Madonna in Orbit (Ray Of Light - Madonna)

Member Name: cswann

Product:	Ray Of Light - Madonna
Date:	04/11/02 (116 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good atmospheric sound, Gentle dance music

Disadvantages: A bit too much like easy listening in places

"Ray of Light" came out in 1998, and it seemed to be heavily influenced by some of the events surrounding her life at the time. Following on from the starring role in the film of "Evita", and her decision to have her baby, Lourdes. (yes, that's the way Madonna does things - unlike most of the rest of womankind, she decides to have a baby).

It's a rather more mature album than some of her previous ones. She gets down to basics, universal truths - like religion / relationships, love, loss, communication - and having the baby may well have been partly responsible - it concentrates your mind on the important issues of life.
Musically, motherhood seemed to have resulted in a more slowed down, slightly more sober, Madonna, and this album's all the better for it.
I'd describe it as quietly powerful, in a similar way to some of Bjork's material.

Another undeniable influence, or factor, is William Orbit. He was brought in to produce a few tracks but ended up doing almost all of them.

"Ray of Light" is, I think, her most unified album - it certainly doesn't come across as a collection of dance-oriented A sides plus dance tracks to fill things out, as some of her albums have been. The closest contender to what I'd call a 'unified' album before was "Like a Prayer". This could be down to William Orbit?s role - just one track ("Little star") doesn?t have his involvement. But even this song sounds like it?s part of the complete whole.

As far as the overall 'sound' is concerned - the album had a new style. But this didn't make it more 'difficult', rather more welcoming, if anything. It was definitely a chunk of popularised electronica.
There are plenty of samples (bleeps like telephone ringing tones - that communication theme) but it all sounds integral, and not at all intrusive or gimmicky.

The album is so cohesive

that I often find it difficult to distinguish some of the tracks. Some might call that a disadvantage - it depends what you are looking for. And I'll admit there are times when it all gets a bit on the 'easy listening' side, but that's ok if you're in that kind of mood.

The single "Frozen", had its video cruelly (and deservedly) spoofed by French and Saunders, but the song itself is enduring.
"The power of goodbye" is another wonderful tune, which crept up on me at the beginning, but I find myself humming it after listening to it.

Those influences from Madonna's (very public) life keep surfacing: "Power of goodbye" is about her Penn marriage, "Little Star" is about the baby Lourdes, and "Skin" is about her mother (as are "Nothing really matters" and "Swim").
"Mergirl", the final track, is very eerie. It's like a ghost story in a song - and a horrific one at that. What a way to end an album, it's the kind of thing that Kate Bush used to do. The song was apparently one of the first to be recorded, and even then it didn't take long, just came out. There's that engaged telephone tone again, this time mixed with pianos - it all works fine.

"Ray of light" seems to be reduced in highstreet Sales on a regular basis - so snap it up if you see it. 13 tracks and 66 minutes long, and well worth the £4.99 I paid for it.

Summary: