When that album came out I just remember a horrible song where she kept saying who she was and had Beyonce in the video. This song is breathtaking.
I do find I play American Life less than her other albums... When you think the highlight is Die Another Day you know something's wrong. I do like Music, though it took me a while to appreciate it's charms. Ray Of Light was a tough act to follow.
Bitch I'm Madonna is what you're referring to. I agree. It was hideous. I'd like to think Madonna was in on the joke but I have my doubts.
I'm confused. When Rebel Heart came out, I remember seeing the album in Target with a white cover with her face covered by wires. That was the image you saw everywhere at that time. But that is listed as a deluxe edition with five extra songs?? Did they promote that version as the main album? Having not bought a Madonna album in over a decade, I don't think I need a deluxe edition. Is there anything else like the Ghosttown song or should I just stream that on Spotify?
The one with Madonna in the red top and Rebel Heart written on her arm was the main album. However the deluxe cover (wires) got more press. As for the music, there are a handful of excellent tracks (aside from Ghosttown) such as Joan Of Arc, Wash All Over Me, the title track, Heartbreak City and Devil Pray throughout. As I said previously, the 4 new songs on the SDE are all (to my ears) very good. I'd strongly advise you listen on Spotify to see if the full album is what you want. Be aware, though, that out of the 3 versions available, none are perfect.
The song Rebel Heart is not on the regular edition which is a tragedy, as said above the 3 versions are not perfect.
I streamed the album on Spotify. While I don't care for several of the songs, that's more a reflection on my own tastes than the quality of Madonna's work. But I have to say the song Joan of Arc is absolutely first-rate. Wow, those effortless melodies! It's like something she would have put out in the 80s or early 90s. Her vocals sound great. Iconic sounds like an old school jam as well. Inside Out is kind of dark and catchy. The closing song, Wash All Over is very good. I always thought she did sad very well. But Ghosttown and Joan of Arc, wow those are two of the best Madonna songs I've ever heard.
I wouldn't go that far myself. I think Confessions On A Dance Floor has been her best album in the 2000's, but a trimmed down Rebel Heart would have been second.
Yes I did but I was abiding by that old maxim: "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all..." I spent a weekend with it and it just does nothing for me. I agree that it has two of her best ballads on it but overall it's just a depressing listen for me. Nothing grabs me, it is missing her trademark humour and it all comes off as desperately juvenile to my ears...apart from those superb ballads, which frustrate me with their very presence on this turd of a record. Honestly, I enjoy Hard Candy far more and still listen to it quite regularly...
Personally I love Rebel Heart. I think the final album is a strong album but it's unfortunate that it wasn't the album Madonna was going to originally release. I do agree with @Troystar that the Avicii version of "Rebel Heart" should have remained. To me, it's a classic Madonna pop song. It's sweeping, epic and classic Madonna. It would have been a great summer anthem. The version that ended up on Rebel Heart is fine but it lacks the oomph of the Avicii version. I can't say enough about "Ghosttown". It became so popular amongst Madonna fans that fans kept requesting her sing it on the Rebel Heart tour and thankfully she added it to the second show I saw to cheers and ovations from the audience. I love "Bitch I'm Madonna". It's tongue-in-cheek and it's fun. The Jimmy Fallon performance is one of my favourite Madonna performances from the last ten years. So many great songs "Iconic", "Unapologetic Bitch", "Joan of Arc", "Hold Tight", "Heartbreak City" and "Body Shop". I think it's one of her most consistent albums in a long time.
I count Rebel Heart as a true return to form. I think it was let down by the leaks and that that resulted in Madonna sort of going "Well you can all go and get f*****d...I'm done with this..." This was a great pity because this would have made a fabulous double album. The various editions were a little confusing and the 2 disc one was far too expensive here and was unavailable on import from Amazon for some ridiculous reason so I only bought the special edition with the five extra tracks. Why these tracks were considered extra is anyone's guess as I think it makes a solid album with these 19 tracks. I was very, very pleasantly surprised on first listen and have continued to enjoy this album since. For me it is the best Madonna album of the 21st century. Her wit and humour has returned as has her rebellious streak. I love tracks like 'Holy Water' for this reason- she is once again refusing to conform to how people think she should be ageing. I also love 'Unapologetic Bitch' for these same reasons. As already mentioned, 'Ghosttown' is one of her greatest songs ever. Truly wonderful. I actually think the only track I don't like is 'S.E.X' - to me it sounds like a throwaway B-side and absolutely unnecessary as it adds nothing. The title track is also a favourite, as is Living For Love. This is an album that rewards repeated listens. The artwork is also cool, which after the previous two albums, was great to see. For me, this is my favourite Madonna album since Erotica...a big call I know! It's a great shame that it was subject to the leaks and I think this really hurt it as Madonna perhaps didn't get behind it as much as she might have had it not been interfered with. Madonna would undoubtedly have had a clear plan as to how this album was going to be released and marketed and when this plan was upset, I feel she just threw her hands up and said, "all right, take this and f*** off..." I can kind of understand this attitude as well.
Yeah, I agree - it's an unusual cover but her best in a decade. I like the roped-up version - the other one is meh but inoffensive.
I did enjoy Confessions back then, but I don't think it's endured that well. It's cohesive...Something her albums since have lacked...However, I just don't think it's that strong melodically. Nothing really stands out for me, and I'd go as far as to say some songs drag a bit. To be honest, I'd rather hear Hard Candy... Even with the few genuinely horrible songs it contains.
I wonder why she left out 'Queen' from RebelHeart - it was even mastered when it leaked (together with the rest of the mastered album) ... RebelHeart is a great album but I am not so sure she picked all the best mixes for the final track list, e..g previous mixes of Messiah and Joan of Arc where better than what ended up on the album.
I think the original mixes/demos of Illuminati and Graffiti Heart better the official released version
I have a leak "Revolutionary Heart" with additional tracks: Score Take a Day Alone With You Heaven Were these actually RH outtakes?
I really enjoy all four of the additional songs on the SDE, particularly "Beautiful Scars" and "Addicted". It's a shame they weren't included on the standard or even the deluxe edition in lieu of other songs, since more people would've had a chance to hear them and it would have resulted in a stronger album. I wonder if she's still frustrated by all the Rebel Heart leaks and the lukewarm commercial response to her last few records. It definitely seems like she's in no rush to start work on another album. Beyond the upcoming Rebel Heart Tour release, it doesn't appear that she has any other projects in the works. She seems more focused on raising her kids and her philanthropic efforts right now. I find Madonna's work with Mirwais to be uneven. Some of the material they collaborated on is terrific, but overall it felt like he had a limited bag of tricks. It became apparent how lifeless something like "Love Profusion" sounded in his hands after hearing the remix contained on the Remixed & Revisited EP, which really brought that song to life for me. I just realized I forgot to include "Joan of Arc" amongst the highlights in my write-up of the album. It really is a fantastic song. I agree, the best versions of many of these tracks weren't necessarily the ones included on the album. As others have mentioned, the Avicii version of "Rebel Heart" is also superior to the one she used for the album. From what I gather, those weren't Rebel Heart outtakes, but they were amongst other material that leaked at the same time, which also included "Arioso".
Yeah, it's uneven and his trickbag is limited, although I'd note I think some of those tricks are actually Madonna's, because she's produced several Mirwais-sounding cuts on subsequent records that he wasn't involved with. I wonder if she hasn't cut another record because she'd written and recorded two records worth of material for Rebel Heart and had it all leak out on the internet. I think it's also possible she's recording in secret with a much smaller cast of characters than usual - a la Bowie for The Next Day - and intends to drop a "surprise" album or EP at some point. It's what I'd do, and a short record too - 35 minutes, 40 tops. Way less chance of it leaking out that way, and a short record gets the same attention as a longer album, so why bother producing more?
I think the whole Rebel Heart era was very special. It truly reaffirmed why Madonna is perhaps the greatest female pop star. Just her sheer force of will and her ability to endure while still making great music and putting on terrific shows. She had to endure the massive leaks, falling at the Brit Awards, the custody issues with her son and the continuing vitriol from the public in regards to her aging. As indicated previously I think Rebel Heart is a great album. Like @DesertHermit said, it brought back her sense of humour, her sense of fun and rebellious nature. That spirit extended to the Rebel Heart Tour. Now, I don’t think it's Madonna's best tour, but somehow I think it might be her most special. Madonna's previous tours were always about precision and spectacle, but on Rebel Heart, Madonna relaxed on stage, didn't need to stick to a rigid set list like she did on MDNA and changed things up depending on the night. (I think the MDNA tour was too strenuous for her and in the original stages of the RH tour, it looked to be another huge spectacle but I think Madonna changed her mind and scaled it back). It was a very intimate show. She sang songs she had never sung on tour before like Take a Bow, and even she realized and joked about her vocal limitations for those songs. If she was going to dress up like a clown, well, she was going to dress up like a clown. At the time, I was amused reading comments like Madonna needs to stop coming out on stage naked and put her clothes on, or she needs to retire. Yet these people never actually saw the show. In fact, Madonna was mostly covered up the entire show. Aside from Holy Water and Candy Shop, there was very little sexual innuendo. As usual with Madonna's concerts, it was a high concept show. The misogyny was out in full force by the time she hit Australia – accusations that she was drinking, that she was a has-been past her prime, she was a mess, etc. Forgetting this was an almost 60-year-old woman headlining a massive tour.
I think Rebel Heart is her most complete album statement; maybe second to Like A Prayer. Yes, it seems over-stuffed (the vinyl is a must to avoid ear fatigue), but it actually functions as an epic song-cycle, hitting on all the points. I can ignore the annoying rap cameos, which only last 20 seconds or so. I do think the contrast of the male rappers with Madonna's own story is purposeful.
I listened to the so-called deluxe edition that has five extra songs, and there is a jaw droppingly good ballad called Messiah that sounds like it was flown in from the Ray of Light era. It sounds like Madonna is singing with a live orchestra although this may be electronic. There is one line where she sings the word "amazed" and holds the note for a bit, really strong vocal. Mysterious lyrics and a great melody.
I just haven't been able to connect with much for Madonna past "Music." "American Life" had its own issues and "Confessions" started a long streak of albums where I felt a few good songs were overwhelmed by her trying to emulate the style du jour. I know the collaboration with Bjork had mixed responses, and certainly the Mirwais collaboration had its negatives, but I'd love a whole album of more electronica/chillwave type stuff from her, maybe with the original album at a more chill level, and a second disc/LP with club remixes. Something more along the lines of what Guy Sigworth has done with Alison Moyet - but definitely with more classic Madonna melodies at the base of it all.
