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Special Event: atrlcritic | Ed Sheeran's new songs after the upgrade
Member Since: 9/16/2011
Posts: 50,981
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Is it too late for me to review What Kind of Man? I meant to do it, but I was offline pretty much all day because I wasn't feeling well. 
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 9/2/2011
Posts: 21,728
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I'll be back hopefully to review Kendrick and Marina!
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Member Since: 4/29/2012
Posts: 15,977
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Quote:
Originally posted by JakeKills
Is it too late for me to review What Kind of Man? I meant to do it, but I was offline pretty much all day because I wasn't feeling well. |
You can still review it but only if you have praise for it 
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
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I will end Piece By Piece and What Kind Of Man at 10pm.
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Member Since: 9/16/2011
Posts: 50,981
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Florence + the Machine - "What Kind of Man"
When Florence + the Machine released their sophomore album Ceremonials in 2011, one critic compared its songs to skyscrapers; the collection's massive, larger-than-life songs packed the album full to bursting, and could make for exhausting listening. At its best, the colassal behemoths of Ceremonials channeled explosive energy, and riddled uplifting choruses together with verses and production that hinted at something darker. In these ways, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful's lead single "What Kind of Man" is very much cut from the same cloth.
The song starts out quietly enough as Florence sets the scene, but it's when the guitars kick in at the 55 second mark that the song comes to life. "To let me dangle at a cruel angle/ while my feet don't touch the floor," Florence intones at the start of the second verse, sounding angrier than we've heard her in years. Her voice is certainly up to par as well, as she sings in a rockier way than I'm used to hearing from her. In terms of both vocals and production, this is a far cry from the electro-pop we were expecting of her in the aftermath of her Calvin Harris collaborations of years past.
"What Kind of Man" is excellent, although it is not imperfect. In some ways, it lacks form, which can be both a blessing and a curse in songwriting. Furthermore, it falls into the familiar pop music trapping of crafting a hook that is simply one repeated line. I've come to expect better from Florence. Finally, something about the song simply does not feel important enough... distinct enough... for it to be the lead single of highly anticipated album that is an act's first work in more than four years.
Score: 8.5/10
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What Kind Of Man
Florence + The Machine
Review archive
Carly Rae Jepsen - I Really Like You
Taylor Swift - Style
Rihanna - FourFiveSeconds
Nick Jonas - Jealous
Nicki Minaj - The PinkPrint
Beyoncé - 7/11
Kanye West - Yeezus
Azealia Banks - Broke With Expensive Taste
Ariana Grande ft. The Weeknd - Love Me Harder
Taylor Swift - 1989 |
The wondrous, fantastical quality to Florence + The Machine's music has always been the way in which Welch and her band have been able to complement each other so well on their luscious soundscapes. On Lungs, it was the way in which Welch's voice soared like a kite over the woodland festival of harps, drums and guitars playing below. This was something further elaborated on Ceremonials, which saw this symbiosis between the foreground - Florence - and the background - The Machine - elevated to the scale of a gothic church spire. The oversaturated marriage between Kate Bush vocals and the roaring machine below has always been something which inexplicably has worked so well for Florence + The Machine, coexisting as perfectly as a pair of lungs.
What Kind of Man sees Welch move further away from the Ellie Goulding-kitsch of Sweet Nothing and the largely successful Spectrum remix by Calvin Harris into a contemporary, minimalist rock approach that denies Welch of her usual, luscious foundations. It's a track which sees her sing at her most stark against the sawing guitars and thumping drums. The notion of such a competent vocalist as Welch being able to shine on such a minimalist track is something which sounds brilliant in theory and yet materialises as something rather vacant in sonic form. Instead of complementing each other as Florence + The Machine had so previously done, What Kind of Man becomes something as disconnected as 'Tryna cross a canyon with a broken limb', as Welch sings at the beginning.
It's ironic how Welch fails to outshine The Machine on the first track where everything feels so stark and chasmal. Denied of her lush and complicated instrumentals, Welch struggles to overcome something much more deconstructed. In its place, we're left with a battle between the voice and the music, which serves to expose the awkward lyricisms of 'dangle at a cruel angle' and the oddly precise 'a fire of devotion / That lasted 20 years'. It's perplexing, but it's something as irrational as to why Florence + The Machine's marriage between soaring vocals and rich harps worked so well in the first place.
5.2 out of 10 |
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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| Piece By Piece - Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson | RCA | Release Date: February 27, 2015 | Review Period: March 15, 2015 - March 28, 2015
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75 | Member Score
Generally Favorable Reviews
based on 6 Reviews | ddddd. | dddddd
7.5 | Experimental Top Critic Score
Generally Favorable Reviews
based on 1 Top Critic |
| | dddddddddddddd | Summary: The seventh album from Clarkson features lead single Heartbeat Song and was co-produced with frequent collaborator Greg Kurstin. | Record Label: RCA
Genre(s): Pop |
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| Member Reviews | | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 4 | | d | ....iMixed: ████████ 2 | | d | Negative: 0 |
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| | Top Critic Reviews | | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 1 | | d | ....iMixed: 0 | | d | Negative: 0 |
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Piece By Piece results.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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*Unofficial*
| What Kind Of Man - Florence + The Machine
Florence + The Machine | Island | Release Date: February 12, 2015 | Review Period: March 20, 2015 - March 27, 2015
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91 | Member Score
Universal Acclaim
based on 2 Reviews | ddddd. | dddddd
5.2 | Experimental Top Critic Score
Mixed Reviews
based on 1 Top Critic |
| | dddddddddddddd | Summary: The lead single from the British band's upcoming third studio album was produced by Markus Dravs. | Record Label: Island
Genre(s): Blues, pop-soul |
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| Member Reviews | | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 2 | | d | ....iMixed: 0 | | d | Negative: 0 |
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| | Top Critic Reviews | | d | .iPositive: 0 | | d | ....iMixed: ████████████████ 1 | | d | Negative: 0 |
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What Kind Of Man results.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Here's the schedule:
Ongoing
Upcoming
Special
Kendrick Lamar - 'To Pimp A Butterfly' [March 26, 2015 - April 6, 2015]
Madonna - 'Rebel Heart' [March 26, 2015 - April 6, 2015]
Marina & The Diamonds - 'Froot' [March 26, 2015 - April 6, 2015]
Voting for Throwback Albums 3 and 4 [April 1, 2015 - April 5, 2015]
Throwback Albums 3 and 4 [April 5 - April 20, 2015]
By all means, we can review a single or album during the throwback albums review period.
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Member Since: 2/5/2014
Posts: 29,111
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Oops I missed the review period. I wasn't really able to sit and listen to Kelly and Florence. Both scores are too high though.
I definitely will get to Kendrick and Madonna soon!
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Member Since: 3/7/2012
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Great score for Kelly! 
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 43,104
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Madonna's 13th studio album, Rebel Heart has arrived. How does it stack up compared to the rest of her discography? Let's take a look.
Living For Love - The opening number lays down the groundwork, but doesn't seem to life the album up very high. 6/10
Devil Pray - Typical Madge, pulling in some expected Christian references. The sleek chorus is an instant highlight, but the energy gets sucked out by a lonely acoustic guitar. 7.5/10
Ghosttown - "You're all that I can trust / Everyone ran away" Madonna croons on track No.3. Madonna sounds like she believes the song, to some extent. Like the first two songs, Ghosttown feels a bit factory pressed, with the stipulation that they're all missing something production-wise. 6/10
Unapologetic Bitch - Madonna tosses out the sleek and lackluster pop production for some reggae influence. This sounds far more genuine than the preceding tracks, which for Madonna might be a blessing or curse being the most genuine as a "bitch." Unfortunately, the song is still a bore. 5/10
Illuminati - "Everybody in this party's shining like illuminati," along with the very direct name addressing - Beyoncé, Steve Jobs, Obama and Gaga for starts - help construct the first truly effective Rebel Heart track. The production is dark, Madge's delivery is stone cold, and Illuminati ultimately steals the show. Madonna actually sounds engaged. 8.5/10
Bitch I'm Madonna (feat. Nicki Minaj) - The secondy 'bitchy' track shows off more of what Madonna does best - sound current. The trap sounds and the cries of "go hard or go home" paired up with Nicki Minaj's strong verse present Rebel Heart with a potential hit. 8/10
Hold Tight - The horns in the 2 previous tracks are scrapped for this pulsing drum track. It could be a bit bigger with the production, but Rebel Heart seems to feel more comfortable in minimalism. 7.5/10
Joan of Arc - Rebel Heart's trap onslaught is halted by the guitar strumming Joan of Arc. The verses seem laughable at first but once Madonna sings "I don't wanna talk about it right now," you're hit with a feeling of "oh ****, she's serious." The metaphor, production and feelings are strong, but the lyrics and delivery simply aren't. Joan of Arc finishes having accomplished most, but not all of its goals. 7/10
Iconic (feat. Chance the Rapper and Mike Tyson) - Rebel Heart has moved back to the party room. The gritty and pulsing synths of Iconic are addictive. 9/10
HeartBreak City - After going to the 3AM night club Iconic, HeartBreak City is the last place someone would want to go. But here we are. This is simply the wrong place to put a ballad. 4.5/10
Body Shop - .... What? Such a bizarre transition and sound compared to the rest of the album. 2/10
Holy Water - Its pulsing and demanding, sexual and holy: a zeitgeist for the album. That being said, the production just isn't strong enough to leave a lasting impression, besides the Vogue interjection. 4/10
Inside Out - The minimalist production actually works here, with the production and lyrics working together to create a dark and sleek deep cut. 8/10
Wash All Over Me - And the credits roll with Wash All Over Me. The chorus is at least nice, but the verses sound like a funeral procession, not a good way to close an album. 4/10
Rebel Heart is rebellious, it fights against ageism and the sexual boundaries of society, but this is something Madonna has been doing for years. 13 albums in, Heart fails to add something truly new to Madonna's discography in its message. Its production is more trap and somewhat more minimalist than Madge's previous works, but Rebel Heart can't stand up against Madonna's magnum opuses. That being said, Rebel Heart isn't bad, it just isn't great enough to compete against the precedent Madonna has set for herself, and the pop stars since her arrival. Rebel Heart has moments of strength but overall, it is just far too inconsistent to be any better than "good."
Overall: 6.5/10
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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One more week for each of the three albums up for review.
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Member Since: 2/20/2012
Posts: 24,225
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I'll request Three Days Grace's new album Human, although I know it won't get three requests. 
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Member Since: 4/29/2012
Posts: 15,977
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Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
There was big speculation in the music community what Kendrick's follow up to his breakout sophomore effort good kid, m.A.A.d. city would sound like. Compared to his debut gkmc was a lot more trendy and had more pop appeal and the lead single of the record i surely supported the idea that Kendrick would stick to the more accesible sound of his last record.
However that is not the case at all as there is nothing trendy on To Pimp A Butterfly at all, instead it sounds like a classic old schoo west coastl hip hop record with elements of Jazz,Funk,Swing and a perfect dose of pop. Lyrically Kendrick mostly discusses racial issues in the United States including white on black violence but also black on black violence and hatred, and he is consistently thoughful and witty and intelligent about it.It never feels like Kendrick is forcing his opinion on you, instead he gives his ideas room for interpretation and it feels like you get a clear insight to Kendrick's vision. But there are also themes similiar to his previous album about his hometown and his struggle to keep in touch with his old life now that he is this prominent figure. But for all the black issues discussed on the record the darkest song is u where Kendrick battles with all his self hatred calling himself a ****ing failure and an all around awful person for neglecting friends and family all while drowning himself in alcohol. This is also why the reworked version of i doesn't live up to the single version because it is an anthem for self love and serves as the counterpart to u and the album version isn't emotionally strong enough to match u. Flow wise Kendrick is at the top of his game as well with consistenly diverse and interesting flows adjusting to the ever changing and unique production. The most unique thing about the record however is the poem Kendrick recites throughout the entire record.
And each time he starts on a different song he gets a little further until the finishes it on Mortal Man and the poem ties up all the themes covered on the album and it turns out Kendrick has been telling the poem to 2Pac.
Kendrick took snippets from an old 2Pac interview and came up with questions about life,the music industry and black issues and somehow Kendrick manages to whip up an organic sounding not at all forced conversation between him and 2Pac himself. Definitely something I've never heard on a record before.
Final Say: To Pimp A Butterfly is a difficult record to review in the sense that it is impossible to truly capture what makes this record such a thrilling and instant classic-y sounding album. If one was to write down every single time the production tops itself again,every nuanced thought that Kendrick voices on this record, every sick flow Kendrick pulls out of nowhere the review would be never ending. Instead it is easier to conclude that To Pimp A Butterfly is his most ambitious,best and most unique record yet and for the first time in over a decade, Kanye might not have the best hip hop album of the year.
Favorites songs: Wesley's Theory,These Walls,i,u,The Blacker The Berry,King Kunta,
9,2/10
Marina & the Diamonds - FROOT
Finally, I have found a way to be, happy Marina sings on the opener of her third album titled FROOT and it feels like a fitting way to introduce us to the record considering Marina's latest project Electra Heart. It was a very turbulent era with a lot of unrealised potential and an ambitious concept that unfortuanately often lacked the proper execution due to budget problems and other issues. If her sophomore record was her attempt to appeal to the pop crowd with a more accesible production, FROOT is Marina realising that it is not necessary to be succesful to be fulfilled as an artist of human person. Electra Heart found Marina slipping into multiple personas, like the Primadonna or the Homewrecker, to ,for once, explore female archetypes but also in a way avoid dealing with her own personal break-up in her music. FROOT is very different and much more personal and honest because Marina is looking at her personal feelings upfront and face to face and not masked as a different person. The mellow opener which turns from a piano to a power ballad is among her most emotionally relatable songs so far with Marina describing her life as a person who seeks solitude and gains nothing but loneliness out of it yet somehow, in the simplest words, she is ready to let everyone know that this is a thing of the past and she has found a way to be happy.
The title track brings in a very sudden change of pace with crazy disco inspired synthesizers supporting Marina's metaphors rooted in nature. Even though the song is very different to the opener the message is more or less the same: her depression days are over(for now) and she is ready for new love and she has no time to waste. Spanning five and a half minutes of pop perfection the song never loses its flavors even after countless repetitions and perfectly mixes the quirk of her debut with a much more accesible site.There are many songs dealing with love and most likely her previous break-up like Forget,Gold and Weeds which find Marina in a much more positive space than ever before trying to accept lost love and preparing for new ones but at the same time feeling haunted by it. The ambiguity between the desire to move and cling to old love is perhaps best explored in I'm a ruin where Marina is desperate to stay with the person even though she knows she will ruin him. Only at last Marina realises she is a ruin herself reflecting on the past and how her previous break-up might still sit on her. But fortuanately love isn't the only thing Marina is singing about. The best songs on her previous record were the ones where she took a stand on bigger themes like Fear & Loathing or Teen Idle. On the album closer Immortal she is occupied with dissolving the meaning of live and findind a way to live forever and leave something meaningfulbehind. Although the lyrics admittedly are very simple they perfectly express that simple yet strong human feeling. Savages has Marina descriving humans as animals but with far less grace looking at murder and rape going on in the world. Solitaire features many references to her often overlooked debut album and serves as a another intrspective self portrait. Better than that and Can't pin me down are interesting because they focus on other people and other people's perception. Rumour has it that Better than that is about Ellie Goulding but the person it's about is less important and it's more important that again these songs prove Marina as a thoughful yet tongue in cheek songwriter with the ability to present big issues in a much less serious fashion.
Vocally Marina is still not going to the extremes like she did on her debut where she skipped multiple octaves from one second to another but she is putting much more emphasis on it on this record swinging between her lower and higher register very smoothly.
Final Say: On FROOT realises much of the potential her previous record had to offer and achieves what most of her female peers can only dream off: an honest,cohesive and introspective self-written and entirely co-produced record which is thoroughly enjoyable as a pop record but offering a lot more than the same old clichés.
In a way she made her best pop record yet when she didn't even try to make it.
Best songs: Happy,Froot,I'm a ruin,Solitaire,Savages,Immortal,
9,1/10
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Member Since: 9/16/2011
Posts: 50,981
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On her thirteenth studio album, the tireless Madonna offers a veritable treasure trove of new material that offers dualistic insight into the aging legend's life and mind. Titled Rebel Heart to reflect the album's two recurring themes, the easiest, and perhaps most appropriate, way to approach a discussion of the album is to split its songs into these two categories.
On the "Rebel" side of things, Madonna is as challenging as ever. "Unapologetic Bitch" is a far cry from the days when she sang "And I'm not sorry/ it's human nature," but it's essential to album. This Madonna has "gotta tell it like it is," and she won't apologize for the bridges she burns, or the hell she raises. And she certainly does raise hell with songs like "Illuminati," a name-dropping pounder that states that "everybody in this party's shining like Illuminati." It's following by "Bitch I'm Madonna," a cacophony of noise that is not particularly rebellious considering its devotion to mimicking every pop music trend of the past few years. Its Nicki Minaj assist is a wasted effort.
Beyond these songs, a number of the album's "Rebel" songs are sexual in nature. "Holy Water" builds up to a perfectly implemented sample of Madonna's classic "Vogue" while she sings about cunnilingus, while "Body Shop" finds Madonna invoking car metaphors in a breathless voice. Better than both of these offering is "Best Night," a moodier sex song that introduces a subtle and effective sample of "Justify My Love." These songs (and "SEX") don't get any more risqué than Madonna has in the past, but their inclusion here represents her taking a stand against the sexist belief that older women don't have—let alone talk about—being sexually active. In this sense, Rebel Heart represents the artist to rebuke this misogynistic societal attitude.
Although these "Rebel" songs are, for the most part, decent and significant to the construction of the album, it's on the "Heart" side of things where Madonna shines. The songs here might be considered more "age appropriate" for the star, as they include a number of superb ballads. Second single "Ghost Town," where Madonna faces doomsday, is arguably her best ballad since 1998's stunning "Frozen." The standout "Joan of Arc" is an abnormally vulnerable song from Madonna, although its allusion to the historical figure is a bit half-brained. On the track, she sings briefly about the pain that critics and kids with internet access before sighing, "I don't want to talk about it right now/ just hold me while I cry my eyes out." Other standouts include "Hold Tight" and "Heartbreak City," equally well-crafted pop ballads.
That's not to say that all of the "Heart" side of the album is comprised of ballads. One need look no further than the album's lead single "Living For Love" for evidence. The song is a far cry from perfect; like much of the album, it suffers from the fact that there were too many hands in the proverbial kitchen. Another shortcoming of the song is that it simply doesn't build big enough—it never explodes into an epic, larger than life pop track. This a problem that haunts the album as a whole. Despite these issues, I find myself repeating "Living For Love" rather often. There's a certain simpleness to it that's reminiscent of Cher's anthemic game-changer "Believe." Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that both songs are thematically similar dance tracks from women past their glory days. At any rate, the song's plenty enjoyable.
The super-deluxe edition of Rebel Heart offers fans more than two hours' worth of music, and there are obviously weaker links. Closing track "Wash All Over Me" manifests in a "barely there," and it's really far too dull to be the last thing you hear. "Iconic" is another weak entry, where Madonna drops lines like "I can, Icon, two letters apart." Perhaps worst of all are the bonus tracks "SEX" and "Autotune Baby." On the former, Madonna offers a "lesson in sexology" that mentions dental chairs, golden rain, and a number of other turn-offs. The latter features an actual crying autotune baby, an obnoxious gag that renders the song unlistenable.
However, not all of the bonus tracks are so bad. Aforementioned deluxe cuts "Best Night" and "Rebel Heart" rank amongst some of the album's best offerings, while "Borrowed Time" and "Addicted" are both excellent as well. Chief amongst the bonus tracks, though, is the Nas-featuring "Veni Vidi Vici." While "Holy Water," "Best Night," and "Iconic" sample some of Madonna's past work, "Veni Vidi Vici" takes a different approach to introspection. On the song, she references by name nearly every major song of her career. The second verse walks through major hits from "Like A Virgin" to "The Power of Goodbye" before concluding "I saw a ray of light/ music saved my life." The reflection ends there, neglecting all of Madonna's post-2000 work. It's honestly rather shocking that she skipped the opportunity to use the word "hesitate" in a lyric referring to "Hung Up." Despite this oversight, "Veni Vidi Vici" is a narcissistic, yet enjoyable, walk through Madonna's historic career. She's reached a point where she can be permitted to reflect on her accomplishments, and it's no surprise that in doing so she reaches the conclusion that she "conquered."
The introspection of "Veni Vidi Vici" and the vulnerability of "Joan of Arc" meet on "Queen," a track that we have thanks to the notorious Rebel Heart leaks. The song seems to revolve around Madonna singing of her own death. In the song's climax, she sings, "some things can't be replaced/ the realization of a new generation on the eve of imitation." Madonna, who admits to being a narcissist, is well aware of her role and her significance in the evolution of pop music, and perhaps culture as a whole. She is The Queen of Pop, and no chart stats, headlines, or closeted teens on a music forum will ever change the fact that she revolutionized the industry, making possible the existence of every pop star who has come in her wake. She is a woman of many hats who has seemingly said it all, done it all, and then done it all again. Yet, despite thirty years of ruling, she remains enigmatic. Rebel Heart, her best album since 1998's masterpiece Ray of Light is pedestrian in some ways, and is not without its shortcomings. However, Madonna succeeds in offering fans a large number of enjoyable, excellent pop songs—exciting additions to a truly legendary discography.
Bitch, she's Madonna, and she will always be The Queen of Pop.
Stand-Outs: Ghost Town, Hold Tight, Rebel Heart, Joan of Arc, Best Night, Heartbreak City, Living For Love, Veni Vidi Vici
Skips: Wash All Over Me, Iconic, SEX, Autotune Baby, Graffiti Heart
Score: 86/100
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Posts: 13,761
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Rebel Heart
Madonna
Review archive
Florence + The Machine - What Kind of Man
Carly Rae Jepsen - I Really Like You
Taylor Swift - Style
Rihanna - FourFiveSeconds
Nick Jonas - Jealous
Nicki Minaj - The PinkPrint
Beyoncé - 7/11
Kanye West - Yeezus
Azealia Banks - Broke With Expensive Taste
Ariana Grande ft. The Weeknd - Love Me Harder |
Throughout her career, Madonna's success has changed in a chameleon-like way not too dissimilar to the way in which she has periodically altered her artistic DNA. From the pop peak of the eighties, to the sexual campaigns and electronic renaissance of the nineties, to the political diatribes and dance revival of the noughties, the critical element to Madonna's success has been her willingness to change, constantly looking forward while doing so. It is, perhaps, why 2008's Hard Candy and 2012's MDNA were met with ambivalent responses, two records marred by criticism that pop music had since eluded Madonna. They were games where Madonna was playing catch up, chasing the standard which she had so defined for so long.
If the last seven-or-so years of Madonna's career were to be viewed as the temporal looking glass - the flux in time - where Madonna were aimlessly floating within two conflicting sides of perspective, Rebel Heart would certainly be the outcome of the journey, the new incarnation of Madonna subsequent to the forward-thinking visionary who now is forced to look back instead. Canonical to Mariah Carey's Elusive Chanteuse, Rebel Heart is often retrospective in tone and constantly self-referential, as is the wont of an artist who has demonstrated longevity in a genre which is notoriously so fickle. There are moments here which discernibly recollect the past, whether it be the namedropping of celebrities in Illuminati which recall Vogue, the elements of introspection and intimacy on Wash All Over Me which recall Ray of Light, the unabashed dance from Confessions on opener Living For Love, the American Life folk elements on Devil Pray, or Madonna simply conflating religion and sex for the nth time on Holy Water. These different incarnations of Madonna joining together form the main skeleton of Rebel Heart, a rich tableau - a photo album of sorts - which seeks to condense the entire spectrum of Madonna into a smaller ray of light.
However, it's this exact motif which is also the downfall of Rebel Heart. While notably refusing to adhere to one style of music, Madonna's back-catalogue has always been surprisingly coherent. Piecing all these different incarnations together as a great, pop music Frankenstein monster makes for a somewhat thinly spread listening experience. While remaining convincing as 'introspection-Madonna', 'dance-Madonna', or the various others in the Madonna range, it's Rebel Heart's exact intention to funnel a proverbial waterfall through a drinking straw which results in something laboured.
Rebel Heart moves swiftly between religious and sexual salvation, self-love and pity, seriousness and playfulness, with little artistic adhesive to link these vastly different songs. Although this is often used to explore the multi-faceted enigma that is Madonna, the themes aren't consolidated in a way which feels natural. Instead, it feels like a young girl rifling through her mother's wardrobe and trying on different clothes, where we see Madonna adorning different masks and personae to her own artistic advantage in any given song. We move from 'I don't wanna talk about it right now / Just hold me while I cry my eyes out' emotion on the half-baked Joan of Arc to overt sex metaphors 'I need a tune-up bad / My pressure's low, I'm on a roll / But my transmission's blown' on Body Shop, which feels like more of a car crash instead of a sensual cruise. Although precluded by the dichotomous themes between the rebel and the person, Rebel Heart's themes often manifest themselves as the gulf between an aged pop star feeling it apt to reflect on her career and a provocateur feeling obliged to keep up her wild, contentious standard.
It's as such that Rebel Heart tends to succeed when each song is viewed and appreciated on an individual level. Album opener Living For Love may not soar as highly as one may like from an upbeat deep house-dance fusion, but nonetheless it's probably Madonna's best lead single since Hung Up. Devil Pray, with it's recital of possibly the most hedonistic shopping list of drugs, is an effective blend of folk and pop which makes for one of Madonna's best songs in a decade, and the highly-self referential Veni Vidi Vici which shows Madonna at her most artistically aware, reflectively walking through her most eminent hits while featuring a verse from Nas which is a respectful invitation instead of a typical cheap rent-a-rapper pop trope. Madonna is probably at her best here when she sounds comfortable, no longer feeling obliged to play catch up. Self-satirical tracks like Bitch, I'm Madonna and Unapologetic Bitch are the best at this, with their unnecessarily, hilarious breakdowns and self-parodying lyrics which exemplify a side of Madonna who still knows how exactly to elicit a reaction, three decades into her career.
Rebel Heart is a record which is not only fully aware of Madonna's current position, but also comfortable with it, no longer clawing to be accepted by the younger generation. It's constantly driven by the present, but also respectful and reflective of the past which so defined it. While lacking the vital internal editing to feel truly impressive, Rebel Heart often presents itself as a convincing portrayal of the richness of Madonna's discography, as well as the career onto which she is now able to look comfortably without chasing the standard she helped to profoundly define.5.8 out of 10 |
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We're Doing 2 More "Throwback" Albums!
Due to popular demand, the throwbacks are here once again! Just like last time, we will review 2 albums that were logistically impossible to review before this (i.e. they were released before throwbacks became a thing here).
I've consulted with Bloomers as I did last time, and we have again compiled a list of 6 albums that may potentially be reviewed here:
1. Ed Sheeran - x
2. Mariah Carey - Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse
3. Coldplay - Ghost Stories
4. Pharrell Williams - G I R L
5. Bruno Mars - Unorthodox Jukebox
6. Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience (The Complete Experience)
We tried to select albums that would not be too divisive or controversial, as well as non-obscure ones that most people will know or want to check out if they haven't.
You may notice that two of the options also appeared on the ballot the last time we did this in late November.
To determine which of these albums will be reviewed, a vote will be held. Please post your top 2 choices in this thread. The deadline for votes is April 5th at 10 PM, and the review periods (an extra-long 15 days) will begin the next day.
In the unlikely event that three albums receive the same amount of votes, those albums that received less will be eliminated from contention while a second vote (in which you may only select 1 album) will be conducted.
I'm looking forward to this event and hope everyone here is as well!
Once again, please choose your top 2 albums that you would like to review. You may vote until 10 PM on April 5th.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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The current schedule:
Ongoing
Upcoming
Special
Kendrick Lamar - 'To Pimp A Butterfly' [March 26, 2015 - April 6, 2015]
Madonna - 'Rebel Heart' [March 26, 2015 - April 6, 2015]
Marina & The Diamonds - 'Froot' [March 26, 2015 - April 6, 2015]
Voting for Throwback Albums 3 and 4 [April 1, 2015 - April 5, 2015]
Throwback Albums 3 and 4 [April 5 - April 20, 2015]
Just a quick note: I'd prefer if nothing else happens while we do the throwbacks- this strategy seemed to work last November. So in the event that a single/album gets 3 requests during the throwbacks review period, know that I don't plan to start it until after the period ends (namely, April 21st).
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 2/20/2012
Posts: 17,203
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throwback albums: the suburbs by arcade fire, here we go again by demi lovato.
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