Well,as you all know,Madonna's new album 'American Life' has already leaked.The songs are now all over the net.I really tried to be patient and wait for the official release date on Tuesday,but I just couldn't do it.I now have a copy of the album (minus two tracks) and I've been listening to it for several hours now.It's too soon for me to write a long,detailed review so I will just give you my first impression of the album.If you wanna be surprised and don't want me to spoil anything for you,STOP READING NOW!!


First of all,to those of you who thought that 'Music' wasn't that great,you are going to LOVE this new album.It is ten times better than 'Music'.This time around,the songs sound more "fleshed out",with better production and experimetation.There are more guitars this time around and several songs rock really hard.I'll give you my track-by-track analysis,but keep in mind that this is just an *early* review.I may feel differently in a few days.


***"American Life"---I liked this song from day one.It's not really that catchy and it's missing a hook,but I appreciate the message behind it all.After repeated listening,I love the rap segment too...lol...

***"Hollywood"---catchy pop/rock song,very Sheryl Crow-like.I'm not really sure that it should be the second single (there are stronger songs on the album).I like the "push the button,trip the station" hook that concludes the track.

***"I'm So Stupid"---the weakest song on the album.Musically,it rocks hard but the lyrics and vocals don't do it justice.I understand the message,but it's just not a very good song.

***"Love Profusion"---when I first heard this song the other day,I wasn't too impressed.But what a difference a few days makes.I LOVE THIS SONG!!! Man,this is great! This could easily be a summer single.A gentle,midtempo track with an infectious hook ("I've got you...under my skin").

***"Nobody Knows Me"---OH WOW!! If you liked the electro-funk of her song "Music",you will dig this too.It's a club-ready,stripped down electronic dance song that juts grabs you and never lets go.

***"Nothing Fails"---this is the song with the choir.Somewhat similiar to "Don't Tell Me",only much more sincere and emotional.

***X-Static Process"--- impressive folk ballad with great vocals

***"Mother And father"---YES!!! This is my favorite song on the album.Sounds very much like an early 80s funk/dance track and Maddy's girlish vocals are out of this world!

***"Die Another Day"---always liked this song



My copy is missing the songs "Easy Ride" and "Intervention" so I can't comment on those songs until I hear them.But,my early opinion of the album is positive.Madonna has done it again.These songs are highly experimental and powerful.

DavidEye, you're weak!

AaronSuperior said:

Ah,give it up.Go ahead and download the album.You know you can't wait...lol..you're still gonna buy it on Tuesday anyway,so Maddy will still get her money.No need to feel ashamed or anything,just go downlaod it!!

DavidEye said:

you're right, i can't wait. but i'm going to. it'll be even more spectacular that way

AaronSuperior said:

I feel the same way you do.There is nothing like buying a new album from your favorite artist on the day it is released.I'm beginning to hate the Internet era!! It drives us crazy with anticipation,forcing us to download songs early...lol...

DavidEye said:

i have downloaded the single. since it's already out, and if i happened to turn on FM radio, i may or may not hear it. so i've got that one. but the rest i'll wait for. i did the same for Music, and i enjoyed it all the more for Madonna, i can make sacrifices. i know the payoff will be even better with the wait

AaronSuperior said:

co-sign

i'm planning a midnight run to my local cd shop next monday to pick it up...oooh! it's almost time

endorphin74 said:

someone i know might be able to get it monday. and he might be coming to see me monday night

otherwise, the only thing that'll be open at midnight here that sells CD's will be Wal-Mart, and definitely want the unlcean version

Yeah,I'm thinking about heading to Tower Records on Monday at Midnight,to pick up a copy.I feel silly doing this but I'm sure there will be other fans there,no?

[This message was edited Wed Apr 16 6:23:22 PDT 2003 by DavidEye]

Okay,I finally found the song "Intervention".It's a nice,slow folk-type ballad.Her vocals sound amazing on the slower tracks! There are a few techno flourishes but for the most part,Mirwais gets out of the way and lets her voice shine.

AaronSuperior said:

hmmm, and who could this mystery guest be?!

ps...as a general rule I avoid buying ANYTHING at WalMart

endorphin74 said:

i try not to, but i live in a small midwestern town, and Wal-Mart put pretty much everything else out of business. i'm generally up for the 30 minute drive to civilization, but sometimes you've gotta just bite the bullet

i've only heard die another day, american life, x-static, love profusion, mother and father, I'm so stupid and nothing fails. after a day or two, i do like x-static process, love profusion, die another day and the felix remix of american life. I do not like the album version of AL or the rap bit in mother and father (which is a shame because the rest of the song rocks!). I didn't like anything about the other two songs. This album is too much like music, which i didn't like. I was hoping for something more similar to ray of light but it doesn't seem so. oh well.
the new fleetwood mac cd is f'n great though!

All I have to say is F*CK Madge--if you want to hear her true work listen to True Blue, Like a Prayer or RAy of Light--she's a hypocrite and a sell out. JMO.

purplegypsy said:

how is she a sell-out?

and jesus, what is it with people (especially Euros) calling her "Madge." it makes my skin crawl

i've got to say she is a sell out, but she forewarned us about that years ago on American Bandstand wih Dick Clark. For a while it was why i loved her but now it's become very predictable. By that I mean, with every album she is going to make some quasi-personal (and usually) controversial statement and pretend that she is far more evolved this time around. But then, the next time, she knocks what she was doing and talks about this new version of madonna being the real madonna. I'll admit, she has stuck with this philosophical change longer than usual but i really do believe that once it is no longer trendy to practice yoga and be all "new age" she will change again. Or, once sales start to decline she will change again...whichever comes first. That is what she did with bedtime stories.
Hey, if it is working this long, more power to her. I just don't get caught up in believing her every move. I listen to the music. Lately, the music has not held my attention. I will still give AL a try (i'll borrow it and burn it) and if i like it I will go out and buy it. If not, I'll wait for the box set and tour. At the end of the day (as Madonna likes to say, now that she's been in her full out British incarnation ) it is about entertaining...and that she certainly is!

imnotsayinthisjust2bnasty said:

she hasn't really said or done anything that actually contradicts her "philosophy" (if you wanna call it that) of the last few years. ever heard of people changing? growing? evolving? it's all layers added on, or stripped away, depending on how you want to look at it. it all jives.

she's not a sell-out. she's true to herself, and has been from day one. just because she tries on a lot of different images and sounds, why does someone always have to be ONE thing? why can't people express different sides of their personality at different times (or even simultaneously) without being called a sell-out?

AaronSuperior said:

that's never been what's in question, at least not from me. I think people change every day. i just don't believe she is really sincere. I can't prove it, nor would i want or care to. it's just a feeling i get from her. she told us from the begining that she wants to rule the world...not speak about her art...those statements came years later wheen the superficiality of te 80s and 90s was over and it was no longer cool. i can still enjoy her music, though...i just don't take it seriously.

I never cared about her image. For me, if the music's acceptable then she's cool with me.

That said, upon forcing myself to sit and listen to the album (it was difficult but I listened all the way through), this is easily her worst album yet. It's even worse than I'm Breathless. I could combine the two only decent songs off this album with the good stuff from Music and I still wouldn't have a quality Madonna album. The only tracks I liked were American Life (yes, it actually is the best thing on there, I know it's shocking) and Easy Ride (which wouldn't have been that great if it wasn't for the string section).

I really miss the old girl.

imnotsayinthisjust2bnasty said:

She's been doing Ashtanga yoga 4 six years now. Ur statements sound rather stupid.

DavidEye said:

MTV.com has the whole album

2.5 out of 5.0.

Prince,MJ and now Madonna have all got the 1958 curse.Strange that.

Raven said:

Actually,I finally got those songs too,so now I have the entire album.

OK Here are my thoughts:

01. American Life - Upon hearing it first, I was underwhelmed, but in context of the album, it is the obvious single - love the melody of the lyrics.

02. Hollywood - Nope, don't really like it, too derivitive, or something - just heard it all before.

03. I'm So Stupid - Love it, great self-referencing lyrics, I like the melody.

04. Love Profusion - Gotta be single #3, it's a the album's definate bonafide pop single/hit- Love it!

05. Nobody Knows Me - I like it, but it's Impressive Instant pt.2 - YAWN!!!

06. Nothing Fails - Nice, very nice, although the constant guitar chopping with electro beats is REALLY starting to get old now, I want to hear something a little different - Even the choir, which could have been really outstanding, comes off as less than it could have, due to the production.

07. Intervention - Another standout track for me - Along with, Love Profusion (which is quite William Orbit) and I'm So Stupid - this is a stand out track. The guitar at the start, and the melody is real nice - soft rock.

08. X-Static Process - Didn't do much for me, bit of a vanity track, I imagine the hardcore fans will love it.

09. Mother & Father - Another single worthy track in terms of melody and structure - the lyrics, I dunno if she could perform them over and over and over - but then she doesn't do that many performances anyway, so a video wouldn't hurt - A stand out track - But the "rap" whatever you wanna call it, it sucks more than on American Life - just ruins the emotion of the track - maybe she will kill off rap in the mainstream

10. Die Another Day: Yawn fest, didn't like it then, don't like it now - The Felix mix rocks, other than that, it sucks.

11. Easy Ride - Yawn-fest, by this point, you just feel like it's been done before earlier on in the album. Bit of an anti climax.

SUMMARY: Musically, a continuation of Music, but lyrically an extension of ROL.

It contains a few great tracks, but as a whole it is unsatisfying because it is all very much the same sort of thing - maybe 2 or 3 producers would have helped that - but the beats, vocoder and choppy guitar really start to sound the same after a while.

I wish she had moved on from Mirwais, a few tracks is great, but why didn't she have the foresight to work with Felix (he has done 2 mixes for the album tracks) - He is much more where it is at now, Mirwais represents the old, not the new - I love the old, but a whole album of it really gets tiresome.

imnotsayinthisjust2bnasty said:

I think this album is totally different from 'Music'.This time around,the songs sound more solid,more fleshed out.There are more guitars,and overall,I would say that it is "less" techno.It's a better,more focused album than 'Music' imo.

VelvetSplash said:

That song is probably the most-liked song on the album,by her fans.I haven't really heard anyone criticize this song.It didn't do much for me the first few times I heard it,but now I can't get it out of my head.This should definitely become a future single,maybe in the summer.

AaronSuperior said:

Exactly

Some people just don't "get" Madonna and probably never will.

DavidEye said:

It reminds me of American Pie (even though I thought that was horrid!)

I think it's great - similar to "Amazing", from Music, maybe.

So,who's planning to buy the Special Edition of this CD? There is still some confusion as to whether or not it will include a DVD! I know that it does contain some kind of poster.

I'm waiting for the official release.