The second best part about "Four Minutes"-- the first single, a duet with Justin Timberlake, from Madonna's new album, "Hard Candy" (2008) -- is that it's difficult to tell whose voice is higher, his or hers.
The best part is the interplay between the brooding and brassy loop, the electro-synth beat and the repetitive, largely monotonous chanting. In other words, "Four Minutes," which features the same tired cast of modern hip-hop production stylings, could be confused for any other song produced by Timbaland.
The queen of dance (whose most recent release, "Confessions on a Dance Floor" (2005), was an unrepentant, disco-inspired ode to electronica, replete with kabbalah references) makes a marked shift away from Euro-pop towards the great modern American musical contribution -- hip-hop -- on her 11th studio album.
Could it be that "Madge," who once insisted upon talking in an ill-conceived English accent, is turning towards America once again?
"Hard Candy" is characterized by its lack of controversy. The leather-clad and splayed-leg Madonna on the cover seems like weak imitation of the diva who once performed in bondage attire and wrote "SEX" (1992), the now infamous soft-core pornography book and worldwide bestseller.
The square and pulsating beats of "Give it 2 Me," with its tasteful vocal modulations, ring of the familiar Euro-dance that dominated "Confessions." But other songs, such as the album's opener "Candy Shop," are flimsy attempts to cast Madonna as what could be perhaps best described as Fergie meets Lil' Kim. While the energetic "Give it 2 Me" might entice some rave-inclined listeners to muster enthusiasm, the latter seems vapid and redundant given today's more colorful musical characters like Gwen Stefani and Nelly Furtado, who are better able to mold themselves as pop"hip-hop hybrids.
"Hard Candy" is best when it manges to find a pleasing common ground between hyperactive dance and relaxed hip-hop grooves.
"Beat Goes On," featuring rap workhorse Kanye West, is emblematic of the potential of such a fusion. While hip-hop is the focus of the track, dance standards such as echoes and synthesized loops are utilized in moderation. This gives the track a best-of-both-worlds vibe, keeping it from seeming either random or blas.
Another highlight is "Dance 2night," which opens with a quintessentially funky bass line before picking up square beats and ethereal vocals. The song, while stylistically divergent from much of the album, is perhaps one of the only tracks worthwhile by virtue of its sound and composition, rather than being validated by its danceability or ambience.
Since "Hard Candy" is such a departure from Madonna's recent work, the album begs a question: Was Madonna wise to go in this direction? Not as sassy as Fergie and less mind-blowingly eccentric than Gwen Stefani, the once-unstoppable Madonna now struggles to remain interesting and engaging.
Just when it appears "Hard Candy" is a redundant imitation of more colorful music, slightly kooky production choices -- church bells on "Voices" or a shaker that sounds exactly like a rattlesnake on "Incredible" -- appear to recapture interest.
While it's unlikely that "Hard Candy" will join Madonna's sizable contributions to the modern musical canon (think "Like a Prayer," "Material Girl" or "Ray of Light"), she has released yet another eminently competent album with more than its fair share of catchy tracks.
