Can't get enough sugar (Hard Candy - Madonna)

Member Name: bondgirlk8

Product:	Hard Candy - Madonna
Date:	13/10/08 (186 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very addicitive. Excellent follow-up to Confessions.

Disadvantages: Takes a little while to get into.

I didn't believe it was possible to release an entire album of 'growers'. Hard Candy has proved me wrong. To be fair, as someone who is not all that fond of hip hop, I may have been subconsciously willing myself to dislike it, given the Timbaland/Pharrell production. In truth, I found it less hip hop and more the kind of dance based retro-vision that only Madonna can quite pull off. It successfully incorporates inspirations from the 70s, 80s and 90s whilst giving it a contemporary edge that feels so on the cusp of being ahead of it's time that it appears to arrive at exactly the perfect point in time.

Hard Candy consists of 12 tracks:

CANDY SHOP: Decent opener, though a bit repetitive and probably not a single, it sets the tone nicely.

4 MINS: The first single of the album and a straight-to-number-1 hit. The Timbaland/Timberlake/Madonna combo could barely fail.

GIVE IT 2 ME: So catchy, I love it. The second single from the album and my favourite track.

HEARTBEAT: I love to dance, and this song really encapsulates that for me. Another great track.

MILES AWAY: This is up there with Give It 2 Me as one of the best tracks on the album. A clear single and again, very catchy.

SHE'S NOT ME: Interesting piece about a relationship (musical?) rival. Like the album as a whole, this track grew on me.

INCREDIBLE: A head sticker, but for no clear reason. This is unlikely to be a single, but it has definite intrigue.

BEAT GOES ON: More Kanye West than Madonna. It may have a bit of single potential - but I'm really not sure about those high notes Madge!

DANCE 2 NIGHT: Another track featuring Justin Timberlake which doesn't perhaps have the single potential as 4 Mins but a good album track with a distinct 80's flavour mixed with modern R&B.

SPANISH LESSONS: I'm not so sure about this track. Something doesn't quite sit right. It's not a BAD track, but in the context of the album it is definitely the one that has me reaching for the >> button.

DEVIL WOULDN'T RECOGNISE YOU: One of the slower tracks on the album with a really strong underlying beat. There are shades of early Madonna here with a contemporary twist I can't resist.

VOICES: The second slower song on the album with a somewhat more hip-hop feel than Devil Wouldn't Recognise You. Again features some lovely 'shades of Madonna' that make for a fabulous end to this album.

© BondgirlK8 October 2008

Summary: You'll love it..but not at first. Give it a 2nd play and you'll get there