MDNA
Madonna
I admittedly am one of the few gay men who doesn’t obsess over Madonna. I buy everything she puts out, I love a lot of what she does, but I wouldn’t scour the internet for all the inside dirt and dirty details about the genesis of each album. But from what I — and anyone who hasn’t been hiding in a cave — know, MDNA is her “Guy Richie breakup” album. Track for track, the album tends to sound like something we’ve heard before, not from carelessness but with calculated accuracy for the sake of candy coating the real breakaway element: the rawness of her lyrics. Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s motherhood, but on MDNA Madonna reveals herself, not with near-naked photography or racy outfits, but with her bare feelings. There are clearly lighter moments; hey, we all saw the SuperBowl performance. But the heart of the album is her own, torn out for all to see. But don’t go thinking it’s all weepy eyes and wet towel moments, Madonna’s vicious tongue is in full effect on tracks like “Gang Bang” and “Love Spent.” The video of “Girl Gone Wild,” the second single, plays like a celebratory sequel to “Bad Girl” from Erotica, and featuring Madonna turning it out amongst the Ukrainian fashion dance group Kazaky. Production credits for the album include the Benassi Bros., Martin Solveig and the welcome return of William Orbit, rounding out the best Madge album since Confessions.
