Something the Devil Would Recognize
I sat down and had a good hard listen to Madonna's latest album, Hard Candy. Her eleventh studio album should not be approached as the sequel to the brilliant and completely repeatable Confessions on a Dance Floor, and really, only two or three of the twelve tracks could feasibly be played in a club as they appear on the album. Madonna is nothing if not a chameleon, and she usually adapts her style brilliantly to what's hot, or what's about to be hot. It is only mildly disappointing that Hard Candy, with the recognizable influence of producers and collaborators Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, and Justin Timberlake, is enjoyable but somehow feels like something we've heard once or twice before.
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Hard Candy sometimes makes it clear that the pop music scene is right now in the age of producers, not singers. Most noticeably reminiscent of other recent works are tracks like "Heartbeat" and "Beat Goes On," eerily similar to producer Timbaland's work on Nelly Furtado's songs "Say It Right" and "Promiscuous," respectively, from her album Loose. The bouncy throwback "Dance 2night" (featuring background vocals by Timberlake) reminds the listener of Aaliyah's late single "Rock the Boat," and "She's Not Me" is alike in name and subject if not in musical style to Britney Spears' unreleased single She'll Never Be Me. And considering Madonna is excellent at shedding the old in favor of the new, thus never going out of style, the final two tracks, "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" and "Voices," at first sound out of place in this primarily hip-hop or R & B styled album until you realize they evoke fond memories of songs like "This Used to Be My Playground" and "Bedtime Story." Indeed, one of the lyrics in "Heartbeat" is "It may feel old to you,/ But to me it feels new."
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This is not to say that these are poor songs. In fact, "Heartbeat" and "Dance 2night" are two of the strongest tracks on Hard Candy, and particularly the former would make a good followup single to the leadoff single "4 Minutes," which features Timberlake and Timbaland. After Confessions, the ballads near the end, including "Spanish Lesson" (appropriately named, as it is sung in Spanish) might come as a bit of a surprise, but I disagree with some other reviewers in my opinion that they do showcase that Madonna has, over the years, gained a bit more control over a rich lower register voice that shows her age and the distance she has come from "Material Girl" and "Like a Virgin" (now almost unrecognizable as Madonna's vocals), in a good way. The artist is turning fifty this year, after all.
.
Hard Candy is a pleasant addition to a long career of work, although it will take a few repeated listenings to allow for some of the tracks to catch on (indeed, I was not immediately turned onto "4 Minutes" when it was first released, and it is now high on my "Most Played" list). She also thrives with her collaboration with Timberlake, who co-wrote nearly half of the album and does backup vocals on several tracks, sometimes overshadowing Madonna's own vocals, for better or worse. Madonna would do well to continue developing her relationships with talent like Timberlake - who is young, exceeingly good at what he does, and like Madonna is unafraid to take risks - and perhaps move beyond Williams and Timbaland who, while exciting to listen to, seem to be happily recycling their fine work that a few years ago seemed so fresh and, on Hard Candy, teeter precariously on the edge of blase.
Hard Candy: B
.
Hard Candy sometimes makes it clear that the pop music scene is right now in the age of producers, not singers. Most noticeably reminiscent of other recent works are tracks like "Heartbeat" and "Beat Goes On," eerily similar to producer Timbaland's work on Nelly Furtado's songs "Say It Right" and "Promiscuous," respectively, from her album Loose. The bouncy throwback "Dance 2night" (featuring background vocals by Timberlake) reminds the listener of Aaliyah's late single "Rock the Boat," and "She's Not Me" is alike in name and subject if not in musical style to Britney Spears' unreleased single She'll Never Be Me. And considering Madonna is excellent at shedding the old in favor of the new, thus never going out of style, the final two tracks, "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" and "Voices," at first sound out of place in this primarily hip-hop or R & B styled album until you realize they evoke fond memories of songs like "This Used to Be My Playground" and "Bedtime Story." Indeed, one of the lyrics in "Heartbeat" is "It may feel old to you,/ But to me it feels new."
.
This is not to say that these are poor songs. In fact, "Heartbeat" and "Dance 2night" are two of the strongest tracks on Hard Candy, and particularly the former would make a good followup single to the leadoff single "4 Minutes," which features Timberlake and Timbaland. After Confessions, the ballads near the end, including "Spanish Lesson" (appropriately named, as it is sung in Spanish) might come as a bit of a surprise, but I disagree with some other reviewers in my opinion that they do showcase that Madonna has, over the years, gained a bit more control over a rich lower register voice that shows her age and the distance she has come from "Material Girl" and "Like a Virgin" (now almost unrecognizable as Madonna's vocals), in a good way. The artist is turning fifty this year, after all.
.
Hard Candy is a pleasant addition to a long career of work, although it will take a few repeated listenings to allow for some of the tracks to catch on (indeed, I was not immediately turned onto "4 Minutes" when it was first released, and it is now high on my "Most Played" list). She also thrives with her collaboration with Timberlake, who co-wrote nearly half of the album and does backup vocals on several tracks, sometimes overshadowing Madonna's own vocals, for better or worse. Madonna would do well to continue developing her relationships with talent like Timberlake - who is young, exceeingly good at what he does, and like Madonna is unafraid to take risks - and perhaps move beyond Williams and Timbaland who, while exciting to listen to, seem to be happily recycling their fine work that a few years ago seemed so fresh and, on Hard Candy, teeter precariously on the edge of blase.
Hard Candy: B