Aug 2005

One of the albums of 2005, 'Confessions On A Dance Floor' is the eagerly anticipated new album from Madonna. Effortlessly addictive and relentlessly energetic, Madonna reinvents dance music once again with 12 stunning new tracks under the realm of "future disco", all seamlessly segued in a classic dance club format.

While Madonna's music is often both ethereal and political, 'Confessions On A Dance Floor' is sheer, absolute discotheque. "I want people to jump out of their seats," she says. "My record is about having a good time straight through and non-stop."

Standout tracks include the single 'Sorry', with its formidable bassline and clever pop hooks, the lyrically playful and super-slick 'I Love New York' (which will have you singing "get off my street" after just one listen), the resounding affirmation and understated theatrical beauty of 'Let it Be', the inescapable infectious groove of the ABBA-sampling 'Hung Up', and the controversial 'Isaac', with its ethnic flourishes and sublime rhythms.

Recorded in London, 'Confessions On A Dance Floor' was primarily written and produced by Madonna and Stuart Price - the British musical director behind 2002's 'Drowned World' tour and last summer's 'Reinvention' tour. Other contributions come from Henrik Jonback and the Grammy Award-winning team Bloodshy & Avant. Mirwais Ahmadzai, who produced Madonna's last two albums 'American Life' and 'Music', has co-written two new songs and co-produced one track. Anders Bagge and Peer Astrom of the Murlyn Music Collective and Jo Henry whose previous credits include 'Don't Tell Me' also feature.

• NME - 9 (out of 10) - "Believe the hype, this is even better than RAY OF LIGHT."
  Uncut - 4 (out of 5) - "Her tenure at the top has just been extended indefinitely."
  Mojo - 4 (out of 5) - "...a breathless listen...a brilliant disco record"
  Q - 4 (out of 5) "Madonna's 12th album... is up there with her best."
  OMM - 5 (out of 5) "...ranks alongside TRUE BLUE and LIKE A PRAYER... vocally sharp and... lyrically breathtaking"
  Music Week (07/01/06, p.3) - "A hit-packed album"
• Rolling Stone (No. 987, p.129) - 3.5 out of 5 stars - "...CONFESSIONS comes on like an all-out disco inferno..."
  Spin (pp.106-107) - "The killer single 'Hung Up' spins a trilly Abba keyboard sample into a four-on-the-floor disco reverie."
  Mojo (p.99) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[T]he tunes are swoonable....A brilliant disco record from a woman unafraid to look in the mirror, even at this stage of her game, and talk dirty..."

Follow-up to 2003's American Life from pop-queen Madonna. Co-written and primarily co-produced by Madonna and Stuart Price, the album was recorded in London. Experimenting with an array of electronic dance beats and samples, this offering strays away from her usual straight pop sound. The single 'Hung Up' is included.

1998's RAY OF LIGHT marked Madonna's move toward electronica, and a larger journey back to her dance-club roots. That journey was completed with 2005's CONFESSIONS ON A DANCEFLOOR. A collection of hardcore club tracks with few mainstream pop concessions, CONFESSIONS is packed wall-to-wall with driving, electronica-driven grooves.
Madonna has always been one of the reigning queens of postmodern alchemy, and this record is a perfect example of her magic. A primary layer of sleek, old-school disco is combined with pile-driving house and techno, not to mention more than a few contemporary production flourishes. Either directly or indirectly, CONFESSIONS references '70s and early-'80s dance music, including Madonna's own, but while the album seems retro in several areas, it also has a distinct futuristic sheen. Nothing here has the hook-heavy single status of "Material Girl" or "Like A Prayer," but the pulsing intensity of the tracks is sheer sonic pleasure, making Madonna's return to straight-up dance music a welcome homecoming.

Madonna is arguably the most popular female pop singer in musical history. Although she began her career in the late 1970s as a dancer and as drummer for new wave group the Breakfast Club, Madonna has touched upon many different styles throughout her trend-setting career, and has acted in numerous movies as well. Although her image has shifted to include looks as disparate as raunchy temptress and new age mother, the Material Girl has always maintained a fierce business sense and a remarkable knack for controversy. Few other artists--male or female--have had the phenomenal mass adulation or the staying power of this pop culture icon.