go2theMax said: VoicesCarry said: Well, I sat down and listened to the leaked tracks.
It's not the complete disaster I thought it would be, but it is the most flat, uninspiring and fucking boring album she's ever made. It drowns in its mediocrity. What really lets her down here is the production. Sometimes she has the makings of a really great song (Heartbeat or Miles Away) and it's not supported properly, so it winds up a decent song instead of something special. It's her own fault for using Pharrell YEARS after he peaked. There is no depth to any of the production. It seems as if every single song I've heard so far (excluding 4 Minutes) consists of a sparse drum beat with some percolating synth line and a few hand claps thrown in or whatever. Boring. I really can't believe this is a Madonna record, since it sounds like Kelis' Tasty leftovers. There is absolutely no eclecticism whatsoever here, which was always her most interesting quality. Track-by-track: Give It To Me - I swear this is the same line repeated over and over and over again against the backbeat. I never want to hear this again. "Get Stupid," indeed. It also seems to go on FOREVER, running almost 5 minutes. Miles Away - great lyrics and melody (truth be told would have sounded at home on Ray of Light), but the production is just bad here. Sounds unfinished. She should have just had William Orbit or Mirwais produce this. Incredible - backbeat + synths again. Have NO idea why this runs over 6 minutes. Nothing memorable again. Heartbeat - starts out truly promising, like a Kylie demo. Then (unfortunately) the Promiscuous beat kicks in. But, I did like it. It sounded the most finished. I just think this would have been so much better with real production. At 4 minutes, this is a comfortable length. I think this is the standout track on the album. The Beat Goes - reinvisioned, it's much better than the first demo. I'm still completely nonplussed, though. Kanye's superfluous rap didn't help matters. She's Not Me - not sure why this is 6 minutes long (a lot of the songs are overlong, apparently), but it sure is boring. [Edited 4/20/08 20:21pm] a review of madonna's songs made by a janet fan...veeeeery trustworthy well, he's also a Madonna fan. btw, Voices, I just got the leaked tracks. I haven't listened. But you were right about Mariah. I listened to that and I despaired. "Mimi wept...." you're probably right about the Madonna tracks. but I hope I enjoy them anyway. "Half of what I say is meaningless; but I say it so that the other half may reach you." - Kahlil Gibran | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Martinelli said: Just heard 'Heartbeat'
*lapses in a coma* "Heartbeat" is my favorite song from the album....right now | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Why, oh why in this rotting world am I the only one not to have a damn link to these downloads??
| |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
MADONNA GIVES A RUNDOWN ON 'HARD CANDY' TO THE SUN
The Queen of Pop gives her thoughts on each song... ***Candy Shop---"This was the first song I wrote with Pharrell.It's one of my favorites on the record.It personifies the mood I was in making the record-lots of innuendo.You can get so many things in a candy shop!" ***4 Minutes---"If you're paying attention to what's going on in the world-the Middle East,the US election,the environment,there's so much chaos and turmoil everywhere.Are you going to be part of the problem or part of the solution? But people also need to be cheered up.We also need to have fun and be given a sense of hope". ***Give It To Me---"It's going to be a great song to do live.I can see the whole place jumping.It's the ultimate "Give me all you've got,don't try to stop me".And a great song to work out to". ***Miles Away---"This is the first song I wrote with Justin.It's definitely a song people in my business can relate to.All of us in the studio were like,"Yeah,I get that". ***She's Not Me---"We were listening to alot of Debbie Harry records.It's kind of Debbie Harry-meets-Gloria Gaynor I Will Survive.Pharrell came up with the hook so we concocted a story about the ultimate jilted lover". ***Incredible---"There's alot of angst in it and alot of desire-wanting to recreate some feeling of happiness and fulfillment.But it's also about abandonment and having a good time.Pharrell was playing me all these songs from Baltimore.There's this sound coming out of Baltimore.He kept calling it The Be More." ***Beat Goes On---"Lucky for us,Kanye West was recording his album across the hall while we were making our record.We were also channeling Marvin Gaye and different artists from the past". ***Dance 2Night" ***The Devil Wouldn't Recognize You and Voices---"Both were written in the first chunk of time I had writing with Justin.'Devil' is a song about a person who has everything in their life-a person who gets away with everything.'Voices' is about people playing mind games and who go on ego trips.The line "Are you walking the dog or is the dog walking you?"...it's like,who's in control here? These last two songs really make you think and there's something very orchestral and lush about them.We started out light with "Candy Shop" and ended in a thoughtful way with "Voices".I think it was a good journey to go on". | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Am I the only one LOVES the way "Miles Away" begins and ends? The stuttering acoustic guitar at the beginning,and that surprising,funky Timbaland groove at the ending? I LOVE IT!!! | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
i wannna hear the leaked tracks!! | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
garganta said: i wannna hear the leaked tracks!!
check your Orgnotes | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
A new photo from the set of the "Give It To Me" video | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
SoulAlive said: A new photo from the set of the "Give It To Me" video
"Half of what I say is meaningless; but I say it so that the other half may reach you." - Kahlil Gibran | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
A few thoughts about the album,after hearing the leaked tracks.This is NOT a complete review,gotta wait til I hear the whole album....
***Didn't one of the early reviews claim that "Heartbeat" is "like Future Lovers,only better?". Now I know what they mean.The synths are very Mirwais-sounding.It's like a Mirwais production but with a funkier,R&B beat. ***As much as I like "Give It To Me",I'm not entirely sure if it should be the second single.Like Rolling Stone reported a few months ago,it's the track that sounds the most like a 'Confessions On The Dancefloor' number,and we all know what happened with the Confessions singles in America.It'll be a smash hit outside America,but it's simply not the type of tune that would succeed here.But who cares,right? Madonna already got her big American Top 10 hit ("4 Minutes") with this project. ***The first half of "Incredible" is excellent.The second half is disappointing.I know that Pharrell likes to take chances but in this case,he should have left well enough alone.Why didn't he keep the original groove? ***Similarly,"She's Not Me" has a less-than-satisfying conclusion.Pharrell came up with some cool grooves,but he keeps changing the beats near the end. After April 29th,I'll have a full,in-depth review.... | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
"MILES AWAY"
(written by Madonna,Timbaland,Nate "Danja" Hills and Justin Timberlake) I just woke up from a fuzzy dream You never would believe the things that I have seen I looked to the mirror and I saw your face You looked right through me,you were miles away All my dreams they fade away I'll never be the same If you could see me the way you see yourself I can't pretend to be someone else (chorus) You always love me more,miles away I hear it in your voice,we're miles away You're not afraid to tell me,miles away I guess we're at our best when we're miles away So far away,so far away So far away,so far away So far away,so far away So far away,so far away When no one's around then I have you here I begin to see the picture,it becomes so clear You always have the biggest heart when we're six thousand miles apart Too much of no sound uncomfortable silence can be so loud Those three words are never enough when it's long distance love (chorus) You always love me more,miles away I hear it in your voice,we're miles away You're not afraid to tell me,miles away I guess we're at our best when we're miles away So far away,so far away So far away,so far away So far away,so far away So far away,so far away (bridge) I'm alright,don't be sorry but it's true When I'm gone,you'll realize That I'm the best thing to happen to you (chorus) You always loves me more,miles away I hear it in your voice,we're miles away You're not afraid to tell me,miles away I guess we're at our best when we're miles away You always love me more,miles away I hear it in your voice,we're miles away You're not afraid to tell me,miles away I guess we're at our best when we're miles away So far away,so far away (repeat) [Edited 4/21/08 4:48am] | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
here's a scan of the Entertainment Weekly review with that cool new promo pic
| |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
The whole things leaked - sadly Im at work so cant listen to it - so Im relying on you guys to cast a critical ear | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
xlad said: The whole things leaked - sadly Im at work so cant listen to it - so Im relying on you guys to cast a critical ear
Yeah I now have the entire album | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
"Devil Wouldn't Recognize You"
this is a perfect pop song!! I love it! | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
"Dance 2Night" love that funky bassline!
another duet with Justin,but this one is much,much better than "4 Minutes". This would make a strong fourth single. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
bugger it - the whole office will have to suffer and taste Madges hard candy - playing Devil LOUD - brilliant | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
The only weak song is 4 minutes imo | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
"Spanish Lesson" and "Voices" are the two weak tracks on this album.The latter has a few good ideas,but it's just not a very interesting track and it's a boring way to conclude a dance album. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Miserablism said: The only weak song is 4 minutes imo
It's amazing how much stronger the other tracks are and yet,"4 Minutes" will probably be the biggest hit single from this album. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
xlad said: bugger it - the whole office will have to suffer and taste Madges hard candy - playing Devil LOUD - brilliant
| |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
so far its getting the thumbs up from the office - even the most miserable of my co-workers is tapping her toes | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I just uploaded it to my mp3 player. This will not leave it like it happened with American life | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I'm downloading my birthday present right now! Happy birthday to me! "I would say that Prince's top thirty percent is great. Of that thirty percent, I'll bet the public has heard twenty percent of it." - Susan Rogers, "Hunting for Prince's Vault", BBC, 2015 | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
go2theMax said: VoicesCarry said: Well, I sat down and listened to the leaked tracks.
It's not the complete disaster I thought it would be, but it is the most flat, uninspiring and fucking boring album she's ever made. It drowns in its mediocrity. What really lets her down here is the production. Sometimes she has the makings of a really great song (Heartbeat or Miles Away) and it's not supported properly, so it winds up a decent song instead of something special. It's her own fault for using Pharrell YEARS after he peaked. There is no depth to any of the production. It seems as if every single song I've heard so far (excluding 4 Minutes) consists of a sparse drum beat with some percolating synth line and a few hand claps thrown in or whatever. Boring. I really can't believe this is a Madonna record, since it sounds like Kelis' Tasty leftovers. There is absolutely no eclecticism whatsoever here, which was always her most interesting quality. Track-by-track: Give It To Me - I swear this is the same line repeated over and over and over again against the backbeat. I never want to hear this again. "Get Stupid," indeed. It also seems to go on FOREVER, running almost 5 minutes. Miles Away - great lyrics and melody (truth be told would have sounded at home on Ray of Light), but the production is just bad here. Sounds unfinished. She should have just had William Orbit or Mirwais produce this. Incredible - backbeat + synths again. Have NO idea why this runs over 6 minutes. Nothing memorable again. Heartbeat - starts out truly promising, like a Kylie demo. Then (unfortunately) the Promiscuous beat kicks in. But, I did like it. It sounded the most finished. I just think this would have been so much better with real production. At 4 minutes, this is a comfortable length. I think this is the standout track on the album. The Beat Goes - reinvisioned, it's much better than the first demo. I'm still completely nonplussed, though. Kanye's superfluous rap didn't help matters. She's Not Me - not sure why this is 6 minutes long (a lot of the songs are overlong, apparently), but it sure is boring. [Edited 4/20/08 20:21pm] a review of madonna's songs made by a janet fan...veeeeery trustworthy I am a fan of both. If you're insecure enough in your opinion to post ridiculous comments like that, it's not my problem. Glad you enjoy the album. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
CandaceS said: I'm downloading my birthday present right now! Happy birthday to me!
A little hard candy for your Birthday,huh? Happy Birthday!! | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Okay,after listening to this album in its entirety,I got a few more thoughts....
***This is a very "safe" album.There are a few twists and turns on some of the Pharrell tracks,but overall,there's not alot of risks being taken here.Remember last summer when Timbaland was bragging about the song "La La"...giving the impression that it was really wild,crazy track? It would have been cool to hear something like that! I wish Madonna had let her hair down a little more on this album....try some truly,outrageous crazy sounds! Like the edgy stuff Timbaland does with Missy.I get the feeling that "La La" was probably on that level.I hope we eventually get to hear the five Timbaland tracks that weren't used.In many ways,this album is alot like 'Bedtime Stories'....catchy,fun but very safe.It's not one of her more edgier,risk-taking albums. ***I have a whole new appreciation for "Candy Shop".It's amazing to hear a good,clear,HQ version of this song,with the pumped-up bass.I heard that Pharrell used paint cans(!) to come up with that beat.Meanwhile....are those real drums I hear on "Give It To Me"?? | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Looks like the Youtube clips are now disappearing It's gonna be fun watching the fans playing a game of cat and mouse with Warners all week long....posting clips,and then seeing them getting removed before the process starts all over again. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
so it has leaked??? i don't want to listen to it. I've waited so patiently for the final release on Friday that I don't want to spoil that sepcial moment for me!
to all who have it, have a great time | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |