Brilliant article by Darren Hayes:
The woman who has always been above social media has been having a torrid affair with it of late. 2014 shall forever be known by this fan as the year the Material Girl embraced Instagram and treated us to everything from gratuitous boob selfies to her homage to hairy underarms. And I’ve loved it. Through her iPhone Madonna let us behind the platinum curtain – even inside her very posh Upper East Side Manhattan master bathroom to witness everything form her post work-out beads of sweat to her son David Banda on guitar.
Yet of most fascination has been the cheeky way she has beckoned us inside the recording studio. The Queen of Pop has been teasing the world with progress of her as-yet-untitled (unless it’s called Unapologetic Bitch – and Lord don’t I hope so!) 13th studio album.....
The problem is, Madonna is consistently brilliant. When she hits her sweet spot, it is the music equivalent of orgasm. Moments like Holiday, Into the Groove and Hung Up are prime examples. Reckless abandon on the dance floor yet not throw-away gibberish. Yes, solid dance-pop tunes that you want to make out to, get drunk with or indeed form the soundtrack of a one-night stand to. But they are also songs of freedom, of escape and empowerment. Some might call them the soundtrack to coming out. At the heart of these floor-fillers are universal truths embedded in the human experience: “Only when I’m dancing can I feel this free.” “Soul is in the musical, that’s where I feel so beautiful, magical. Life’s a ball. So get up on the dance floor.”
What is this love affair between gay men and Madonna? It’s distinct from our admiration for all other popstars – a very particular tryst entirely separate from the love Cher, Kylie, Mariah etc. While I can appreciate the qualities all these strong divas have in common, there’s something different about Madonna. If you grew up gay during her reign there is something of her rebelliousness invariably in your DNA. As a teen I identified with her refusal to be categorised. Neither butch nor feminine, tough nor soft. Especially in the 80’s she challenged what the definition of “beautiful” was and her resilience and determination were infectious.....
I’m a lifelong defender of American Life, a controversial choice for favourite album when it comes to Madonna fans but let me present my solitary piece of evidence: The song Nothing Fails. It’s the 2004 Like A Prayer only this time, a bit more battered, a bit weary from love and possessed of exactly the kind of depth I hope all Madonna records reach at some point in the album sequence.
As a project, yes I know it is devoid of “hit singles” – but to me it’s a songwriting master class. As an album it’s such a cohesive work of art because clearly it had her 100% undivided attention. It is this attention to detail a great Madonna album needs. It simply cannot succeed without it.....
In this period of quiet before the storm I want to send out some cosmic rays of light to the queen. All the signs are there: the determination, the focus and the joy of being an artist. We can all debate which era, which look or which persona was strongest but there’s only one person who can deliver the goods. Help us Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone. You’re our only hope.
Read lots more here:
http://attitude.co.uk/world-needs-br...madonna-album/