There was a time when Madonna's worst enemy was time itself. Aging in a culture so obsessed with youth and quick changes would take its toll on anyone, but it seemed especially difficult for the Queen of Pop to conceal her vulnerability in the new millennium. But then, a new, even deadlier beast came to crack her carefully constructed armor: the internet. If online trolls weren't constantly throwing out 'flop' tags, then hackers were chomping at the bit to secure even a sliver of new music from Madge. After 2012's "MDNA" underwhelmed upon its release, Madonna could no longer keep the internet at bay, and in December 2014 her worst nightmare (yes, even worse than wrinkles!) came true: someone managed to leak her entire thirteenth album before a single was even announced. This may not have immediately seemed like a turning point in her career, but it was: now her legendary need for total security had been breached, the internet appeared to have gotten the best of her. The leaks weren't taken down in time to prevent thousands of eager fans to consume the unfinished material, but Madonna tapped her ferocious work ethic and quickly released six completed songs by Christmas. Over the next three months, the world got to see her sweat as she hustled to continue her performance schedule (The Grammys, BRIT Awards) and properly finish and release "Rebel Heart" in March 2015. All this calamity took precedence over the album: who could possibly create anything of value when put under such a microscope? Hasn't Madonna already lost her ear for cutting-edge pop? As it turns out, the opposite is true for both questions. Not only has Madonna succeeded in making her best album since "Confessions On A Dancefloor", but its far more imaginative and sprawling than any of her records released thus far in the 21st century.
Unlike her previous albums, which only sported a couple choice collaborators to helm the entire project, Madonna surrounds herself with every important name in modern pop-- Avicii, Diplo, Ariel Rechtsaid, Toby Gad, Blood Diamonds--and even reunites with Kanye West on the sardonic "Illuminati", while enlisting the assistance of Nicki Minaj, Nas, and Chance The Rapper to drop verses about Madonna's favorite topic: letting the past empower the present. And, by and large, that's exactly what she does with "Rebel Heart", as an album, and as a statement of purpose. She's let enough air into her tightly-sealed machine so that the chilly electronica of her last two albums subsides in favor of a kaleidoscopic range of sounds. Of course, dance often lurks beneath the surface, but the hooks--of which there are a bunch--often come in different packages. Rock, soul, R&B, country, pure pop, it's all here, bringing notice to not only how "Rebel Heart" winds its way through these genre shifts effortlessly, but how the songs themselves can hold up no matter what style in which they're arranged. Anyone with a remedial knowledge of the internet can find the early demos of these recordings, but no matter which version you prefer, the durability of the songs to withstand any mix only goes to show Madonna's superior skills as a songwriter and producer. She may not be on the bleeding edge of the vanguard these days, but her instincts are still sharp. There are some embarrassing lines ("Yeezus loves my pussy best", "Oh my God/soaking wet/back and forth/until we break the bed"), but a couple misguided attempts at relevance are acceptable when they are delimited by an otherwise successful set of melodic, memorable pop. Only Madonna, a maverick talent and savvy superstar, could have made this album the late-career standout it is.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Living for
Love 2. Devil Pray 3.
Ghosttown
4. Unapologetic Bitch 5. Illuminati 6.
Bitch I’m Madonna
7. Hold Tight 8. Joan of Arc 9.
Iconic
10. HeartBreakCity 11. Body Shop 12. Holy Water
13. Inside
Out 14. Wash All
Over Me 15. Best
Night
16. Veni Vidi
Vici 17. SEX 18. Messiah
19. Rebel Heart
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