Madonna's 1980s Prayer (Like A Prayer - Madonna)

Member Name: rosebud2001

Product:	Like A Prayer - Madonna
Date:	16/03/09 (369 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some killer tracks, cohesive album

Disadvantages: Poor vocals

"Like A Prayer" was Madonna's fourth album and was released in 1989.

Just prior to the album's release, Madonna had signed a $5 million deal with Pepsi and had recorded a TV ad featuring the title track. It aired just once in the US and UK - once the promo video for the song "Like a Prayer" started on rotation play on MTV religious groups in America were up in arms and threatening to boycott Pepsi if the ad were not pulled.

The music video featured Madonna kissing a black saint, burning crosses, stigmata and a gospel choir.

Pepsi got nervous and duly complied, telling Madonna they wouldn't be pursuing other planned ads with her but allowed her to keep the fee. Result for Ms Ciccone as the free publicity her new album received was worth that fee several times over.

I do not profess to be particularly religious and always found the complaints over the music video for "Like a Prayer" to be, to my mind anyway, based more in racism than in any sense of blasphemy. And they also played right into Madonna's hands by opposing her - by giving her a worldwide number one album and single due to the priceless free publicity.

The album is a benchmark in Madonna's career - after this album she moved into a more sexual arena in which to shock people rather than using religious imagery and also marks the last album she worked with Patrick Leonard on for some time as she moved to more fashionable producers in the early 90s.

1 "Like a Prayer"

Madonna dedicated this album to her mother, saying "she taught me to pray". The title track which was co-written with Madonna by Patrick Leonard, uses the religious imagery she had used to great effect on "Like a Virgin" but takes it one step further - the song starts slowly, almost like a hymn and speeds up with great use of a gospel choir sound to build up to its crescendo. This is definitely one of Madonna's greatest songs and even today sounds fresh.

9/10

2 "Express Yourself"

This one hasn't fared so well with the passing of time as the title track. A fast paced pop-dance track, it suffers a bit from the "kitchen sink" production so beloved in the eighties and also from the very genre it falls into - one of the fastest changing in music. Catchy and might get women of a certain age on the dancefloor, but not a classic.

7/10

3 "Love Song"

A duet with Prince and co-written with him, this isn't a particurly strong track. It is more recognisable as a Prince track than a Madonna song - their voices don't blend particularly well - Madonna's in particular on this track sounds false and forced, more or less giving the song to Prince to own. After the joy of "U Got the Look", Prince's collaboration with Sheena Easton in 1987, this is a disappointment.

5/10

4 "Till Death Us Do Part"

This is Madonna's nod to her divorce from Sean Penn. The lyrics are melancholy, as she laments "he's not in love with me anymore", however the song itself is upbeat and has an almost jolly backing track which juxtaposes sharply with the lyrics. Although Madonna's voice is better on "Like a Prayer" than it had been on earlier attempts, she doesn't really emote very well here despite having some very cutting lyrics to sing.

6/10

5 "Promise to Try"

Another autobiographical song from Madonna, this time however this song is dedicated to her mother. Madonna's mother died when she was very young and she has frequently referred to this loss as being behind her ambition and drive to succeed.

A slow ballad co-written with Patrick Leonard with a piano and lush string backing, Madonna's voice isn't particularly strong but the heartbreak in it is evident as she "promises to try". Possibly one of the most personal vocals she has ever sung.

8/10

6 "Cherish"

A pure pop song from Madonna which contrasts sharply with the previous track. Uptempo, optimistic and full of joie de vivre, this is an ode to true love and it works really well. This is one of my favourite Madonna songs purely for the happiness it exudes, which I personally find infectious.

9/10

7 "Dear Jessie"

Starts with dramatic strings before Madonna sings this song, which is an ode to Patrick Leonard's daughter Jessie. The lyrics are beautiful and aimed firmly at children but sadly Madonna's vocals here are not good - her voice is nasal and this takes the shine off a lot of the words. This could have been the perfect lullaby with a better singer - I am sure, however, that some young girls back in 1989 thought it was the perfect lullaby.

7/10

8 "Oh Father"

More strings start a song, before the piano kicks in to start my favourite song on this album. "Oh Father" references Madonna's troubled relationship with her father and with religion. Once again, however, Madonna's voice is nasal in parts and she seems to struggle to emote in places, however in other parts she really nails it emotionally. Overall the song is so strong and Leonard's production so good that you can overlook the vocal shortcomings.

9/10

9 "Keep it Together"

The irony of the title of this track is perhaps more evident now that over 20 years have passed since it was recorded. In this uptempo dance pop track, Madonna refers to her upbringing and subsequent success, suggesting one needs to keep family close and never forget one's roots.

In the time that has passed she has fallen out with siblings, would clearly never go back to Michigan for all the tea in China, has another broken marriage behind her and has quite the reputation as a control freak. As a result, its hard to take this song seriously.

5/10

10 "Spanish Eyes"

Absolutely beautiful track with a distinctive Patrick Leonard produced sound. Leonard manages to get a better vocal out of Madonna here, but its still strained in parts. Madonna has done some stunning ballads in her time and this is one of them.

8/10

11 "Act of Contrition"

Madonna "prays" over "Like a Prayer" being played backwards before starting to sing her prayer. As a work of art it just about works, but as a piece of music it sucks.

2/10

Overall this is an important album from Madonna but with the passage of time I am left thinking "this could have been so much better".

Despite her vocals being better than on "True Blue", they still are lacking and one can fully see why so many of her peers held her in derision at the time. She is well and truly outsung by her backing vocalists on the title track for example.

However the quality of some of the tracks cannot be ignored, and nor can the quality of the work Patrick Leonard does here. The autobiographical nature of many of the tracks add to the endearing nature and give it a cohesive feel which turns it into a real album and not something stuffed full of potential singles. Leonard seems to understand a lot of what Madonna has to say and brings the best he can out of her.

This isn't Madonna's finest album, which was another 9 years away with "Ray of Light", but its certainly one of her best ones.

Summary: Madonna's best album from the 80s