Like A Virgin: A Review (Like A Virgin - Madonna)

Member Name: keeperofthematri

Product:	Like A Virgin - Madonna
Date:	20/05/09 (13 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A really strong album full of good pop songs

Disadvantages: Over & Over and Shoo-Bee-Doo are a little on the weak side

Madonna's second studio album was a vast improvement on her first & contains the following tracks:-

01) Material Girl:
The second single to be released from the album was a UK number three hit & sounds very 80s in places. Madonna's vocals & still very "breathy", almost as if she's trying to ape Marilyn Monroe but it's a strong opening song.

02) Angel:
This was the fourth UK single to be released, making number 5 in the chart. It's probably the weakest of the five singles to be released from the album but her voice sounds less "breathy" than it does on Material Girl.

03) Like A Virgin:
The first single to be released from the album made number 3 in the UK. We're back to the Marilyn Monroe-esque vocal here but from the opening bars of the song you can tell it has "hit" written all over it. It achieved massive exposure when it was out in the 80s so if you were around then you really should know it.

04) Over And Over
Perhaps the weakest track from the first five on this album. As a song it's nothing special but pleasant enough.

05) Love Don't Live Here Anymore:
Madonna covers Rose Royce &, for my money, actually improves on the original. The vocal is good throughout the song & is arguable her best vocal on the album. You have to wonder why she didn't choose to release it as a single.

06) Into The Groove:
The third single to be released from the album & Madonna's first UK number one. A catchy melody with a hook that allows her to move effortlessly between verse & chorus makes this one of the tracks that really gets inside your head.

07) Dress You Up:
The fifth & last single to be released from the album was a UK number 5 hit. Equally as catchy & sing-able as Into The Groove it deserved to do better in the charts than it did.

08) She-Bee-Doo
Without doubt the weakest song on the album. It's pleasant enough & Madonna's vocal stands up rather well but the song just doesn't "grab" you in any way, shape or form. Having said that, it's still an improvement on a number of tracks from her first album.

09) Pretender:
Another strong vocal from Madonna. This was never going to be a potential single but it's a decent supporting track on a good album.

10) Stay:
A stong song to close on with another good vocal from Madonna. The chorus is comprised of just three words "stay, stay darling") but that doesn't matter because the overall production of the song is good enough to ensure that you don't even notice.

All of the songs on the album (except Into The Groove) were produced by Nile Rogers. He & Bernard Edwards also perform on a number of tracks, ensuring that the overall standard of the album is high.

All in all, a very good album from the period when Madonna was still producing all-out pop songs.

Summary: Worth well a look (& listen)