Hey thanks for posting that review from Madonnarama!! After reading it,I am now even MORE excited about the new album.The site manager who wrote that review (Edward) is a very tell-it-like-it-is type of guy and the fact that HE thinks the album is "fucking amazing",well,that says alot



I can't wait til April 22!!!

I have to say, I wasn't crazy about her last album and all, but this new album sounds like it might be really good. I'm looking forward to its release.

Martinelli said:

k... i'm encouraged again glad to see Madonnarama thinks American Life is the weakest track on the album. gives me hope dare i say, i'm excited again?

I just started a thread about this prematurely without knowing the review was posted here.

The guy was a bit general and had a lot of typo's, but the review was enthusiastic and has me hyped again.

I must admit, I've been a bit down on Madonna lately since 'DAD'. So it feels good to actually be somewhat excited about her again. I hope she proves me wrong with this album and that I can't stop playing it.

2 weeks.

Mtv.com the leak section is gonna play the whole album next week.just found out on MTV 2.

TRON said:

yes!

TRON said:

I'm excited after reading that review too! It's worth noting that Edward (the Madonnarama site manager) is NO ass-kisser.He has pissed off many fans with his tell-it-like-it-is,sometimes overly critical stance when it comes to Madonna.So,if HE loves this album,that means it MUST be great...lol...frankly,I was afraid that he was gonna hate it.

Another Madonna update...



Apparently all is not lost.Her "American Life" video will be shown after all.It has been heavily re-edited though.It will premiere next week on the video channels.There are rumors that the new video uses one of the remixes.

Yet another update


NEW YORK---Madonna will perform songs from her new album 'American Life' in an MTV special in which she's also expected to talk about the anti-war video she created for the title song.

"Madonna On-stage and On The Record" is scheduled for April 22,the same day her album hits stores.The hourlong special will be taped in front of a studio audience that day and is set to air at 10 P.M.

The singer,44,is expected to discuss the video for "American Life",in which she wears military garb next to dancers in camouflage on a fashion runway.At one point,what looks like a grenade is thrown in the direction of a President Bush lookalike,who uses it as a lighter.

Madonna said she made the video before the war began three weeks ago and has withdrawn it out of respect for the troops.Carson Daly will be the host of the show,which will include questions from the audience.

DavidEye said:

lord... this rumor has gone back and forth 3 times this week already. i'll believe it when i see it. one day it's true, the next day it's fale, then true, then false, etc.

AaronFantastic said:

The thing is,I really wouldn't wanna see a video that is drastically edited and re-edited from the original version.I know she has to sell the song and you need a video to do that,but I love the original video the way it is.But I guess we'll know for sure in a few days (if this rumor is true).

DavidEye said:

I haven't seen either video, and I don't want to. She's saying that she's learned that fame and fortune and pop culture and media aren't the answer to life, and that we need to get our priorities straight. But then she turns war (or an anti-war statement) into a pop culture commodity. I was glad when she pulled it. I don't like it when she's a hypocrite.

It's a good thing that you didn't see the video.It's very anti-war and considering how you feel on this issue,I don't think you would have liked it.Me,on the other hand...

DavidEye said:

anti-war statements don't bother me. i appreciate them. i support them, even though i don't believe them. as with anything, it depends on the message and and messenger, and what the true motivations are.

it's not the anti-war part that bothers me. it's the hypocrisy of what she's saying and doing.
[This message was edited Thu Apr 10 5:59:53 PDT 2003 by AaronFantastic]

I think it's one of her best videos.Admittedly,I wasn't too impressed with recent videos like "Don't Tell Me" and "What It Feels Like For A Girl",but this new one kicks ass! I watch it maybe 10 times a day...lol...

DavidEye said:

loved Don't Tell Me. in fact, it's the only one i thought was decent from that album. actually, when i think about it, Don't Tell Me is the only Madonna video that i've been satisfied with since You'll See.

AaronFantastic said:

I LOVE the video for the title track ("Music").Madonna has NEVER looked sexier than she does in that video.With her "ghetto fabulous" look and that cowboy hat,she looks HOT!! She was pregnant when she shot that video!

DavidEye said:

i think the video for Music and the rap for American Life fall into the same category. cheese and crap, trying to pass for irony, but falling on its ass.


sure, she looks hot. but it's that generic bottle-blond slutty cowboy hat pamela anderson hot. which isn't hot to me... but, i guess that kind of sex appeal from a woman really is lost on me



i can't type to save my fucking life lately... EDIT!
[This message was edited Thu Apr 10 6:21:17 PDT 2003 by AaronFantastic]

Speaking of "irony"...that word is used to describe ALOT of things Madonna does these days...lol...am I the only one who has noticed this?

DavidEye said:

well, it's usually used by her to describe what she does. she's been using it ad nauseum since '92 when Sex backfired on her.
[This message was edited Thu Apr 10 6:26:56 PDT 2003 by AaronFantastic]

Martinelli said:

Reminds me of another song - sing along if you know it
Lo-o-o-o-o-vin' You, is easy cuz ur beautiful / Makin love with yo-o-u, is all i wanna doo...

Review from Radio 1 (UK)

Most people have heard the single and title track of the 'American Life' album, and for the first time in years, people have an opinion about a Madonna record. It might be a difficult single to get used to, but it serves as a good introduction to the album.

On 'Ray of Light' post-motherhood she was spiritual. On 'Music' she was in the throws of Guy Richie induced love and a new found friend in Mirwais. Here on 'American Life', Madonna talks and really opens up.

'American Life' succeeds as an album where 'Music' failed. It sounds like an album, with an agenda of what the singer wants to say. On 'Music' the mix of Mirwais, William Orbit and Mark 'Spike' Stent all producing made it sound unresolved as a whole and a bit messy. And it had 'American Pie' on it. Here the sound is consistent and as a result it's brave and strong where 'Music' was afraid to really go for it.

Initially it's not an easy listen. There is a lot going on here, but it sounds fantastic and definitely an album which you want to listen to again and again.

With her vocals right up in the mix, this is as close as we've ever got to Madonna. Moreso, than the last album and also on 'Ray of Light'.

It's braver too - no longer does she hedge her bets and mix an album with people which she scored earlier successes with like Pat Leonard on 'Ray of Light' ('Frozen'), and William Orbit on 'Music' ('Runaway Lover', 'Amazing'). On 'American Life' it's her vision and Mirwais's production alone - and it's all better for it.

However, like 'Erotica' this album could be overlooked if people judge the album by the first single. And like with 'Erotica', that would be a real shame.

It's a strong album. It's a break-up album, a fed up of work/school/college album. It has attitude and balls - just like a good Madonna record should have.

American Life
First single (not including 'Die Another Day') and it's the mission statement of the album. Whether you love it or hate it, as the beginning of the album it makes sense and serves as a good introduction as to what the rest of the albums' lyrics are about. It's also, in my opinion, the weakest song.

Hollywood
This is going to be the second single. After the first track it's actually a huge relief after the single 'American Life' - instantly catchy and fast-paced it reminds you of what Madonna really is about when she's good. Great tunes, attitude. It starts with bird singing noises in the background, and soon Madonna gets into the Hollywood is not-a-very-nice-place theme of the song.

I'm So Stupid
A bit slower with her voice distorted at the start. It's sounds a little 60s with the synths in the background, and has more of a rock feel to it. With lyrics like 'Everybody's looking for something', it's a grower.

Love Profusion
Probably the most straight forward dance track on the album. I think this is one of those which could become a favourite and it feels like a classic upbeat Madonna song. It fuses the message behind the song 'American Life' with Mirwais' beats and acoustic elements really well.

Nobody Knows Me
This song is insane. Very electronic, chaotic, fast, manic. Pounding synths. There is so much going on here several it'll take several plays to really get it, but it's ace.

Nothing Fails
Rumoured to be single no.3, this is classic downbeat Madonna. It's also the first time the album drops the pace. Think 'Don't Tell Me' mixed with the low, gravelly voice on 'Live to Tell'. The London gospel choir sounds amazing when their voices take off. Strong, with beautiful strings.

Intervention
Mid-paced, it builds up to be a lovely album track. Not a single, but with its REM 80s-style guitars in the background it's a good track to follow 'Nothing Fails'.

X-static Process
Early rumours that this would be the big 'Impressive Instant' dance track were wrong. It's one of the slowest tracks. It's also striking because throughout the album Madonna vocals feel very close and real - here's she sounds bare. Intimate.

Mother and Father
This isn't the sad confessional track the title leads you to believe. It's stronger than previous attempts on a similar theme - 'Inside of Me', 'Promise to Try' and 'Oh Father'.

Die Another Day
Like the 'American Life' single, this song had mixed reactions when released. But bizarrely, because the production sounds consistent throughout the whole album, it fits. Where on 'Music' 'American Pie' irritated the flow of the album, 'Die Another Day' finds itself a home here and compliments the set.

Easy Ride
Like 'Gone' near the end of the last album, this feels like an epitaph for the album. It sounds like she's exhausted - and no wonder - in a good way, and again the strings sound amazing. A great and natural end to the album.

Madonna has said of the album via an official statment from her record company that:
"All of these songs reflect my current state of mind. I feel like I have just woken up out of a dream. They range from dismay and anger to joy and certainty. Hopefully, I have taken the personal and made it universal."

These early reviews are getting me really excited

Both of those reviews insist that the title track is the weakest track on the album.Can't wait to hear the rest then!

I just came across some cool footage that was shot during the filming of the "American Life" video.Could this be the new re-edited video that Madonna is planning to release next week??


http://download.wbr.com/m...xtras.html