Madonna, Madame X | Album Review 💿

Despite a confusing, off-putting promo campaign, Madonna takes risks, delivering a much better-than-expected 14^th studio album with ‘Madame X.’

Madonna is back! That’s right, the iconic pop singer that needs no introduction released Madame X, her 14^th studio album, on June 14, 2019. With Madge, you never know exactly what she’s going to do or the direction she’s going to go.  Of “Dark Ballet”, the fifth advance single from the album.  Mike Wass of Idolator writes: “It’s time to accept that the Queen of Pop’s days of chasing hits are over. She’s now doing whatever the fuck she wants, and it sounds amazing.” Despite a polarizing promo campaign, Madame X ends up being a more intriguing, rewarding album than expected.  Furthermore, Madge ended up with another number one album on the Billboard 200. 

“Medellín”

“One, two, one, two / One, two, cha-cha-cha / One, two, two, one / Two, one, cha, cha-cha-cha.” Madonna commences Madame X with ✓ “Medellín” featuring Columbian reggaeton heartthrob, Maluma. As the introductory statement for the album, “Medellín” is energetic, groovy, and sleekly produced.  As expected from any Madge song, the backdrop is on-point.  Another box that “Medellín” checks off is the fact that it ‘goes against the grain.’ Who expected for a Latin-pop cut as the promo single or album opener? Characterizing “Medellín” as innovative would be an overstatement, but Madge definitely surprises us, even at 60. Though a bit off-putting, this modern pop record is interesting, and still captures the essence of the icon.

✓ “Dark Ballet”, the fifth advance single from Madame X is a quite the unique listening experience that grows on you with each successive listen. The opening is quite enigmatic, thriving off its moody, minor key production work including sleek piano lines, lush strings, and a hard, anchoring beat.  Madonna sings about fame, and for the most part, she sounds fine.  After some normalcy, things get really weird pretty quick. The “ballet” becomes really “dark,” transforming into something completely unexpected. “Dark Ballet” features a twisted, ‘synth-tastic’ interpolation of The Nutcracker (‘Dance of the Reed Pipes,’ Tchaikovsky), while Madge sings using vocoder during the bridge (“Say that I’m a witch and burn me at the stake”), following up with an odd spoken word verse. (“Can’t you hear outside of your Supreme hoodie, the wind that’s beginning to howl?”). The visual piece arguably supplants the song.

“God Control”

 The lengthy ✓ “God Control” continues the experimental vibes that consistently characterize Madame X. As experimental as it is, Madonna doesn’t shy away from politically and socially-charged, relevant issues. One of the key lyrics is “Get the kids ready, take them to school / Everybody knows they don’t have a chance,” referencing the frequency of school shootings and a lack of gun control/reform.  Beyond the lyrics, the music is spectacular, using a children’s choir, not to mention a colorful, unexpected beat switch.

As an advance single, “Future”, featuring Quavo, left questions regarding the quality of Madame X. Early on, “Future” has a modern sound, embracing hip-hop and feeling like it suits Quavo.  It works for Madonna well-enough; she’s adaptable and assimilative. The chorus is prudent, but nothing earth-shattering.  “Not everyone is coming to the future / Not everyone is learning from the past,” she sings, continuing, “Not everyone can come into the future / Not everyone that’s here is gonna last.” After the chorus, things change.  With Diplo co-producing with Madonna, we get a reggae, dancehall feel beginning on the verse.  Madge has always been stylistically adventurous under the umbrella of pop, but the sound is polarizing; it will appeal to some and irk others.  The lyrics aren’t game-changing, but she deserves credit for the socially-conscious vibes.

“Batuka” 

The five-minute-long “Batuka” continues the uniqueness of Madame X featuring Portuguese all-female orchestra, Orquestra Batukadeiras. Notably, “Batuka” features ample spiritual references, particularly on the bridge.  Beyond embracing a call and response approach to collaboration, Orquestra Batukadeiras also performs a distinct interlude between the chorus and second verse. ✓ “Killers Who Are Partying” continues embracing elements of Portuguese music as well as featuring some Portuguese lyrics. Besides its distinct sound, Madonna takes the opportunity to stand with the under-represented people of the world, whether they be gay, African, poor, Islamic, or otherwise.  Specific lyrical examples are cited such as “I will be gay, if the gay are burned.”

While “Crave” (featuring Swae Lee) tickled some folks’ fancy, it didn’t appeal to me as a single. There are some positives, as it is a lush and sexy record, definitely giving off a vibe if nothing else. The production – Madonna, Billboard, and Mike Dean – is a selling point.  Furthermore, Madge sounds fine, without being game changing or transcendent.  Lyrically, early on, it’s easy to see exactly what the craving and hunger is about.  As for Swae Lee, he’s a ‘vibe’ all by himself on the third verse.  Moments when he drops the falsetto are a plus. The biggest rubs include predictability and ultimately, a lack of oomph and thrill. 

“Crazy”

One thing that shines about “Crazy” is the presence of Madonna’s voice – it’s at the front of the production on this bright, shimmering cut.  Compared to some of the songs on Madame X, “Crazy” has a more traditional form and sound.  Again, there are Portuguese influences, including some Portuguese lyrics.  The pre-chorus and chorus sections are incredibly catchy. The groove of ✓ “Come Alive” is infectious to the nth degree.  Actually, the song latches pretty well from the start.  Vocally, she delivers a cool yet rhythmic vocal performance, backed by colorful production work including horns.  Assuming you invest in the deluxe edition of Madame X, “Extreme Occident” appears as the tenth track, which explore identity, moving between different extremes (far right vs. far left or Midwest vs. far east), and the big takeaway that “Life is a circle.” 

Brazil continues to get mad love on the sassy “Faz Gostoso” featuring Brazilian singer Anitta.  Ultimately, “Faz Gostoso” is worthwhile ear candy featuring strong production work and vocals chocked-full of attitude and personality. Maluma rejoins Madonna on another attitude-laden reggaeton number, “Bitch I’m Loca.” Once more, the production is top-rate, particular the beats and synths, while the chorus is catchy AF. Perhaps the lyrics aren’t deep on the sleek dance-pop/neo-disco joint “I Don’t Search I Find,” but the vibe and personality exhibited go a long way. “Looking for Mercy” is the second bonus cut appearing only on the deluxe edition of Madame X as the penultimate, 14^th track.

“I Rise”

“Us kids don’t know what we’re talking about / That we’re too young to understand how government works / We call B.S.” ✓ “I Rise”, the ‘activist’ second single from Madame X, concludes the album.  The aforementioned politically-charged intro arrives courtesy of Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor, Emma Gonzalez.  Following the intro, the pre-chorus and chorus arrives; The chorus is simple, yet inspiring.  With only one true verse on hand, Madonna serves up a heaping dose of resolve, strength, and toughness: “There’s nothin’ you can do to me that hasn’t been done / Not bulletproof, shouldn’t have to run from a gun.” Also, noteworthy, is the bridge: “Freedom’s what you choose to do with what’s been done to you / No one can hurt you now unless you want them to.”

Adding to the pros, “I Rise” features excellent vocal production as well as sweet overall production.  It’s a modern-sounding record that embodies the sleek, urban-pop script of 2019. The synths, lush pads, and the hard-hitting drums make the production stand out. There are also vocal effects in play which arrive towards the end of this slick joint.  All in all, a great way to close out Madame X.

Final Thoughts

Following the off-putting promo campaign, my expectations were tempered for Madame X.  While the 14^th studio album by Madonna is ‘all over the place,’ it has more than its fair share of intriguing, worthwhile moments.  Echoing the aforementioned sentiment, give Madge credit for her experimental spirit and ‘going against the grain’ at this point in an iconic, illustrious career.

✓ Gems: “Medellín,” “Dark Ballet,” “God Control,” “Killers Who Are Partying,” “Come Alive” & “I Rise”

Madonna • Madame X • Interscope • Release: 6.14.19

Photo Credit: Interscope