Thoughts on Madonna and MDNA
Madonna's career in music, despite all the focus on the change of fashion or sonic palette from each to each, have always been based on similar ideas; namely professing spiritual ecstasy through secular release. From early songs such as "Everybody" to "Holiday" and their call to hedonistic pleasure, and integration of catholic themes in "Angel" and "Like a Virgin," These two concepts of the sacred and secular have been (in varying ratios) present. Highlights where these themes become crystalline and distilled are albums such as Like a Prayer, Ray of Light, and I'll even argue that Erotica (with it's sacred sexuality) are excellent examples of the interplay of these themes. The less successful albums in Madonna's career have been times when the ratio just wasn't right. Bedtime Stories, American Life, Something to Remember (love songs compilation), and Hard Candy are examples where she didn't get it right. Not to say they don't have good songs on each, but as a whole they didn't spark as well; possibly because each's emphasis on the secular, without the spiritual ecstasy.
MDNA, for me, has the balance back. The spirituality is up front and impassioned and questioning. The secular release is mirrored throughout, and in some songs even a bit over the top. My only criticism of MDNA is the song writing. Listening to some old Madonna albums, the songs she co-wrote with Pat Leonard or William Orbit seem to have a lyric depth that's missing on this album. The songs are fun, some of them are clever, but ultimately they're pop and they do please.
Madonna at 53. We still want her to be fun, provocative, and to remind us of that wild abandon we might have felt when listened to our first Madonna song. I guess that's what Madonna's best at, making us feel good to the soul about being on the dance floor.