This showed up in my feed at YouTube a few weeks ago:
So I knew Madonna was recording new music.
I am not superexciting about the new album though.
Maybe because I much preferred her albums "Hard Candy" , "MDNA" and "Rebel Heart" to the albums "Confessions on the dancefloor", "Ray of Light" and "Erotica".
Of course I loved her 80s albums. Especially "Like a Prayer" and "True Blue".
I didn't like her last album "Madame X".
That said, I'm sure I'll get the new "Confessions" album at some point. But I am not rushing to order it. I think I'll wait a little until it starts to drop in prize.
So I knew Madonna was recording new music.
I am not superexciting about the new album though.
Maybe because I much preferred her albums "Hard Candy" , "MDNA" and "Rebel Heart" to the albums "Confessions on the dancefloor", "Ray of Light" and "Erotica".
Of course I loved her 80s albums. Especially "Like a Prayer" and "True Blue".
I didn't like her last album "Madame X".
That said, I'm sure I'll get the new "Confessions" album at some point. But I am not rushing to order it. I think I'll wait a little until it starts to drop in prize.
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I like "Hard Candy" and "MDNA" but I think they're fairly inconsequential pop albums that could have been done by Britney or Gaga. I disliked "Madame X"; the only one of her albums I never listen to.
I was in NYC a few weeks ago when Madonna did her pop-up concert in Times Square. I didn't get even remotely close to a good view, but the energy of the crowd was high. Madonna fans are perhaps the most curmudgeonly and impossible to please of all fandoms (although most long run fandoms become fractured and insufferable), but the reactions to the new album on the Madonna subReddit are almost entirely ecstatic. Aside from enjoying the album a lot, I'm relieved that she's finally decided that the public's final memories of her shouldn't be cringe old lady with terrible plastic surgery and that she better remind people why she's the Queen of Pop.
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Yeah, that's what I'd heard... Good for Gramma!!
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Well, not yet but her daughter is pushing 30. Grandmadonna might not be far off.
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Well, people call me "Grandpa" and I have no offspring at all -- and Madonna's even older than I am (if such a thing exists).
But then, I don't tour much.
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The songs Danceteria and L.E.S. Girl are standouts for me.
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I had a few moments of elation at seeing that there were 2026 Japan Reissues of all Madge's studio albums. This was quickly put back in check when I realised there's nothing new.
The hope was that all albums would be properly remastered, ideally with b-sides and era-appropriate rarities, but it seems they're identical to the original albums (or, in the case of the first three albums, the horribly remastered 2001 expanded editions).
I may consider buying Ray Of Light. Apart from the fact that my 1997 copy is badly scratched, I never got round to buying the Japanese version for the bonus track Has To Be (which I fondly remember from the Ray Of Light cassette single), and at least this track shows up on the reissue.
The hope was that all albums would be properly remastered, ideally with b-sides and era-appropriate rarities, but it seems they're identical to the original albums (or, in the case of the first three albums, the horribly remastered 2001 expanded editions).
I may consider buying Ray Of Light. Apart from the fact that my 1997 copy is badly scratched, I never got round to buying the Japanese version for the bonus track Has To Be (which I fondly remember from the Ray Of Light cassette single), and at least this track shows up on the reissue.
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For me, Danceteria and One Step Away, the later being already a strong contender for one of my favorite of her songs.
When she re-signed with Warners and brought together her entire discography, it was assumed there would remastered re-releases of her entire catalog. So far, all we've gotten is "Veronica Electronica", the remix/companion album to "Ray of Light" and a quasi re-release of "Bedtime Stories".
I'm not big on physical media these days -- my aversion to clutter beat my urge to collect -- but I do have most of her albums on vinyl. I really just need "Erotica", "MDNA" and "Hard Candy" to be re-released as they are hard to find / expensive. Mostly, though, I hope she does pure remasters but I suspect she won't avoid the temptation of tinkering with her albums first.
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I remember reading about the (alleged) plans in this very thread and being quite excited at the prospect. Looking back over it, I was surprised to see that was back at the beginning of 2022... and we're still waiting.
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I don't recall if I interacted with the discussion back then, but I'm not surprised this hasn't panned out. Madonna isn't one to dwell on the past and reissuing her catalog doesn't seem like something that would be a priority for her. While I admire that she's never settled into being a "legacy" act, this has also backfired on her. She and her team were woefully slow at embracing streaming and her discography languished with low numbers until recently.
Oh how I wish Ome and Alexis were around for this new album ...
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Yes. She's all about the next big thing.
Confessions II has surprised me in that regard. I simply wouldn't have anticipated even a loose follow-up album from her. Granted, Confessions is less mind-blowing than if it had been a sequel to one of her Eighties albums.
This actually surprises me.
God, yes.
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A few years back, I checked where she ranked among the top global streaming artists: shockingly low, well below some lesser older artists. I don't know if she shared Prince's disdain for digital music or she was such a master of the old business model that she couldn't adapt to the new.
I no longer listen to interviews with her -- the damned grillz she insists on wearing makes her sound like she has loose fitting dentures -- so I don't know if she's given much background on her mindset leading to the album. It appears to been a spin-off from her stalled movie biopic; if she couldn't tell her story cinematically, she did so musically. Within that context, calling back to her own musical history makes sense.
I didn't care for "Madame x" at all, but I always admire her drive to move forward. At an age when her contemporaries are dead, forgotten or doing endless victory laps of their hits from decades ago, she continues to take risks.
Have you listened to the new album? I don't think you've commented on it, unless elsewhere?
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While she's known for being business savvy, I have this vision of Madonna surrounding herself with a team that keeps ahead of the curve and is good at what it does, so this seems like a major ball to drop. If music were a sideline I could wrap my head around it, but this is the Queen Of Pop.
Yes, with that context it does. And it's probably worked out better this way since a well-received album will create interest and hopefully put things in a stronger position as far as the biopic goes.
Time for my Confession, then: I haven't bought or heard it yet.
Given the comments in this thread I will definitely be up for doing so, though. This is saying a lot since the most recent Madonna studio album I own is the original Confessions. I'd be hard pressed to name a single song from the last two decades.
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I'm kind of indifferent to that biopic. I suppose a crowd pleasing mediocrity like some of the other recent biopics, driving some new listeners to her catalog, isn't the worst thing. I can't imagine that's what she has in mind, though. She's likely to be far more ambitious and since cinema has never been her forte, this seems more likely to be a mess than a triumph.
That's surprising to me. I don't pay as much attention to the music sub forum here, since Ome is no longer the driving force, but I recalled you having expansive and adventurous taste in music*; even if you ended up not liking the last four albums, I'm surprised you didn't at least give them a listen.
*Or is that only Xmas music?
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I share your indifference. Most biopics of this kind seem aimed squarely at the lowest common denominator, with the most challenging element being an occasional lesser-known song among the hits. I would be interested to see how Madonna covered her life, and if elements that may be viewed as less flattering would be laid bare or glossed over. On the one hand she's known for being unapologetic, but on the other she's also very in control of her image (and possibly in turn the narrative), so it could go either way.
I'm not sure that I have a satisfactory explanation. I'm not even clear on the reasons for this myself. Thinking out loud, I suppose I was on a deep-ish fandom dive with Madonna for her first seven or eight studio albums (plus compilations and soundtracks of the same era) and possibly just felt I'd well and truly ticked that box.
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As someone who quits television shows in the second or third season, even when enjoying them -- no further explanation is needed. Sometimes enough is enough. That said, you're curiously completest when it comes to TV.
I like 2 1/2 of those albums, but you aren't missing anything essential. Personally, I love "MDNA" and think it's the best of her second tier albums.
"Confessions II", on the other hand, is quintessential Madonna and I look forward to your (eventual) opinions. Hopefully that isn't after you catch up with the MCU.
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This is probably less about the medium and more about a change in my own approach as I've aged. If I were just discovering Madonna for the first time today, I feel pretty certain I would actively seek out all her albums.
Ha.
Confessions II seems to be a more manageable proposition, so we can hope.
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What a great album! Madonna is truly back where she belongs - ruling the dancefloor.
I love all the songs, we listen to this album at the office all the time and my colleagues love it as well. It even lead to us discovering some of the gems from her lesser known, recent albums, thanks to You Tube randomly playing songs (Masterpiece, The One That Got Away). We listen to Confessions II on a loop so it's hard to even differentiate some songs in the first half, which is so dance filled and the songs transition into each other so seamlessly, but One Step Away is definitely a stand out, the orgasmic beat, the chill melody, it's perfect. So many of the songs do feel like they come from some of her previous albums, there's of course a lot of Ray of Light, Erotica, Bedtime Stories but also that 2000s/10s Madonna dance vibe that is so recognizable.
The final third of the album is pure perfection, Fragile is a classic Madonna ballad, Betrayal is such an interesting, experimental, noirish song, makes me imagine classic noir bar scene while listening to it. Also like the Lola song and the last one, L.E.S. Girl is a wonderful way to close the album, feels like a lullaby, the guitar rift sounds like the beginning of Ray of Light song.
I'm really glad Madonna did this, came back strong and proved she still has it. Honestly, for the last couple of years there was an air of desperation about her, the overdone botox and bad looks, attention seeking bathroom selfies etc, she was giving strong 2020s Norma Desmond vibes. BUT, with this album, even her looks seem to be back to normal. I'm not sure what she did, but she looks good again, like the early 2000s Madonna, look at her Howard Stern interview.
Finally, talking about music in general, I'm more than satisfied last two years, with Gaga giving us her magnum opus with Mayhem in 2025 and now Madonna doing this. I think both artists did something similar in a way, going back to their essence, reviewing their best albums and using bits and pieces from them to create something new and amazing.
I love all the songs, we listen to this album at the office all the time and my colleagues love it as well. It even lead to us discovering some of the gems from her lesser known, recent albums, thanks to You Tube randomly playing songs (Masterpiece, The One That Got Away). We listen to Confessions II on a loop so it's hard to even differentiate some songs in the first half, which is so dance filled and the songs transition into each other so seamlessly, but One Step Away is definitely a stand out, the orgasmic beat, the chill melody, it's perfect. So many of the songs do feel like they come from some of her previous albums, there's of course a lot of Ray of Light, Erotica, Bedtime Stories but also that 2000s/10s Madonna dance vibe that is so recognizable.
The final third of the album is pure perfection, Fragile is a classic Madonna ballad, Betrayal is such an interesting, experimental, noirish song, makes me imagine classic noir bar scene while listening to it. Also like the Lola song and the last one, L.E.S. Girl is a wonderful way to close the album, feels like a lullaby, the guitar rift sounds like the beginning of Ray of Light song.
I'm really glad Madonna did this, came back strong and proved she still has it. Honestly, for the last couple of years there was an air of desperation about her, the overdone botox and bad looks, attention seeking bathroom selfies etc, she was giving strong 2020s Norma Desmond vibes. BUT, with this album, even her looks seem to be back to normal. I'm not sure what she did, but she looks good again, like the early 2000s Madonna, look at her Howard Stern interview.
Finally, talking about music in general, I'm more than satisfied last two years, with Gaga giving us her magnum opus with Mayhem in 2025 and now Madonna doing this. I think both artists did something similar in a way, going back to their essence, reviewing their best albums and using bits and pieces from them to create something new and amazing.
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Many of Madonna's more recent albums felt like collections of songs rather than a coherent albums. At a time when not even songs but clips of songs rule the pop culture zeitgeist and in turn drive songs that are clip-friendly, such a cohesive album is a breath of fresh air. I have yet to listen to the album on random; it seems to necessitate its organic flow.
If I were a conspiratorial person it would not be difficult to convince me that the Madonna we saw circa 2023 was a weird body double while the real Madonna reciprocated from her ailments. As a fan since the 80s, there have been times in recent years where I barely recognized her. I don't even mean the cosmetic procedures but the attitude, the behavior. It was like watching a drag queen do a really bad Madonna take-off. Someone on the Madonna subReddit said she appeared dead in the eyes during that era and it's true.