Cher’s blatant use of voice vocoders in her
1999 smash hit “Believe” introduced a whole new trend of auto-tune, electric
beats, and synthesized atmospheres. Of course, not even a year after its
release, Madonna was quick to pick up on these new phenomena and it was
inevitably crafted into a ten-song opus known simply as “Music”. With William
Orbit and Mirwais Ahmadai behind the production booth, Madonna harnesses their
distinct electronic sound and shapes them into stylish club tracks. As she has
always had her finger on not only what’s hot, but what’s yet to be discovered,
she builds “Music” on the foundation of Cher’s “Believe”, and then expands
those ideas to have more consistent beats and a chillier sound. With clanging,
synthesized drums and sparing (most often auto-tuned) vocals, she successfully
pulls off this change in sound. While it’s not a complete departure from “Ray
of Light”, its unevenness makes it a more interesting record. From the weird
vocal synths in “Impressive Instant” to the futuristic club groove of “Runaway
Lover”, “Music” seems more compelling and enjoyable than its taxing predecessors.
Even though restraint and darkness comes in the latter half of this album, it
doesn’t lose its spark. “Paradise (Not for Me)” may be overlong, but it’s still
a quirky song that still works well with the rest of the record. The only major
flaw that arises with “Music” as a whole is its over-reliance on, well, music.
Besides the brilliant title track, and the string-driven “Don’t Tell Me”, the
rest of the record is more focused on the backing music, not Madonna’s voice.
In fact, looking at the lyrical content, you would realize that she’s channeled
her new direction strictly into her music, and nothing else. While this change
is one that you can tolerate, you can’t help but wanting Madonna to have more
to say than this. But after seventeen years of constant re-working and
exertion, Madonna is entitled to a chill-out record where she can direct her
collaborators to fit her new, updated sound. Since so much of “Music” works
seamlessly, for now, it’s more than a satisfying follow-up to her 1998 musical
comeback. It’s a stylish, modern, and electro-techno pop record, something that
you can’t find anywhere else in 2000.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Music 2. Impressive Instant 3. Runaway Lover
4. I
Deserve It 5. Amazing 6. Nobody’s Perfect
7. Don’t
Tell Me 8. What It Feels Like
for a Girl
9. Paradise (Not for Me) 10.
Gone
No comments:
Post a Comment