Celeb News: Vice: Madonna re-captures what made her great

Swag

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Rebel Heart is easily Madge's best album in at least 16 years.

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When the songs premiered, gay Twitter naturally exploded—some people were literally downloading the tracks on their smartphones at gay bars

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Against a throbbing Diplo beat on a later track called "Bitch, I'm Madonna," her angriest song since 1994's "Human Nature," Madonna imitates the ageist critics who complain about her dressing like a twentysomething. "Who do you think you are?" she angrily asks, before answering herself: "Bitch, I'm Madonna." Unlike her "Give Me All Your Luvin'" verse, Minaj's vocal swagger compliments Madonna instead of overpowering her. Madonna's anger gives her a charisma we haven't seen since she danced alone in a dance studio to "Hung Up" nearly a decade ago.

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Madonna's surprising relatability sounds like downright vulnerability on other tracks. "Devil Pray" opens with string sounds reminiscent of Madonna's American Life singer-songwriter phase, ... but when Madonna admits she's "getting weaker" and asks to "sing hallelujah" and save her "soul," she sounds honest, even spiritual, and for the first time since Confessions on a Dance Floor, she finally ****ing nails it.

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The vulnerability crescendos on the standout track "Ghosttown,"... During the refrain she sounds like she's painting herself as a savior, belting, "When it all falls down / I'll be your fire when the lights go out." But at the end of the chorus, she reveals she's discussing a one-on-one relationship with the listener: "We'll be two souls in a ghost town."

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The trick captures what made Madonna great in the 80s and 90s: her ability to sing cliches ("I am a material girl," "we need a holiday," "you've got to make him express himself") and transform them into both personalized anthems and universal truths.

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conatus

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some people were literally downloading the tracks on their smartphones at gay bars

only the queen!

MadOnHer

Lament

Great article.
Indeed, I think it will be one of her best "modern" albums (post-Bedtime Stories).

iC0NIC

All this acclaim! :eek;

This is easily getting a 100+ on Metacritic, and deservedly so!

Lover

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Few listeners can relate to a global superstar's analysis of a celebrity-oriented conspiracy theory, but everyone can relate to feeling like a superstar at a club for a few fleeting minutes.

fagsturbation

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Originally posted by Lament

Great article.
Indeed, I think it will be one of her best "modern" albums (post-Bedtime Stories).

Oh so I'm not the only one that unconsciously divide Madonna's career into two parts; pre-BS and post-BS... Not in terms of quality or anything, it's like pre-BS is old school vintage Madonna, and then from Ray Of Light up it's modern Madonna.

Oh and not them paying Living For Love dust

Get that underground grunge alternative praise tho, Kween

Swag

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Originally posted by fagsturbation

Oh so I'm not the only one that unconsciously divide Madonna's career into two parts; pre-BS and post-BS... Not in terms of quality or anything, it's like pre-BS is old school vintage Madonna, and then from Ray Of Light up it's modern Madonna.

Oh and not them paying Living For Love dust

They didn't I just didn't post the whole thing.

About the two part thing, it angers me, because there is that void due to Evita and we could have had the best tour after BS (just imagining 1995's Madonna in latex), and probably another album by 1997

wanderlust

vice always shows their love for Madonna

bobbymfw

They're wrong about this being her best work in 16 years. I'll give them 12 or 13 years maybe (even though I personally loathe most of RH) but this album isn't better than Music.

Travis Bickle

The continuous acclaim!

aphextwink

lol@at 'easily her best album in 16 years'. six songs out of 19 have been released. AU REVOIR

Swag

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Originally posted by aphextwink

lol@at 'easily her best album in 16 years'. six songs out of 19 have been released. AU REVOIR

Maybe they've heard it in full

fagsturbation

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Originally posted by Swag

They didn't I just didn't post the whole thing.

About the two part thing, it angers me, because there is that void due to Evita and we could have had the best tour after BS (just imagining 1995's Madonna in latex), and probably another album by 1997

Yeah sorry I just finished reading it, it's a great article but **** them for dismissing the masterpiece that is known as American Life ! One of the best eras both musically and visually.

And I totally agree w you. Even though I like some songs from the Evita soundtrack and the film was quite good, I can only imagine what a flawless tour she could've served for the BS era.... A mix of S&M aesthetic and transcendental + mystic performances like the Bedtime Story one @ the Brits awars