Madonna's 12th album, "MDNA," released March 23, debuted at number one on the Billboard Charts, and it is easy to see why even without listening to a single track. Thousands of Madonna fans will buy practically anything the legendary starlet churns out, regardless of its quality or musical merit. She has a very strong fan base that sticks by her through any and all criticism.
I am not saying that "MDNA" is completely worthless. I am also not saying that this album is simply a vain attempt at getting back in the spotlight and giving Lady Gaga a run for her money. I am saying that as a Madonna fan, I struggled through this album quite a bit, and I was not initially impressed. Over time, however, I found some worthy parts that helped me understand what Madonna is trying to do at this point in her steady career. Madonna was just doing what she usually does: effortlessly selling thousands of albums.
In a way, Madonna's albums are like chapters in a singular book that details the evolution of musical trends over the last few decades. Her music defines its own time and informs the future of popular music. In her 2005 release "Confessions on the Dance Floor," Madonna highlighted the resurgence of dance music at the time while adding a 1970s disco twist. In her 2008 release "Hard Candy," she drew from hip-hop and R&B influences to produce an album that was good enough to generate decent sales and maintain her relevancy in the music business.
"MDNA" is definitely a dance record that uses disco and dubstep to bridge the past and present of popular music. Like she did on "Hard Candy" by collaborating with the top performers and producers of the time, including Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams, Madonna reached out to two of the top female performers at the moment Nicki Minaj and the wonderfully controversial artist M.I.A. for "MDNA."
Madonna is clever in her frequent collaborations with current music trendsetters, and of course they all want to work with her because she started most of the trends in the past that influence the trends of today.
The first single, "Give Me All Your Luvin," which features both M.I.A. and Minaj, is a bubbly, cheerleader-esque track, but it is a bit over the top and demanding. The song is still somewhat likable because of the featured artists, who both clearly admire Madonna.
Highlights of the album include "Gang Bang," a mysterious and dark track with an aggressive ending; "Superstar," a fun pop track that features her daughter Lourdes on backing vocals; and two slower tracks that finish the album, "Masterpiece" and "Falling Free." In these last two tracks, listeners can hear the purity and strength in Madonna's voice and are reminded of her great talent as a songwriter.
Whether or not Madonna succeeds in mastering each different style throughout the years, she still utilizes the trends of the time by mixing them with her early roots simple, catchy melodies reminiscent of the 1980s. Madonna has not changed much from the past in the sense that she is always changing, and "MDNA" proves it.
