STOP! All change.... (Ray Of Light - Madonna)

Member Name: aebone

Product:	Ray Of Light - Madonna
Date:	07/06/01 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Chilled out, Some outstnding tracks, Its Madonna

Disadvantages: Some dark songs, Took a while to get used to

After a couple of years of no new material I couldn’t wait to grace my eardrums with the sounds of ‘Ray of Light’. I am not going to bore you with commentary about the good lady, there are plenty of books to read about her...and The Sun has kept us pretty well updated.

So briefly, ‘Ray of Light’ was released in 1998 on Warner Bros/ Maverick, and boasts a number of hits. Drowned World/ Substitute for Love, Ray of Light, Nothing Really Matters, Frozen , The Power of Goodbye and Little Star were all released and were hits in the UK charts. The album topped the UK album charts for a number of weeks, and to date has sold over 12 million copies worldwide.

To the record! It marked another complete change for the Queen of Pop, not only in image, but in sound. William Orbit worked on the album with her, and thus it has a very different sound to previous albums. He provides an array of soundscapes, from rock guitar to cutting beats. Her voice has much more depth to it, and the album has a spiritual feel to it in places. Here is a run-down of the songs on the album.

DROWNED WORLD/ SUBSTITUE FOR LOVE
As soon as I first heard this I knew this album was going to be radically different. The whole song has a dreamy/ floaty feel to it. Instantly you realise just how much Madonna has matured in her vocals. The drums are great, some nice fill-ins, and the electronics sound amazing. Slow tempo, but about 3 and a half minutes into the song it gets a little louder and more uptempo.

SWIM
This starts with some funky guitar riffs. And then in come the sheen of Orbits electronics. They aren’t harsh sounding though. Those guitars are soft, and the drums are subtle. Chilled out.

RAY OF LIGHT
Smashing song. Great guitar riff, brilliant rhythm, and marvellous vocals. Has a dance like feel to it. Contrary to popular belief she isn’t singing about Anna Friel either. (the chorus is ‘and I f
eel’). It stormed the charts, and there are a couple of great dance versions about. Very uplifting, much more cheerful than other songs on the album.

CANDY PERFUME GIRL
More of those catchy guitars and electronics, with another funky rhythm, sounds quite mechanical. Another chilled out song. Again gets a more rock feel to it half way through. Stronger guitars and more electronics.

SKIN
This is much more trance like. Synths and electronics accompany the vocals at the start. Then there is the backing ‘put your hand on my skin’ vocal, which repeats several times through the song. The fast rhythm takes you away with fairies.

NOTHING REALLY MATTERS
Again electronics feature throughout. A great dance/ trance song. Really cool interlude in the middle.

SKY FITS HEAVEN
Another trance influenced song. This is a cracker. Good rhythm, and catchy lyrics. Nice to chill out to. One of my favourites!!!!


SHANTI/ASHTANGI
The most bizarre track of the album. It is weird. Obviously the Yoga influence coming out, as it is a chant which has been made into the song. Caused some stir amongst some religions. It is certainly the track I least like

FROZEN
One of the great tracks on the album. This has some cracking drums in it (apparently Orbit banged trash cans to make that ‘tinny’ atmospheric sound) and there are some great strings too. The song has a big atmosphere to it, it is dark and cold. I love this track. Also the vocals are pretty fine.

THE POWER OF GOODBYE
A suberb track to lead on from Frozen. It again has a big atmosphere. The electronics are superb and Madonna’s vocals are pretty damn good here too. This is another slower tempo song. Floaty song which is lyrically sound.

TO HAVE AND NOT TO HOLD
This is one of the tracks that stand out least to me. Slightly more uptempo, but not much, with less background goings on. The electr
onics are still very much evident.

LITTLE STAR
About Lola. This is nice, but not to the point of mushy. Great rhythm, uptempo, electronic sounding song. Again those trance vibes shine through, and some of the noises that creep in sound like a Sonic the Hedgehog game. But its still good.

MER GIRL
A very dark track with minimal music surrounding it. I find the lyrics quite disturbing in places. A mellow ending to a superb album



So, go and have a listen. Fans and non-fans will be surprised by this album, but she has hit top form.

I must admit, I hated this album the first time I heard it except for Frozen and Ray of Light, but it grew on me massively. At the time, Madonna said this was her best work to date (along with Bedtime Stories). You will be pleasantly surprised at her vocals, which have much more depth to them than previously. Thoroughly recommended!

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