When fans are asked to pick a favorite Madonna album,these are usually the two albums that get mentioned.Which album is better? Which album could be considered the definitive Madonna album?

I consider Like A Prayer to be her definitive album but Ray Of Light is my favourite of hers.

Like a prayer, it's Madonna's ultimate album. I know Ray Of Light usually gets all the praise, but it never really did it for me. I even think Erotica is better.

Like A Prayer doesn't have one weak track on it, it's fun, it's serious and it's got the ultimate power track "Express yourself"!

robertlove said:

Like a prayer, it's Madonna's ultimate album. I know Ray Of Light usually gets all the praise, but it never really did it for me. I even think Erotica is better.

Like A Prayer doesn't have one weak track on it, it's fun, it's serious and it's got the ultimate power track "Express yourself"!

I'm glad to know that I'm not alone for feeling this way. I never thought Ray of Light was all of that. It was good, but I'd take Erotica or Like A Prayer over it anyday.

^^I was agreeing with you until you dissed the 'Erotica' album

Ray Of Light. There's not one single song on it that I do not enjoy. And Frozen is her best video I think.

Like A Prayer is great too but Love Song is just unlistenable. Although imo LAP the song is stronger than anything on ROL.

SoulAlive said:

LightOfArt said:

Like a Prayer has the stronger singles and classics with some of the album also being good, but as a whole album? Not really

Ray of Light is more of a cohesive album and one of the most creative ones of her career with a sound that was very fresh for her. The kind of music William Orbit was making a year before was already on the charts, but Madonna gave it her own spin, it was like a potpurri of electronic, adult contemporary and dance music all into one, and it was hard to believe this was the same Madonna of the first 2 albums and even Erotica. I just liked a handful of tracks when this album came out though I fancied Frozen and thought Little Star was sweet, and appreciated that Madonna made elements of South Asian/Indian culture part of mainstream fashion with the Henna, but overtime, this album has aged like fine wine and now I like almost every track and it's a classic. My mom also loves this album and likes to play it at home from my collection, sometimes I think she likes it more than me and we don't always agree on the same music. Right now I'm really feeling Power of Goodbye cause I could relate to the message and I think maybe there are themes of rebirth on the album I can appreciate close to 30 more than when in my mid teens.

AlexdeParis said:

LightOfArt said:

Ray Of Light. There's not one single song on it that I do not enjoy.

Like A Prayer is great too but Love Song is just unlistenable. Although imo LAP the song is stronger than anything on ROL.

Agreed in the first paragraph. As for the second, there are 5 ROL songs I like more than "Like a Prayer." "Oh Father" is the killer track on LAP for me.

Out of curiosity, which ones?

Oh and another song I can't stand on LAP is "Cherish".

Agreed on Oh Father

Like a Prayer is more listenable and pleasant, IMO.

I guess if you can appreciate abstract, experimental and 'to-the-left,' you'd appreciate Ray of Light -- but it's definitely not as easy to swallow as Like a Prayer. To me, anyway. That was always my problem with ROL. I was searching for the classic Madonna/pop sound, and that album only gave it in fleeting, narrow spurts. The rest of it was too bizarre and peculiar.

I think ROL is one of the albums that could shut up Jackson fans who are Madonna haters who think she's not original or whatever they say...I'm one of the ones not in that category though

LightOfArt said:

AlexdeParis said:

LightOfArt said: Agreed in the first paragraph. As for the second, there are 5 ROL songs I like more than "Like a Prayer." "Oh Father" is the killer track on LAP for me.

Out of curiosity, which ones?

I ranked my top 50 Madonna songs for her birthday a couple years ago:

1. The Power of Good-Bye

9. Ray of Light

11. Frozen

12. Oh Father

13. Drowned World/Substitute for Love

18. Cherish

20. To Have and Not to Hold

21. Like a Prayer

Oh and another song I can't stand on LAP is "Cherish".

LOL. Let's just say we don't agree there.

Agreed on Oh Father

That's probably my pick for best video as well.

I just realized today is her birthday, how come no one has wished her?

I never got into Ray Of Light. Like A Prayer is a favorite though. Maybe I'll give Ray Of Light another chance if I still have it.

alphastreet said:

I just realized today is her birthday, how come no one has wished her?

her Birthday is tomorrow

it's her birthday today in other parts of the world now, gimmie a break

FUCK YOU! I do NOT have to choose!

Cloudbuster said:

I consider Like A Prayer to be her definitive album but Ray Of Light is my favourite of hers.

Same here. Even though Erotica, Bedtime Stories, Madonna and True Blue aren't that far away either.

[Edited 8/15/11 21:22pm]

AlexdeParis said:

Ray of Light is easily the better album and her best by far. It's her most cohesive listen and her strongest artistic statement. Every song is fully formed and has its own identity, but the whole is even better than the fantastic parts. It's her masterpiece. Like a Prsyer is a good album, borderline great, but not without its flaws. "Express Yourself" is much better in its remixer form, "Dear Jessie" is cute but cloying, and there isn't much substance to "Love Song." LAP is only the 4th best Madonna album IMO. Erotica is one of her worst. "Bad Girl" and "Deeper and Deeper" are stellar, there are some other good tunes, and the rest is filler.

Have u heard the American Life album?

RKJCNE said:

FUCK YOU! I do NOT have to choose!

I do not really like the music of Madonna. But its only album, which I love and sometimes listen - Ray of Light. So I choose it.

Listened to Promise To Try the other night and it brought me to tears. Literally. Such a heart-wrenchingly deep, sad and beautiful song.

I love the whole Like a Prayer album, but also love Ray of Light. These are my two favorite Madonna albums. I'm going with Ray of Light as the winner. It's slightly better developed in terms of a whole musical package. Madonna's singing is better on that too. And the album fits in with the whole zeitgeist of late 1990s better than Like a Prayer does with the late 1980s. Maybe that says more about the eras than it does Madonna, but oh well. I had to choose one.

daPrettyman said:

AlexdeParis said:

Ray of Light is easily the better album and her best by far. It's her most cohesive listen and her strongest artistic statement. Every song is fully formed and has its own identity, but the whole is even better than the fantastic parts. It's her masterpiece. Like a Prsyer is a good album, borderline great, but not without its flaws. "Express Yourself" is much better in its remixer form, "Dear Jessie" is cute but cloying, and there isn't much substance to "Love Song." LAP is only the 4th best Madonna album IMO. Erotica is one of her worst. "Bad Girl" and "Deeper and Deeper" are stellar, there are some other good tunes, and the rest is filler.

Have u heard the American Life album?

Yep. What about it? It's a good listen. Doesn't have the standout tracks of most Madonna material, but it's definitely a more cohesive listen than, say, Erotica.

My Madonna album rankings (off the top of my head):

1. Ray of Light

2. Confessions on a Dance Floor

3. Madonna

4. Like a Prayer

5. Hard Candy

6. American Life

7. Music

8. Like a Virgin

9. True Blue

10. Bedtime Stories

11. Erotica

12. I'm Breathless

AlexdeParis said:

Ray of Light is easily the better album and her best by far. It's her most cohesive listen and her strongest artistic statement. Every song is fully formed and has its own identity, but the whole is even better than the fantastic parts. It's her masterpiece.

Couldn't have said it better.

No contest, it's Ray of Light.

AlexdeParis said:

daPrettyman said:

Have u heard the American Life album?

Yep. What about it? It's a good listen. Doesn't have the standout tracks of most Madonna material, but it's definitely a more cohesive listen than, say, Erotica.

My Madonna album rankings (off the top of my head):

1. Ray of Light

2. Confessions on a Dance Floor

3. Madonna

4. Like a Prayer

5. Hard Candy

6. American Life

7. Music

8. Like a Virgin

9. True Blue

10. Bedtime Stories

11. Erotica

12. I'm Breathless

I kinda agree with ur ranking. The only major thing I would move around is placing American Life at number 12 and maybe Hard Candy at number 2 or 3.

both are amazing but Ray Of Light is by far my favorite album by her and of my favorite electronic albums of all time.

robertlove said:

Like a prayer, it's Madonna's ultimate album. I know Ray Of Light usually gets all the praise, but it never really did it for me. I even think Erotica is better.

Like A Prayer doesn't have one weak track on it, it's fun, it's serious and it's got the ultimate power track "Express yourself"!

It's the exact opposite for me.

I find "Like A Prayer" to be a little overrated. Save for a few tracks, especially the title track "Promise To Try", "Oh Father" and "Dear Jessie", but it doesn't do much for me other wise. I think it's a tad boring actually. I thought it was boring when I first heard it as a kid. I thought that would change now as an adult, but I still find LAP underwhelming and just don't get all the praise for it.

"Ray of Light" on the other hand I absolutely love. A brilliant and ambitious album. Probably the best Madonna ever made. For me, there isn't even one bad song on the album. I love "Ray of Light".

ROL hands down for me!

[Edited 8/16/11 18:39pm]