Industry queen expands on empire with songs on Guy Ritchie divorce
It’s provocative, dark, daring and bold. It’s “MDNA.”
Madonna, the “Queen of Pop,” released her 12th endeavor March 23 — her strangest, most explicit, honest and fulfilling work since 2000’s “Music.” With this album, however, Madonna not only takes her listeners through the upbeat, electropop-infused club scene; she takes them through a real, personal tale of confession.
In “MDNA,” the singer exposes the wounds of her failed marriage to Guy Ritchie, in addition to all of her innermost demons. And she does it with deranged pop hooks that will leave listeners on a high.
Like a good workout shocks the body, “MDNA” shocks the ears. Once listeners have grown accustomed to the thumping bass line of the explosive track “Gang Bang,” Madge wows them with a hard-core, nasty dubstep riff, where she takes direct jabs at Ritchie.
She sings: “If you’re gonna act like a b---- / Then you’re gonna die like a b---- / You’re gonna die for me.” Madonna’s not happy with her ex-husband, and that is clear in the track, as she continues: “Bang, bang, shot you dead / Shot my lover in the head.”
The album, building on a three-decade-long empire, quite literally starts with a bang.
But the indulgence doesn’t stop there. “I’m Addicted” is a stomping, swinging dance confection with clear influences of Benassi-style house and sugary pop accents. Madonna tantalizes with, “I’m ready to take this chance / I need to dance,” right before the song smashes into a rave-worthy disco break that DJs will worship.
“Turn Up the Radio” and the deliciously filthy “Some Girls” share the same aesthetic.
However, the true masterpiece on the entire album is the pop Narnia that is “Love Spent.” Haunting and autobiographical lyrics, like “Now you have your money / Spend it till there’s nothing,” hint at neglectful acts on Ritchie’s end. These lyrics glide on a whimsical, melodious pop cloud before entering dance music heaven.
As Madonna sings, “Hold on to me till there’s nothing left,” the entire mood of the track changes — listeners are now on an electronic dance Space Mountain with dips, turns and fist-pumping beats. It gives this magnificent song not one but two distinct choruses. The song is, without a doubt, one of the best pop tracks released in the past five years.
The album also has some softer sides. “Masterpiece” is a beautiful ballad that reflects Madonna’s marital regrets, and “Best Friend” is a techno slow jam where the singer is more exposed and vulnerable than ever before. However, the true highlights of the album are the addictive dance tracks that make Madonna the queen of all pop divas.
It’s an album that infuses all of the musical genius Madonna has come to master, while exposing the glam icon on a deeper, more personal level. She strikes the perfect balance in holding to her high-energy pop choruses, but still gives loyal fans a new take on her long-established empire with not-so-hidden meanings in every track.