CD - Madonna - Hard Candy

Reviews, By honey-prawns, 2nd May, 2008

Hard Candy is the eleventh studio album from Madonna, the first since 2005’s Confessions On A Dance Floor. It is also the last to be released under her contract with Warner Music.

Hard Candy, as the title suggests is both hard and sweet – but what some have called the sell out album of her 26 year career could be her most ambitious project yet.

There’s no denying that Hard Candy is definite departure from the disco dance floor stylings of Confessions. That being said, however, Madonna has wrote this album with the dance floor in mind, just a very different one.

The album opens with Candy Shop. Lyrics like “I got Turkish delight baby and so much more” and “sticky and sweet, my sugar is raw” sweep us into a world where Madonna is the temptress of candy. I don’t know about you, but I was only too willing to accept her sweet treats.

Highlights on the album include 4 Minutes with Justin Timberlake, which you’ve no doubt heard by now, as well as Give It 2 Me, which is the second single to be released from the album. This track will be very popular in the clubs and the remix by Paul Oakenfold is definitely worth seeking out. Have a listen of it here:

Heartbeat is very reminiscent of Madonna’s early work from the eighties. On Miles Away Madonna sings about her often long distance relationship with husband Guy Ritchie “You’ll always have the biggest heart when we’re six thousand miles apart”. Awww.

Madonna’s true to form on She’s Not Me, telling her lover that no matter who else he gets involved with, they won’t compete with her. She also warns the new chick to watch her back. Ouch.

On Incredible something just doesn’t sit right. Production wise there is just too much going on. Beat Goes On and Dance 2 Night are pure heaven, think slutty seventies disco with loads of bass.

Towards the end of the album things start to wind down a bit with two pretty down tempo tracks, the beautiful Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You and Voices. They’re both typical filler for Madonna. Those who buy the album on iTunes also receive two bonus tracks, a previously unreleased track called Ring My Bell and the Paul Oakenfold remix of Give It 2 Me.

This album is going to be hotly debated by fans. Some will either love it or hate it. It doesn’t have the instant likeability that Confessions had, but some tracks will grow on you. Fundamentally, Hard Candy is a great album and not a bad parting gift for Warner Music. They’ll be releasing one more Madge album late 2008, early 2009 – a greatest hits compilation.

Madonna – Hard Candy is out now through Warner Music.

Thanks to Warner Music, Same Same have twenty copies of Hard Candy to give away to members. One lucky winner will also win Madonna’s entire back catalogue. Not bad, huh? To enter, click here.

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