Madonna: I'm Breathless. A review. (I'm Breathless - Madonna)

Member Name: keeperofthematri

Product:	I'm Breathless - Madonna
Date:	24/05/09 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Overall a strong cohesive album with the added bonus of Vogue

Disadvantages: I'm Going Bananas. Z list monstrosity

This album was released in 1990 & as stated on the cover was full of "music from and inspired by the film Dick Tracy" in which she played Breathless Mahoney (hence the album's title).

Of course, she'd already contributed songs to an album from a film before with Who's That Girl, but this was the first time that an entire album based on a film was full of her work alone.

The album contains:

01) He's A Man:
A decent opening track penned by Madonna & Pat Leonard. It's more of a Broadway / musical style of you so you know straight away that Madonna's doing something that you won't find on her other albums.
The backing track, based around drums, bass & keyboard starts of a bit slowly as Madonna tells us all about Dicky Tracy. There's some intercut dialogue which may or not not annoy you depending on how you feel about such things, but, overall Madonna pulls off the change in song style rather well.

02) Sooner Or Later:
Penned by stephen Sondheim. This is a slower, smoother jazz track with tenor sax, alto sax, clarinet, trumpet & trombone adding to the piano, bass & drums. It's a world away from the breathy, Marilyn Monroe-esque sound that dominated a number of the tracks on her first two albums & is very enjoyable even if you're not a jazz fan.

03) Hanky Panky:
Another Madonna & Pat Leonard number, this was the second & last single to be released from the album in the UK, making number 2.
It's a very bouncy track as Madonna sings:- "treat me like I'm a bad girl, even when I'm being good to you" with tongue firmly in cheek. An odd choice, at the time, for a single, but in the context of this album it doesn't sound too much out of place.

04) I'm Going Bananas:
Clocking in at 1 minutes 44 seconds this Michael Kernan / Andy Paley track is the second shortest on the album. It's possibly the most annoying & barmy track on the album. "I'm going bananas & I feel that my poor little mind is being devoured by pirhanas" sings Madonna at the start of the song & that should tell you all you need to know about this latin flavoured number. Madonna's voice is different again here as she adopts a sort of high pitched, Spanish accented squeak. Best avoided once you've checked it out for the first time just to see how completely mental it really is.

05) Cry Baby:
Another one from Madonna & Pat Leonard, this is a great comic number in which Madonna tells us all about her rather over sensitive boyfriend. There's some fake crying on it which may or may not annoy you, but overall Madonna proves once more than she can take on a 1930s style of song & deliver it with aplomb.

06) Something To Remember:
After the comic interlude of I'm Going Bananas & Cry Baby we're back on more serious ground with this number from Madonna & Pat Leonard.
It's a slow, slinky number with some saxophone work joinoing the usual drums, bass & keyboards.
Lyrically, it's a strong song, but the lack of a standout chorus tends to mean that it gets rather forgotten amongst the other tracks on the album.

07) Back In Business:
Another tune from Madonna & Pat Leonard. The verses are nicely understated with some finger clicking in the background providing a nice change. There's more saxophone work in this jazzy little number which has a good chorus which drives the whole song forward. The backing track, in parts feels a little similar to Hanky Panky.

08) More:
Stephen Sondheim's second contribution to the album is a 1920s style flapper type of song. As with Sooner Or Later the tenor sax, alto sax, clarinet, trumpet & trombone are used as Madonna proceeds to tells us about the things she has but how more is alway better. The pace of the song could quite easily leave you tongue twisted in certain parts!

09) What Can You Lose:
Third & final contribution from Stephen Sondheim, this is a duet between Madonna & actor Mandy Patinkin. At just over two minutes minutes song this is one of the shorter songs on the album. Madonna's & Mandy's voices complement each other well on this understated little ballad.

10) Now I'm Following You (Part I):
At 1 minutes 35 second this track by Andy Paley, Jeff Lass / Ned Clafin & Jonathan Paley is the shortest on the album. Warren Beatty joins Madonna
& actually puts in a good vocal performance in this pleasing little number.

11) Now I'm Following You (Part II):
This starts off with a reprise of the previous song with a remixed backing track before going off in another direction & sampling various line from the film. "Dick, that's an interesting name" Madonna claims during the song before adding, "My body hurts just thinking about it." Saucy!

12) Vogue:
Originally planned as a b-side some bright spark thankfully saw the potential of this song which was the first single to be released from the album. It gave Madonna her seventh UK number 1 hit, & the first one to spend four weeks at the top of the chart since Into The Groove back in 1985.
From the first moments you can tell this song is something special. An great backing track drives the song foward as Madonna tells us all get up & a dance & that gender & race is irrelevant. Without a doubt the best track on the album.


This album may not be to all tastes, but whatever your personal opinion on the songs it contains you have to give Madonna credit for taking on the jazz & ballad style songs of the 1930s & pulling it off in great style. I'm not a jazz fan by any stretch of the imagination but there are a number of really enjoyable songs on here. Check them out!

Summary: Good album on which Madonna does something different