed listening to this album again. It starts off a little meh for me but then builds and really hits its stride in the middle and then tapers off. Some clever new style for her in some of those middle and ending songs.

Really nice production

Surprised by the psych production on this record. A lot of psych sounds panned to one ear or alternating back and forth. I had no idea Madonna had an electronic psych record. Dude the title track goes HARD!!! The vocals sound dated to the 90s but the instrumentals/production doesn't. Honestly it makes sense that most people wouldn't really like this record. It's weird and not an easy listen but honestly it's right up my alley. I also love the eastern sounds on this record.

When this album appeared I questioned whether anything from Madonna should be in the list of "must listen" albums. "Ray of Light" was a surprisingly listenable recording. I found I loved the electronica and middle eastern musical themes that appeared. The song "Swim" was a notable surprise and "Ray of Light" is a terrific song. Madonna also stretched vocally on this album, to her credit.

I forgot just how beautiful madonnas voice is. I grew up on OG Madonna and when this album came out, it was “weird” but so Madonna :) I didn’t listen to it much because I was so nostalgic for her old stuff. I realize now just how ahead of our time this sound was. It fits way better into today’s music. <>.

A different side of Madonna that I had not known until now. Pulling inspiration from the rise of downtempo and trip hop sounds over in the UK, Ray of Light is a definite departure from her usual dance-pop that got her famous in the first place. This is a bold and rewarding move for her, in my opinion, as she utilizes her voice in a way that compliments the new electronic production. Producer William Orbit is equally deserving of praise, as his work in Downtempo on Strange Cargo 2 and 3 helped paved the way for the sound on Ray of Light. For how well-executed this album is, it still feels marred by tracks that could have been cut. "Shanti / Ashtangi" showcases Madonna's passing interest in Hinduism at the time, pulling from Indian pop in a way that feels more like co-opting than honoring. "Candy Perfume Girl" feels like it could have been a cut from an earlier Madonna song that was touched up for the downtempo sound. It leads to things getting overly long. The overall product is stunning regardless. I am fascinated by this move from Madonna, and have a lot of respect for her as a result. Absolutely worth being on the list.

Surprisingly liked this. Waay more than I was expecting.

Still remember that after a sequence of rather mediocre albums -say anything after Like a Prayer and this albums- and a string of singles that were good but not great (except This Used to Be My Playground but that was with Shep Pettibone again) ..suddenly ..Frozen was released and after that: the Ray Of Light single and then Substitute of Love and the Power of Goodbye.. in short: the best 4 pop singles of the 90s, seemingly out of nowhere. So bought the album but felt a bit disappointed as it was made in the same way as in the 80s: great singles (*****) some (very) decent albums tracks (***/****) and some filler (*/**). Think True Blue or Like A Prayer. Still feel the same after listening to it again today. The 4 singles and the William Orbit contributions are as fantastic as ever, just like a couple of other tracks, but overall it falls short to be of 5-star, just like True Blue and Like A Prayer (to compare, for me, her first album and Like A Virgin are both 5-star).

The album where Madonna remade herself and brought EDM to the mainstream. Solid stuff. Best track: The Power of Good-Bye

Ray of Light is the seventh album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. This electronica, techno-pop album may be her most adventurous/experimental as it contains influences from ambient, trip hop & edm in general, Middle Eastern music, and psychedelia. It's credited with bringing edm elements into the mainstream, as well as shining a light on South Asian culture. Madonna's vocals were also amazing on this album since she underwent fresh vocal lessons before production. Critically acclaimed, it's considered Madonna's magnum opus and is one of the best-selling albums by women. Ray of Light won 4 out of 6 Grammy nominations at the 1999 Grammy Awards. It's been certified platinum or multi-platinum in 27 countries including Australia (3x), Canada (7x), averaged 7x platinum in Europe, Japan (2x), and USA (4x). This adventurous album was great to listen to. According to Madonna herself, it's the "quintessential Madonna album". With mixings of pop and edm, the music provides something for every listener. I was enthralled with every bit of this album, and I'm glad I had the chance to listen to it. Highly recommend this historical piece of music.

lazy disco-y lushness

This could be Madonna’s best album, or at least top two. A different sound from her that really showcases her vocal abilities outside of her earlier synth pop style.

Very different! Distinctly late 90s. Quite enjoyable for sure, great way to help unwind.

Blown away by this one tbh. I like a lot of Madonna's big hits but found the couple of albums of hers that I'd listened to a bit samey and inconsistent This was a massive departure from anything I expected, the opening track set the scene so perfectly- sounded like Enya singing over a Trent Reznor instrumental. Then there's some exploration with trip-hop and big club bangers, with some fantastic sounding synths and a really wide range of instrumentation and grooves. It tailed off slightly for me towards the end, and did start to feel its length, but the mysterious and slinky closing track was another highlight. All in all a great album, very different to what I was expecting, and definitely something I'll revisit

Good memories from MTV in the 90's https://youtu.be/SnUu2E1pjm0

The title track was definitely a guilty pleasure for me at the time and I have a lot of respect for the fact the Like A Virgin and Isla Bonita girl came up with this in 1998... and had a massive hit with it. Frozen is brilliant as well, but while the overall vibes are good, I'm a little disappointed to learn that the singles are its best moments. So while 70% of this is new to me, nothing is quite as exciting a discovery as I'd hoped. Still, the production is excellent and overall I'm glad it's included as it's definitely a snapshot of the time and a testament to Madonna's versatility, something that probably doesn't get talked about enough.

i can appreciate it but i'd never listen to this kind of music willingly. also no 13-track album should be over an hour

Just look how quickly rich and gauzy becomes "deep" and "meaningful", the shorthand for which is--sigh--an Indian song. I note William Orbit is credited on that. It appears not even the best artists were immune to 90s ambient wank.

Indian Electronica Madonna is my favourite Madonna!

revelatory for pop

Fabulous album. Love Madonna

😍

Beautiful album of hauntingly produced ballads by this remarkable singer. Deserves to be on this album accolade list.

Was never a big Madonna fan, except maybe when at the clubs in the mid 80's, but this is a really good album. Kind of a techno trance sound. Would be good for background music.

I have been wrong about Madonna for 25 years, that was amazing actually . I was surprised by how good this was. I don’t really like the Ray of Light song so much, so I didn’t have high expectations of it, but it’s downtempo and really well put together. I think sometimes we don’t give albums a fair shake when the artist is a media spectacle. Lesson learnt

Madonna is a goddess of music.

Madonna always surprises with her creativity: all her albums are different from each other, both in lyrics and melodies. This all ensures that she remains active and extremely interesting over time. This album is no exception, all songs are great and take you on a mystical journey of that time (she changes too, just like Madonna). I still prefer the Madonna of the 80s, but it is undeniable how great this album is.

I forgot how great this was. Peak Madonna.

What a brilliant idea to bring in William Orbit as a producer. It’s a match made in heaven with Orbit laying down the catchy but innocuous rhythm tracks and Madonna composing songs over top of them. The album would have sounded super-fresh and club-ready upon release. The first 2 tracks are subtle, not immediately catching your attention and then the title track slaps you in the face. “Skin”, “Sky Fits Heaven” & “Froze” are also classics. Even the mellower ballads are made interesting, listenable and Everything-But-the-Girl-ish by the production.

I’m generally kind of ambivalent about Madonna. I like some of her songs but generally don’t seek out her music. So color me surprised when I listened to this and loved it? This isn’t even a genre I enjoy in general, let alone from Madonna, but this was amazing. A super cohesive album, and while on the longer side with songs on the longer side too, it never overstayed its welcome. So many great artists fall into that trap, but Madonna figured out how to perfectly toe the line here. “Drowned World/Substitute for Love,” “Ray of Light,” and “The Power of Good-Bye” were my favorite songs, but I found something to enjoy about every song on this album. Was not expecting to love this as much as I did, but I’m so glad this came up on this list and forced me to give it a chance.

Madonna's seventh album, "Ray of Light" is the magnum opus of her long career. After several moderately successful albums in the 1990s and the film Evita, it was questionable whether she would be able to reinvent herself or whether her career would hit a deep pit. Well, she reinvented herself and came back with a fantastic album. She took voice lessons for Evita, and on this album her singing was never better than it had been before. Also, "Ray of Light" was produced by William Orbit, who created stunning sounds that still feel fresh after 25 years. This album brought electronica into the mainstream, but also drew inspiration from many different styles (trip-hop, psychedelia, pop, trance, eastern influences). The hits are outstanding, especially Ray of Light, and the music videos for them were also ahead of their time (Frozen, Nothing Really Matters) - but there are plenty of great songs even besides the hits (Swim, Candy Perfume Girl, Shanti Ashtangi, etc.). Meditative, atmospheric, pulsating, captivating - and it's probably her most honest album since the birth of her daughter seemed to have matured her a lot. Although I'm not a big fan of pop, my childhood was this album and I remember that I was captivated by the hit songs, especially the video of Ray of Light. I hope it's not just nostalgia talking when I say it's still an outstanding pop album today. Maybe a little too long at 66 minutes, but still a very coherent and balanced album. Overall it deserves a 4.5 rating, which is 5 rounded up.

cool

Hörenswert.

A shimmering plate of psych dance pop.

I've never heard this album and that is embarrassing. When she goes--this is the album people will point to.

Apparently a childhood album

p829. 1998. 5 stars. Madge on top form. Not a weak track on this. Excellent production. Still sounds great 20 years on.

good tunes

4.5

great!

madonna's 7th studio album i think was the last of her great era. she's unfortunately past her prime now, or maybe I'm just saying that because i haven't heard enough? i dunno. madonna swaps her usual dance pop style for a really trippy and atmospheric techno new age sound, and she pretty much nails it. beautiful vocals and uniquely produced instrumentals that haven't aged a bit.

Whenever there is a phase in Madonna's career, no matter how brief and noteworthy, it all serves a use for a section of the fanbase to hang their hats on. Ray of Light is the culmination of a return to the public's good graces that began with Bedtime Stories and peaked with her starring role in Evita. Crafting compositions about enlightenment and motherhood, this is Madonna's most mature outing; a record that positions her as a sage for all things groundbreaking and revelatory (not that she wasn't beforehand). Sooner or later, she'll slide back down into dangerous waters of irrelevancy but, for a while, Madonna became someone to love again. This album is proof.

Como no iba a estar Madonna en esta lista. Aunque no me esperaba este disco, muy bueno para volver a esos maravillosos 90's.

Drowned World/Substitute for Love Swim Frozen

Madonna forever. Nice album.

4.55

I am a Madonna fan. This album is one of the ones in my normal circulation of 10or 20 albums that I listen to on a daily basis and it is GOOD.

Certified banger

Ein af mínum allra mest uppáhalds plötum. Frábær frá upphafi til enda. Mikil gleði með að hún sé á listanum 🥰

This was great 90s pop, Madonna voice is incredible

Best Madonna album!

madona es la 1

A definitive Madonna album. Madonna has constantly reinvented herself with each new album. And through her career until Confessions, she successfully took modern technology and made it her own unmatched by anyone else. Madonna's work has always been tied to synths and electronica, but you can hear the evolution of music in her albums. In Ray of Light, she modifies her Erotica dance and Bedtime Stories R&B strategies with the rising techno scene, which was never that big until Madonna slapped her label onto it. This is an electro-pop masterpiece. It is incredibly well produced, with innovative techno effects that make tracks suitable for dancing, studying, or sitting back and having a drink. Her vocals are mostly influenced while her last two albums, soft and sexy, reflecting the speed and subject matter of the lyrics. Just hear how perfectly entwined her vocals are with the techno sounds in "Skin", I can't believe how perfectly they blend together. There are plenty of perfect tracks on this album. "Drowned World" is such a surreal and sad reflection of her relationship with fame. "Nothing Really Matters" is the friendliest for newcomers and old fans. "Ray of Light" is a perfect dance track, although I admit it sticks out from the other tracks. "Frozen" is like listening to a movie, with dramatic build ups, tense effects, orchestral strings, and spacious yet gloomy vocals. And most of the non-singles are suitable for any dance mix. My only two complaints are that it's super long, and the last few tracks feel like bonus tracks, belonging to Bedtime Stories. I get that dance tracks should be long, 5 minutes, but softer tracks like "Little Star" could be cut a little or just entirely. It's hard for me to decide which Madonna album is my favorite. But I can definitely say this is the one with the least flaws, and combined with its influence and outstanding production, it's one of the best pop albums out there.

Pop + eurotrance & Madonna

Definitely one if not the best that Madonna has made

Love her

Wait. Did I just say a few days ago that Music is one of Madonna's most mature albums? I did. But so is this. More like yoga class than a dance party, this one goes down real easy. And Ray of Light is one of my feel goodest songs.

I haven’t listened to this album in some time, so even though listening again today there was complete familiarity I was startled how I had kind of forgotten about a lot of the music on this album. Ray Of Light is a dreamy, beautiful album built on one amazing song after another - not a throwaway track in the bunch. Madonna’s performance is at its peak. She sounds incredible. I sink into this album and get lost in another world… I’ve said for years that Like A Prayer is Madonna’s best, but listening to this today I have to say this one has the edge. Ray Of Light is an absolutely phenomenal album that should be at the top of my regular rotation. So so good!

Oh, this is a good one. As with Music, I had this on CD when it came out, but hadn't listened to the whole album for years. In this very successful reinvention of herself, this is the mystical electronica dance one. It's pretty awesome. The title track may well be my favorite Madonna song. The whole thing sounds great and I'm happy to hear it again.

Musa máxima.

Very consistent cohesive album. I liked it.

Weaker 4, some of the songs were quite great, however I wouldn't mind if the was about 10 minutes shorter.

Really enjoyed it. 2 bangers of singles and the filler was alot better than expected

Can't say I've ever listened to a full Madonna album before, this is really good! Great dance music, lush soundscapes, great voice, great beats, I'm impressed. No wonder people like her so much. It's a little too long though.

Wow... Creative, engaging, satisfying, this album caught me off guard and then some

Not bad pero prefiero alguno de los anteriores

A really good, nostalgic electro-pop album. Singles like Frozen immediately bring me back to my childhood.

Definitely a bit of a surprise. I was very aware of most of the singles on this album and have heard, and played, them quite a bit in my life. Frozen, Ray Of Light, Power Of Goodbye are one by one incredibly strong songs, written by a very talented songwriter. The album might not be strong throughout - there's certainly some filler on here and the album could lose some minutes - but it also has a few songs that might just be the best Madonna has released in her career, especially the very danceable tracks 'Sky Fits Heaven' and 'Skin' A solid 4*