MDNA – The MadonnaTribe Album Review!
Today we had the chance to listen to the new Madonna album as a whole to review it for our website and we have to say it’s really a very good work that will please both casual and hard-die fans.
Well maybe it won’t be pleasing a lot catholic groups as the queen of pop dips again in the imagery she grew up with in an even strongest way than Like a Prayer. With Like a Prayer she rebelled against the religious “values” imposed on her by her family, with MDNA she revisits the themes adding some twisted irony proving that she may have Kabbalish blood in her veins now but her bones are still impregnated with catholicism, rivisiting again themes as sin, death, shame, betrayal , twisted love affairs and regret.
The opening of the album’s first song, Girl Gone Wild is a hint of what’s instore. She reprises one of the most sacred catholic prayers, the Act Of Contrition, and revisit it as a bad girl would do.
• 1. Girl Gone Wild
A great way to open the album, with a song that grows on listeners more and more. We didn’t like it AT ALL a week ago and now we are singing it and humming it all the time. It really represents the album well as the whole album is like a diary of a catholic girl gone wild. We still have to forgive her for J-lo inspired bit “Dj play my favourite song” but we are quite happy with it!
• 2. Gang Bang
When MadonnaTribe first reported online about this track last November it could well be defined as an electronic ballad. It was sung in Madonna’s clearest voice and told the story of a love affair from the side of a hopeless victim. Now, the track has turned into one of the most hysterical tracks of the album with a beat inviting anyone to the dance floor and with some of the most daring Madonna lyrics in which Madonna turns into a killer for love and she’s proud of it, no regrets! From the first listening the theme plot of the song appears to be about a woman who first kills her lover for betraying her, then take her car and drives insanely on the street to commit suicide. In a firm cold voice she says to herself “now drive bitch, I said drive bitch and while you’re at it die bitch, that’s right drive bitch.”
At one point her thoughts go back to her killed lover and she says he deserve it “I’m going straight to hell and I got a lot of friends there. And if I see that bitch in hell, I’m gonna shoot him in the head again. Cause I wanna see him die over and over and over..”
Lyrically it’s not the typical Madonna track, not a surprise it was axed from the family friend version of the album sold by Walmart! Musically the song reminds us a lot of Impressive Instant from Music (2000) and it end with an “If you act like a bitch then die like a bitch!” sentence and the noice of a police car approaching.
• 3. I’m addicted
This is the one we like the less. Lyrically it doesn’t add anything to the Madonna body of work. It’s a song a-la I’m so stupid, with no real meaning. A lot of people like it tough and we respect that. At one point she starts chanting and repeating MDNA, MDNA, MDNA… we can report that legend says in the original early demo the word that is now replaced with MDNA was actually Hashish! that would really explain a lot!
• 4. Turn Up the Radio
This is probably the most Gaga-ish song on the album. Not right there with her great dance numbers like Into The Groove or Hung Up so We are not very fond of this one either. Fans were already exposed to bits and pieces of this one in the medley released online with Give Me All Your Luving and the comments were not so positive. We second that opinion but we promise this is the second and last one we don’t particulary like.
• 5. Give Me All Your Luvin’
L.U.V. this song a lot … Y.O.U all know it… L.U.V. listening to this single on the radio… Y.O.U have to request it a lot! It’s poppy, it’s catchy, it’s pure Madonna.
• 6. Some Girls
This track somehow reminds us of her very early stuff she did with Emmy before her first album, probably it’s the way she sings it or the fact the melody seems a nursery rhyme at times like her early stuff.
• 7. Superstar
“Like Brando on the silver screen you are a Superstar, that’s what you are”, this is the true romantic number of the album, a love song in the tradition of True Blue, Cherish, Nothing Fails. Madonna’s love interest is compared to superduper actors like Marlon Brando, Bruce Lee, John Travolta, Jimmy Dean and to historic characters such as Ceaser or Al Capone. As for the lyrics imagine a list of songs rhyming with the word star! Oh La La, Another winner for us!
• 8. I dont give a
This is not the typical Madonna groove, a song that has parts of rap a-la American Life in which Madonna stresses over and over the fact that although she has made mistakes it’s not other people’s right to judge her. The ghost of Guy Ritchie also haunts the songs when she says “I’ve tried to be a good wife” and “I don’t care what people say about myself”. The track features a rap by Nicki MInaj that at some point reminds everyone that “there is only one Queen and that’s Madonna!” and ends in a with an “epic chorus” and epic orchestration, the perfect epic background music for the trailer of an epic movie! How many times did we say epic? That’s used to stress the concept!
• 9. I’m a Sinner
Ok, lyrically this is the new Like a Prayer, the song that will make catholics mad. Her voice on this song once again sounds different, you barely recognize her at the very beginning. Musically, it’s the most classic Orbit guitar sounding song on this album, Ray of light remixes meet Beautiful Stranger but yet in a great different way. It should definitely be a single, with a great video accompaining it, she’d become once again the Queen Of Controversy many fans adore and in this case the controversy would spark from the nursery rhyme she says on the history of the most popular saints.It stars with a “Hail Mary full of grace, get down on your knees and pray” going ahead with a ” Jesus Christ hang on the cross died for our sins it’s such a loss”. She continues with “St Christopher find my way I’ll be coming home one day” and “St Sebastian don’t you cry let those poison arrows fly”! Stuff that would really want Pope-a-Ratzi cover his ears with his velvet cape! Definitely one of our best favourites.
• 10. Love Spent
It starts with an Orbit guitar, Madonna has a sweet voice on this one. ANother love song a la Nothing Fails that would also fit well on the American Life album. There’s a great, uncredited, reprise of the Abba theme used in Hung Up that pops up here and there throughout the song. Good one!
• 11. Masterpiece
This song HAD to be on this album, after discussing it for a while Madonna decided to include the W.E. ballad on the record and she made a good decision. Masterpiece fits perfectly between Love Spent and Falling Free and it’s the kind of classic, simple and straighforword Madonna ballad that she hasn’t been delivering for a long time and it lets you catch your breath after all the dance numbers that preceed it!
• 12. Falling Free
The closing number for this album is a slow paced song co-written with Joe Henry. Her way of singing it is very sweet, using her “evita operatic voice” at times, and the theme is very melancolic. There no loop at all accompagning the song, it’s just her voice, some Orbit electronic sounds and music instruments like cello. It’s a song that Bjork would do and it also reminds us score music of some Japanese animation series. A great way to close the standard edition of MDNA
• 13. Beautiful Killer
We’re back to dance music with Beautiful Killer and back on the theme of death. Here’s she’s a victim who is in love with a man who wants to kill her. This is another great song “You can call my name and I’ll be around, maybe I’ll let you shoot you me down cause you’re a beautiful killer with a beautiful face”. Like in her film Snake Eyes, the song ends with a gun shot hinting the fact her beautiful killer finally killed her.
• 14. I fucked up
To have regrets or not to have regrets? this is the question! On this one Madonna says she knows she made a mistake, she is so ashamed and whishes to take it back but she can’t. She says nobody screws things better than her. She says she’s sorry and “je suis desolée'” but it’s not clear to whom she is apologizing with. A friend, an ex lover, a ex husband? The ghost of G.R. appears again when she says she misses “running in the country”.
• 15. B-song
It’s the most positive and light song on this album, as Cherish was on Like a Prayer. Madonna re-invented the classic Motown sound for this track in which she, as first reported by Madonnatribe in December she celebrates her own birthday in the most joyous way. It’s a great song that has been switched from the standard edition to the deluxe second disc as it doesn’t completely fit the theme of the main album.
• 16. Best Friend
This is the real end of it. In this one she’s is missing her best friend and the things and places they shared together..
“I miss the countryside where we used to mate”.. Guy Ritchie again? but she says that “I’ve survived the biggest test” … good for her then!
The MadonnaTribe Album Review
Part I – I’m A Sinner, I Like It That Way
Part II – Bang! Shot You Dead!
Part III – I Don’t Give A
Part IV – I Know It’s Going To Be A Good Day
Album Credits
• Girl Gone Wild 3:44
Written by Madonna, Jenson Vaughan, Alessandro “Alle” Benassi, Marco “Benny” Benassi
Produced by Madonna, Alessandro “Alle” Benassi, Marco “Benny” Benassi
• Gang Bang 5:28
Written by Madonna, William Orbit, Priscilla Hamilton, Keith Harris, Jean-Baptiste, Mika, Don Juan Demarco Casanova, Stephen Kozmeniuk
Produced by The Demolition Crew, Madonna, William Orbit
• I’m Addicted 4:34
Written by Madonna, Alessandro “Alle” Benassi, Marco “Benny” Benassi
Produced by Madonna, Alessandro “Alle” Benassi, Marco “Benny” Benassi
• Turn Up the Radio 3:48
Written by Madonna, Martin Solveig, Michael Tordjman, Jade Williams
Produced by Madonna and Martin Solveig
• Give Me All Your Luvin’ (featuring Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.) 3:22
Written by Madonna, Martin Solveig, Nicki Minaj, Maya Arulpragasam, Michael Tordjman
Produced by Madonna and Martin Solveig
• Some Girls 3:54
Written by Madonna, William Orbit, Klas Ahulund
Produced by Madonna and William Orbit. Additional production by Klas Ahulund
• Superstar 3:53
Written by Madonna, Hardy “Indigo” Muanza
Produced by Madonna, Michael Malih, Hardy “Indiigo” Muanza
• I Don’t Give A (featuring Nicki Minaj) 4:21
Written by Madonna, Martin Solveig, Nicki Minaj, Julien Jabre
Produced by Madonna and Martin Solveig
• I’m a Sinner 4:52
Written by Madonna, William Orbit, Jean-Baptiste
Produced by Madonna and William Orbit
• Love Spent 3:45
Written by Madonna, William Orbit, Jean-Baptiste, Priscilla Hamilton, Alain Whyte, Ryan Buendia, Michael McHenry
Produced by Madonna and William Orbit
• Masterpiece 4:00
Written by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry
Produced by Madonna and William Orbit
• Falling Free 5:12
Written by Madonna, Laurie Mayer, William Orbit, Joe Henry
Produced by Madonna and William Orbit
• Beautiful Killer 3:47
Written by Madonna, Martin Solveig, Michael Tordjman
Produced by Madonna and Martin Solveig
• I Fucked Up 3:29
Written by Madonna, Martin Solveig, Julien Jabre
Produced by Madonna and Martin Solveig
• B-Day Song 3:34
Written by Madonna, Maya Arulpragasam, Martin Solveig
Produced by Madonna and Martin Solveig
• Best Friend 3:20
Written by Madonna, Alessandro “Alle” Benassi, Marco “Benny” Benassi
Produced by Madonna and The Demolition Crew
Co-produced by Marco “Benny” Benassi, Alessandro “Alle” Benassi
MDNA is released worldwide on March 26 under Interscope/Universal Music
