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 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

what a huge pile of crap

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

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.

AMAZING

The last good Madonna album according to my wife

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

Easily the best Madonna album.

(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?

Ethereal, lovely ambience

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

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."

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 am reviewing ‘Ray of Light’ days after the release of ‘Confessions II’. Reviews are everywhere, people are talking about it as her best album in 20 years. But her albums always get reviewed -- they are always an event -- which is extraordinary for someone more than 40 years into a pop music career. Not even Paul McCartney really managed that. Pop music is a genre fickly obsessed with youth and novelty, so the idea of anyone remaining an important and relevant pop artist after 40 years is one of the most monumental achievements in popular culture. I mean, here is an artist who has had 38 US Top 10 singles and 50 US Hot Dance chart #1s. Fifty! So, amongst her long and illustrious career, there are a few albums that stand out above the others. ‘Ray of Light’ is one of those career peaks. It showed that, at the age of 39, she could produce a relevant, exciting and contemporary dance pop album. It also has some of her strongest songwriting, in the title track and Frozen especially. Ray of Light is, to my mind, a song that captures the ecstasy of the dance floor better than almost anything else ever written. She continues her history of working well with cleverly chosen collaborators; kudos to William Orbit for constructing a fascinating, warm, spacious and not over-polished backing track that complements but never overpowers Madonna’s singing. Unlike much electronic music of the period, it has aged well. Orbit was everywhere in the 90s, remixing and producing. He had a distinctive and tasteful sound, but I don’t think he ever really topped his work here (with the possible exception of the Bass-o-matic ‘Fascinating Rhythm’ single, but never for a sustained album). I have always found Madonna to be a _believable_ singer, which makes her a surprisingly good ballad singer given her technical limitations. That said, her work on Evita had left her voice stronger and more controlled than ever at this point. I would argue that Frozen is one of her greatest performances. Even the faux-spiritual content here is tolerable because of that credibility. The lyrics occasionally verge on yoga-mama religious dilettantism, but Madonna sings every word like it is important and she believes it with all her heart. This is ironic, because I never believe a word she speaks in interviews (or, worse yet, her megalomaniacal turn in the Truth or Dare documentary, where she comes across like a constantly calculating mean-girl control freak). She often comes across as performative and provocative and boorish but not credible when speaking. But when she sings, she seems like the real deal. It’s a paradox. Minor nitpicking; the mastering on the streaming version I listened to today was weirdly inconsistent. Also, this suffers from the late 90s trend of albums that fill CD capacity. There is some filler here; Shanti, The Power of Goodbye, or Little Star. Personally, I'd like to see this trimmed to a more focused 45 minutes. But these are minor quibbles and this album is a monumental highlight in Madonna's extensive and extraordinary career output. She is at her best when she leans into a slightly more experimental dance sound, as she does here. Madonna is one of the greatest pop artists of all time, never better than on this record, and you can dance to it.

Outstanding album. I got Music 11 days ago and the ambient electronica trip hop dance pop is still doing it for me. Once again showing why she's one of the best to ever do it. I have a feeling that if she were male and from the UK she would have 6 to 8 albums on this list.

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 a 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.

I'd reckon she's had as many shape shifting moments as Bob. This was something else when it came out and listening to it again only reinforces her genius. And she got a bit spiritual which I always love, especially when they do the grab bag of different traditions, bit of yoga, bit of mysticism, bit of Buddhism and he presto some really good lyrics. A fantastic record from an incredible artist, strongly recommend.

I thought this album was a very soothing and sophisticated album. I really enjoyed the more experimental songs, and the pop songs were more interesting than one would expect in a pop album. The poppier songs were definitely a tier below, but the album as a whole was a solid listen. Top tracks: Diamond World/Substitution for Love, Shanti/Ashtangi, Mer Girl

I don't know what the FUCK a Candy Perfume Girl is, but I want Madonna to be mine. And whatever drugs she was doing in 1998, I want to take a lot of them. She's totally in the zone here. Frozen, the title track, and Shanti/Ashtangi stand out for me, but the whole album is great. There is a flow...an energy... almost conceptual...damn near perfect...dreamy mystic spiritual dance pop... beautiful... unquestionably one of her best. 5

Njen daleko najbolji album. Produkcija Williama orbita je apsolutno savršena, koliko je album utjecajam vidiš po tome što svake godine bude jedno do pet zapaženih ostvarenja direktno pod njegovim utjecajem

Pure brilliance. Best Madonna's album and one of the best in genre

I have to apologize to Madonna. I always thought she was more of an icon than a musician. I was dead wrong. This is some of the best art pop I have heard in a long time. The opening track, "Drowned World / Substitute", feels like a blueprint for a lot of FKA Twigs’s work. It pulled me in immediately. It is warm, pure, and powerful. The album weaves in some really beautiful cultural textures too. You hear Arabic leaning instrumentation blended with sleek modern synths on "Nothing Really Matters", then just a track later you get the Hindu inspired atmosphere of "Shanti/Ashtangi". That range over such a short stretch is impressive. "Frozen" gives me chills every time. It is easily the best song on the album and it makes sense that it became one of her most popular. The mix of violins, synths, and percussion creates something almost religious. This is a power album from a power woman. 9/10.

Of course it is rated Five Stars even after all these years it Madonna 🩷

I've always liked this album. The collaboration with William Orbit really did Madonna good musically. Before, the music was too disco-like for me. Frozen is one of my favorite pieces. Listening to the album, I remembered some songs that I had forgotten. It's nice that these memories are fresh again. 5/5

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"

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

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

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.

disco maduro de madonna? fuck I'm in

Very surprised how good this was. Sound very trippy

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

After a string of cult artists and mediocrity it’s refreshing to see an important artist. Ok it’s the techno stuff. But she at least brings a gravitas to it. 4 stars.

This is potentially the high water mark of Madonna's entire career. There are plenty of more well known singles from other eras of Madonna, but this might be the best entire album. She’s more of an artist on Ray of Light than the previous pop princess, or the sad weird quasi-Brit she transformed into later. 4.5⭐️

Pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this and also in how different it was from the other Madonna songs I’m more familiar with. The Ray of Light song is a banger, testament to Madge’s ability to keep reinventing herself and remaining relevant. Would definitely have this playing at home for a dinner party or for a general relaxation vibe.

It's unfortunate that I only ever heard the titular song before and wasn't exposed to this album earlier, because I loved it! Madonna's voice here is wonderfully balanced and controlled, I really dig the eastern-flair on several of the tracks, and as fan of EDM there's nothing here not to love.

This is great. Just pure joy. What a pop record should be. Very much sleek car showroom dance pop but executed perfectly. I wonder if I was around for this release I would've felt the same about it as I do about Brat, in that it takes all the stylings of dance music and polishes it down to pop sensibility, but unlike Brat I don't feel any personal sense of loss attached to this because I can't even imagine nightlife in 1998. I think repurposing club culture in a buoyant market is a different act to the stagnation and neglect of 2024.

Something’s having an age in incredibly well, but overall an extremely by vibey project

The musical direction on this album from Madonna was a real surprise to me, I did not expect such a variety of influences and a tone quite as atmospheric. I have to say, I really enjoyed it. The standout “hits” are fantastic, but the rest of the album has a darker, ambient vibe to it that is a far cry from the pop classics you come to expect. There’s one major gripe I have though - it’s too bloody long, most of the songs could be cut in half and still be as impactful. I’ve every confidence this would be a 9/10 album for me if it was 45 minutes long, rather than 65.

I knew of one or two songs off this album before listening and really wasn't expecting much, but I actually thought this was cool as hell. A major departure from most of her previous work but I feel like she crushes it. Ray of Light is a lot more reserved and less in your face than most of Madonna's discography, at least the parts I'm more familiar with. Instead of hornily observing Madonna from afar, I get the feeling from this album that she wants you to join her on the dancefloor and just cut loose. AND I FEEEELLL LIKE I JUST GOT HOMEE

Listening session: january 13th, while commuting to internship and while getting ready for bed Listened to before: listened to some songs before, but not all Thoughts: I’m more familiar with Madonna’s older work so I was surprised that this had so many electronic elements Favourite tracks: Frozen, The Power of Good-Bye & Drowned World/Substitute for Love

Madonna almost always hits. This isn't my favorite, but still quite good.

album with slow songs. i like it.

Honestly, far better than I expected it to be! Some good classics on here, and I would give it a 5 star rating if it weren't for how bad Little Star is...

On hyvä. On siinä nykyartisteilla tekemistä

Heel erg leuk, heeft echt een slehcte ochtend geflipt naar goed ook. Love it!!

Pvetor griffoni? Flamby guye?

About in line with what I've heard so far from Madonna as in being surprisingly epic for "pop". Also, did I just get proselytized to for an hour about Kabbalah?

Enjoyed this a lot, great 90s house beats

omg its the peter griffin drinking redbull song this is dope af i love 90s downtempo electronica whatever the fuck. great album people on this site have no culture or class.

A better album than her others

did not know Madonna had game like this

If you go through my review history, you can see that I often bemoan reviewers focus on the 'story' rather than the music. But indulge me for a moment... In her 1994 album Bedtime Stories, Madonna retreated from her increasingly sexual image and it's accompanying sparse 'erotic' sonic palate. The title track is the most obvious example of this, she recruited post-Debut Björk and Nellee Hooper to create an track filled with the sounds of acid house and 90s electronica music filled with the abstract lyrics that Björk "had always wanted Madonna to say". Millions were spent to create the accompanying music video, an experimental art-film chock full of religious imagery shot on 35mm and screened in cinemas. The song stalled at 42 on the Billboard Hot 100. So, after starring in Evita (probably her best leading performance), 4 years later we got Ray of Light. In comes William Orbit, another top young British electronic musician and producer. It should be more of the same, right? Madonna struggling to match the tone of her trendy new collaborators. Wrong. The tone of the album is incredibly familiar to anyone who listened to the UK charts in the Y2K era, an instrumental version of Pure Shores by All Saints could be slipped in halfway through and no-one would notice. The key difference is that this time we get a glimpse of what Madonna Louise Ciccone would want to say, not what Björk Guðmundsdóttir would like her to say, or the words the carefully curated popstar Madonna would say. And the music serves it perfectly, leaving space for her show her much improved vocal control. That's not to say that this wasn't a rebrand, the stripped back denim wearing 'crunchy' Madonna that appears on the cover and associated media is just as deliberate as the lace and leather years. But in letting her thoughts on motherhood and newly developing spirituality take the focus, she managed to make her most daring work since Vogue. Just a shame her thoughts about the Iraq war weren't nearly as profound.

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.”

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.

Surprisingly liked this. Waay more than I was expecting.

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

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

Really nice production

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

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.

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.

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.

It feels too easy to say that Madonna makes music for the girls, gays, and theys, but that doesn’t make it less true. I wish I had been in a dark room with a sparkly top to get the full experience

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.

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

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).

lazy disco-y lushness

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

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. <>.

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

Madge is a queen. I wanted to be her when I was 9. Ray of Light felt more like an attempt to remain relevant and it lost the edgy pop fun she is so fantastic at bringing.

Madonna must've heard "Dummy" by Portishead. This album proves this assumption. But it's nowhere near as fantastic as "Dummy". "Substitute for Love" is my favourite song off "Ray of Light" After that, it slowly becomes a boring listen. 3 stars for "Ray of Light".

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.

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

There are some decent tracks on this record, but for the most part this didn’t come together all that well for me. Definitely prefer her earlier stuff to this. 2/5

Madonna has the Jack Nicholson problem. Anything Jack Nicholson appears in is overwhelmed by a voice in the back of your head constantly saying "that's Jack Nicholson" which drags along every other movie he's ever been in, so it's nearly impossible to evaluate it on its own merits. You're not watching a movie or a Jack Nicholson performance, you're watching EVERY movie Jack Nicholson has been in and EVERY Jack Nicholson performance at once, and Jack Nicholson's character in whatever the movie is is just Jack Nicholson. Same thing with Madonna - I can't listen to this without thinking "this is Madonna" every second of every song, and simultaneously hearing in the back of my mind every other Madonna song I've heard since the beginning of her career (much of which I really like!). I can't separate the songs from the performer and the performer has a whole overlay that gets in the way of my ability to evaluate the songs. In short, I might have liked this as an album made by anyone other than Madonna, but adding in the whole Madonna thing, I thought it kinda sucked.

Not a fan of overproduced dance pop or whatever this is

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.

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

#677. Man, do you guys remember when Madonna saw Britney and Christina in the 90s and delusionally thought "I'm still relevant and as hot as these girls even though I'm literally middle aged" and then we all had to endure this cringe personified try to reinvent herself for a generation that didn't want or ask for any of that? Pepperidge Farm Remembers. And shit man, she's trying to do it again, but now she's these kid's grandma's age and she looks like an alien. All Madonna albums are on the lower end of the scale as far as quality goes, but this one seems to be particularly trash. If you have the opportunity to check out this album, just don't. 1/5: terrible.

Formulaic pop that left me cold. Awkward sounding with a techno-esque/EDM beat applied to vocal lines and melodies that really don't suit them. "Here are some songs... make them 'club'". Madonna has a great voice but it is wasted on this. Was going for 2/5 but the longer I listened... 1/5. It loses a point for wasting the talent of her voice.

Ein großartiges Elektronik-Pop Album. Bekannte Hits "Frozen", "The Power of Good-Bye" und "Ray of Light" 5/5

This album is beautiful and brilliant. I was obsessed with the song Ray of Light when it came out and it still hasn't gotten old. I love how seamlessly she creates deeply emotional and reflective songs and makes them electric. I'm a big fan of her pop music, but I loved this change in direction too. It's a crime this only has a 3.02 global rating.

genuinely perfect

Queen.

Who'd know one of my favourite albums of all time would come from Madonna? Just mesmerizing...

Look, aside from the absolute shitwreck of songs like 'Little Star', this album is full of complex songs i wouldn't expect from Madonna, mostly due to my bias, but here i am giving the album a 5.

I so admire Madonna for the roads she paved, and "Ray of Light" is one of her most significant contributions to pop. The star of the album (other than the Queen of Pop herself) is the complex production and experimental choices made by Madonna and William Orbit. Just listen to “Drowned World / Substitute for Love” and notice the lush, intricate orchestration with Madonna’s lovely vocal performance nestled delicately within the mix. She sounds great throughout the album, and the songs are enhanced by all the imaginative choices they've made.

madonna was always an artist i heard of but never went and listened to. now my children will know her. sky fits heaven is exactly how i imagine sailor moon

I've heard a lot of Madonna but I had no idea she dabbled in electronica/trip hop! This is mind blowing.

Did not expect to ever give a Madonna album this high of a rating but this genuinely floored me. What an incredible album.

A 90s classic from Madonna, and maybe her most important album, if not her best (Like A Prayer maybe shades that one). The few years before Ray Of Light saw Madonna falling out of the limelight a bit. The queen of pop needed reinventing, so with the help of William Orbit and Craig Armstrong she made her most British album and took on the 90s club scene with a mighty slice of electronica and trance with Eastern philosophy thrown in for good measure. Substitute for Love is a gorgeous opener, Skin combines a hypnotic vocal with a hectic beat and the cinematic Frozen took her back to the top of the singles charts. This album is so far removed from anything she had done and put her back on top of the tree. A brilliant album. 5☆