CrozzaUK said:

Yeah,I want more ballads next time around.Her ballads are very underrated.

midnightmover said:[quote]

LiveToTell86 said:

I cant really disagree with much of what midnightmover says there - except to say her lyrics have gone downhill since LAP. Erotica had some fantastic lyrics, and Ray Of Light was pretty decent on that front too. The last 3 records have all been pretty redundant on the lyrics front. As you say, if you takeaway the production, the songs your left with are pretty meager, with some exceptions.

Madonna has got lazy - we've got to recognise that fact. I still enjoy what she puts out but it isnt in the same league as she's capable of.

When i said Joe Henry has replace Pat leonard - i meant he's the only guy she actually writes songs with, without relying on him for production. He also encourages something different lyrically as well. I thought what she & Mirwais did with Joe's "Stop" was wonderful - id love to see her write a shed load of stuff with him, and get somebody contemporary to produce it. not electronica, not R'nB, not dance (and definitely not rock) just keep it simple and fresh.

You guys are gonna think I'm crazy (lol),but these are the producers I'd like to see Madonna work with on the next album....

***Dangermouse---It's hard to even describe the quirky,edgy music that he produced for Gorillaz and for his own Gnarls Barkley projects.I heard that Madonna is a huge fan of his and I think this would be a perfect pairing....her "pop" style combined with his edgy,hip-hop/soul/rock/funk beats.Let's have about 6 songs from this pairing.

***Jamiroquai---I've said this a million times...Jamiroquai is making some of the best retro-styled disco/funk music these days.The best thing is,they use real instruments for the most part,including real basslines.Can you imagine Madonna and Jay Kay coming up with a handful of great dance tunes? Jay would have Madonna's vocals wrapped around some truly catchy,bass-heavy dancefloor jams.How about 4 songs from this pairing?

***JuniorSenior---Best remembered for their insanely catchy 2003 dance hit "Move Your Feet",these guys are very underrated.Their second album is an underrated MASTERPIECE,filled with edgy electro/pop jams with an 80s retro-feel.These guys are still fairly new and haven't worked with anyone else yet (as far as I know),so it would be an ideal pairing for Madonna,who doesn't always like to work with producers that everyone else works with.Let's have 3 songs from this pairing.

LiveToTell86 said:

I hope they include a new song (or two) on it.The most obvious choice would be the Hard Candy outtake "Across The Sky" (produced by Timbaland).Fans are really curious about that song.

SoulAlive said:

I really like the idea of Dangermouse. Jamiroquai is an interesting idea - but ive not really heard his stuff for about 5 or so years so have no idea where he's at. It would certainly be worth hearing. As ive said before - id like to here something a little more soulful from her next time around - and less focused on the current tends in dance and electro music.

Hopefully her old ass will go away and retire.

CrozzaUK said:

Sorry, no matter how much you believe that, that's never gonna be a fact.

I wished other artists would be as "lazy" as Madonna (*coughMJcough*).

To me, she's still churning out songs that can be named as her "very best". "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" or "She's Not Me" are on par with any of her previous eras.

By the way, Warner Netherlands said the new greatest hits is not coming in the first quarter of 2009.

As for "Across The Sky", reports say it's too much of a "Miles Away" retread, would be weird if that would be the sole bonus track...

LiveToTell86 said:

OK I agree it cant ever be classed as fact - but she has become something of a lazy recording artist. As i said i still love alot of her stuff- -its just a lot more disposable than her previous work and has a shorter shelf life.

CrozzaUK said:

The shorter shelf life comes from the way of the current industry, and of course Warner's fuck-ups. Music was practically killed right before the DWT started and of course Warner made sure the last single of HC would not make any splash at all.
Established artists cannot have the long shelf life like new artists (Rihanna etc) get because of promo and label priority...

As for being disposable, I think that's a matter of opinion too. Some of her early 80s songs were much more throwaway and I would list her 90s ballad overload under "disposable" than the 00s work...

Personally,I think recent songs like "Get Together","Jump" and "Miles Away" are among the best songs that Madonna has ever done.It's unrealistic to expect an artist to make brilliant music everytime,but I think Madonna has done better than most pop artists who have been around as long as she has.

whatever she does, I hope she doesn't release albums like her last 4 albums. Her 'symbol years' have lasted long enough.

LiveToTell86 said:

I would add "Miles Away" and several of the "Confessions On A Dancefloor" tracks to that list I'm very satisfied with Madonna's recent music.On each album,I always find at least three or four brilliant songs that become new favorites of mine.I enjoyed 'Confessions' alot more than I enjoyed Prince's last three albums

SoulAlive said:

I heard it on the radio when it was LEAKED (the version before Kanye West!). This is the type of song radio needed.

SoulAlive said:

I dont disagree that there are always a few tracks that are superb, and i find the albums are still very solid in many respects, but there is something lacking slightly for me. Prince has always been lost in his own music - rarely defined by what others are doing so i dont compare. Madonnas recent stuff just seems like her going through the motions to me. She's capable of better.

SoulAlive said:

I agree. Much as my fandom level has fallen off in the 00s from the 90s (probably a healthy thing ), she still has several gems in her catalogue of projects since 2000:

"Music"
"Music" (Video)
"Impressive Instant"
"Paradise"
"Die Another Day" (Video)
"Hollywood"
"Love Profusion"
"Nobody Knows Me"
"Easy Ride"
"Deeper and Deeper" (RIT)
"Hung Up"
"Get Together"
"Sorry"
"Let it Will Be"
"Jump"
"Like it Or Not"
"Music Inferno"
"Erotica/You Thrill Me"
"Give it 2 Me"
"Heartbeat"
"She's Not Me"
"Incredible"
"Beat Goes On" (original version)
"Give it 2 Me" (Paul Oakenfold)

badujunkie said:

I like that you included those. Wouldn't that be awesome if they properly made it to a future box set?

CrozzaUK said:

"Going through the motions" is the worst excuse ever. I just don't understand why it's not OK to simply say "I prefer her older music" instead of trying to make it seem Madonna herself is not enjoying what she does anymore etc. The Sticky & Sweet Tour was the true testament to how she loves to perform her new songs!

LiveToTell86 said:

Im not saying she doesn't enjoy what she does - im simply saying she doesnt focus on it as much as she used to. She has more stuff going on in her life nowadays - she cant possibly devote the same kind of time to making music as she used to. I really liked Hard Candy, but more than any record she's made, it felt like a contractual obligation. Its not a case of preferring her older music - because as was pointed out - some of her earlier stuff was equally if not more disposable.

As i said before - i believe its a case of inspiration. She makes her best music when she's got something to say or prove.

I liked the whole HC era, and look forward to her upcoming projects and music.

Noone has mentioned her new look and how great she looks! Now she lives in NY, this will inspire her, I'm sure!!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_g_O...5B5%5D.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_g_O...5B5%5D.jpg

CrozzaUK said:

Even her focus is debatable: in the past 5 years she actually focused on the music than in the 90s. Remember back then her main goal was to become an acclaimed actress. She recorded Like A Prayer and then immediately she went onto filming Dick Tracy, without doing any real promo (of course back then MTV was enough promo). Then during the Erotica era, she was actually filming 2 movies and the Girlie Show was just thrown together in a much shorter time.
Bedtime Stories was pushed aside when she get the role of Evita and had her then-biggest flop singles.
Even the ROL era was not free from movies, she canceled a tour only to film The Next Best Thing.
It's only recently when she started saying music is the most important and she loves performing.

I'm still saying it's just a matter of taste. The contractual obligation thing is much debatable as well, in the past 3 albums Madonna always said "I didn't know where to go, but my label was saying I owe them an album". It's not like Hard Candy came out with the liner notes saying it's a contractual obligation (*hintPrincehint*). She was obsessing over "Candy Shop" a lot, called her favourite etc.

If anything, she focuses on touring so much that she conceives the performance of a song immediately when she writes it. She said "Give It 2 Me" was especially written to be performed in a stadium. That might be a different kind of focus or approach, but definitely not going through the motions.

It's also a bit weird to expect Madonna to say something on each of her albums...