The Comeback Queen Strikes Again (Bedtime Stories - Madonna)

Name: NikkiH

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Product:	Bedtime Stories - Madonna
Date:	12.10.04 (242 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some unexpected great music

Disadvantages: Not enough people will have given it a chance

When this album was released in 1994, I thought Madonna was going through a period where she had tried to shock and offend so many people that she became almost invisible for a while, as nothing she could do or say would surpass any of her previous offerings, and a lot of people viewed her as tacky. All of this really stemmed from her 1992 ‘Erotica’ album where had it not been for her fame, an album like that would have sunk an artist never to be seen again. For me, her music also seemed to reflect what I took to be a loss of confidence, and it was no surprise that this album was not initially as critically or commercially as well received as so many of her other releases.

Madonna knew she had to do something to win back many fans, and also gain some new ones along the way, and rather than go it alone, she enlisted the help of producers Nellee Hooper and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, whose list of work would impress anyone, but could they recreate the Madonna sound which was tarnished by her trying to hard to be something that she can do effortlessly, and that is release catchy, likeable songs. Did they manage it? Well for me they did, as the album I will review for you was and still sounds effortlessly sexy, although in a much more subtle way than I am used to hearing from Madonna.

‘Survival’ kicks off the album, and from the start it is clear that this is a personal song, and a kind of two fingers up to all of the doubters. She sings “I’ll never be an angel, I’ll never be a saint, it’s true. I’m too busy surviving”, as if to say I am not going to try and pretend to be something I am not when all I want to do is stay on top of my game. Vocally, Madonna sounds really soulful on this track, and it is a nice choice to lead off with.

Debut single release from the album was ‘Secret’, and the first time I heard it I loved it. It is a decade old now, and I still get the same feeling whenever I listen to it. It has a heavy bassline, and is more up tempo than the opener, whilst still managing to be extremely easy listening, which is probably down to the flawless production, which must also be responsible for the overall R&B feel to this album.

‘I’d Rather Be Your Lover’ is a track that never really does it for me, and I really struggle to pinpoint exactly why that is, but it is just a nothing track, where vocally I think Madonna sounds weak. For me this is the weakest track on the album. ‘Don’t Stop’ picks up the pace and leans right back into R&B again. This sounds very much like the earlier material she released on her first two albums, although lyrically it is dire, the music helps it through.

‘Inside Of Me’ is a typical Madonna song, and just to throw the listener who thought she had gone all pure, she throws in this sexually charged song, which given the title must be no surprise. All that said, it is a really good song, because the brashness that was such a turn off has been toned down, and mellow sexual feel to the song works much better. Should have been released as a single in my opinion.

A track which was released as a single, and probably gave the people the wrong idea about this whole album was ‘Human Nature’. It is a good song, but gives people the totally wrong impression about ‘Bedtime Stories’, and saw Madonna’s new found subtlety disappear. It is a pretty catchy track, but I am sure the S&M themed video was more of a hit than the song was!

‘Forbidden Love’ tries to smooth over where the last song left off. It is a song about desperately wanting someone but knowing you can’t have them, and the pain that this feeling causes. It is an excellent track, which was co-written with Babyface, and I am sure I can hear him on the backing vocals, which would explain the gorgeous mellow soul tones to this track.

‘Love Tried To Welcome Me’ is a very classy sounding song, but it just does not work. The production just does not manage to get the music and the voice to meet, and this ballad ends up sounding like a bit of a mess, whilst ‘Sanctuary’ sounds totally wrong. Some people have described it as trance, but it just sounds strange, and does not work alongside all of the other tracks.

Bjork’s influence on ‘Bedtime Story’ is obvious from the opening bars, and then the almost whispered vocals give the game away totally. This song goes back to the club style music which made Madonna such a hit in the first place, and sounds very much like the music Bjork was releasing at the time and having a lot of success with. Many would think that this would be an odd combination, but it works very well.

Final track is the gorgeous ‘Take A Bow’. The video showed bullfighters, and the ballad itself has a Spanish/Mediterranean feel to it. Her vocals are smooth and rich which add to the mood of this song. Another collaboration with the talented Babyface, I would say he heads Hooper as the one who has given this album a feel which proves a winner if only people give it the chance.

Any doubters should give this album a try, because it really is better than the sales or the reviews would have you believe. Each track blended into the next seamlessly, and it showed me that far from being finished, Madonna still can shock us, but this time in a good way.

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