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6 Months Later: Evaluating MDNA


Guest Xanthium

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I don't like girl gone wild productionwise, maybe one day she'll reinvent it onstage.

Best friend i hate.

Superstar and B-day song could have been great songs with other lyrics. It's really what spoils them.

I love all the rest even GMAYL.

The main problem i have with the album in whole is the sound. It lacks bass, too much treble. The mix is really shitty.

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Girl Gone Wild - Still like the song, but not as much as I did before. It's fun and all, but Madonna needs to move on from trying to show people how juvenile she is and start to show her mature side again. B+

Gang Bang - Probably one of Madonna's best, most interesting and experimental songs in years! It's catchy, it's different, it's provocative...the essence of Madonna! A+

I'm Addicted - Very Good!!! Without a doubt among the top3 of the album! Catchy song, with good lyrics a nice beat and good production, too! This is the production GGW needed, not that cheap-ass outplayed crap. (This should've been the first single!) - A

Turn Up the Radio - Okay...so this song in my opinion is one of the most generic and boring on the album. I like parts of it, but It's just repetitive and gets really annoying after a while. It's nice song to blast in the car; It's lighthearted and fun, but nothing really mind-blowing. B

Give Me All Your Luvin' - Well...actually this song is okay, "like Flop3 on the album, but still okay"-okay. Lyrics are dumb and shit and the production is repetitive and stupid. I wish she would've taken more input from Nicki and M.I.A. and rework this song, because it's really bad compared to the other songs on the album. - C+

Some Girls - This is such a good song, not like anything Madonna has ever done. This song captures "Madonna's DNA" perfectly and I love the bridge and how it refers to Express Yourself. It's kind of like a part two of EY in my opinion, but completly different. It's not very radio-friendly, I believe, so probably would've never worked as a single, but still better than all the other singles of the album. The only thing I don't like that much is the way she "sings" the verses, It's too robotic and monotonous - A-

Superstar - WORST, along with B-day Song. Same here with GMAYL, TUTR and GGW: very dumb and stupid lyrics, I mean we know Madonna is a smart woman, she doesn't need to write stupid, childish lyrics to pretend she's young! Again, repetitive and boring production...really Madonna at her worst! (Beautiful Killer should be here instead!) - D

I Don't Give A - Same with TUTR as with this...I mean again, I like some parts of it a lot and some parts I really hate. The bridge is fine, the chorus is great, so is the outro. The rapped verses are what makes me not like this song that much. Nicki's part is actually better than Madonna's verses and seriously, If I think that one of Madonna's guest artist's parts are better than her's, something's gotta be wrong! - B-

I'm a Sinner - Good song...not as good as the other Orbit tracks, but still better than most of Solveig's tracks. It's a fun song, without Madonna being stupid. (This is how it should be all the time!) What I don't like is that Orbit used his 60's/70's production kit again and added another song to the duo "Beautiful Stranger/Amazing", making it a trio. It could've been better, but It's okay. - B

Love Spent - What an amazing song! This song will be remembered as one of Madonna's biggest missed opportunities for a hit! It's catchy, It's smart, It sounds more mature than most of the other tracks on MDNA, but it's still a great dance track. The acoustic version is just as good! The lyrics are heartfelt and meaningful...This is the Madonna I want!

Masterpiece - Okay...so when I first heard this song, I thought, "Oh, that's a nice song...", and that's it. This song still hasn't been able to grow on me that much since, I mean it's good song, a great ballad, but nothing we haven't heard from her yet. It's really not all that, and I really don't get all the love it gets. It still gets an A from, because it's a good song, but it really doesn't do anything for me. - A-

Falling Free - This compared to Masterpiece is something I really enjoyed when I first heard it. Smart lyrics and minimal production. Just Madonna and strings. So beautiful! She sounds so vulnerable in this song and her voice combined with that production is so perfect, it actually overshadows all of the other dance tacks. - A+

Beautiful Killer - As I said before...This should have been in Superstar's place on the main disc of the album. It took a while to grow on me, but the more I listened to it, the more I started to like it. It's Solveig's best track on the album and it's atypical Madonna song. Good lyrics, with a nice beat and theme, still the production seems a little bland to me. - A-

I Fucked Up - Another good track Solveig produced, Actually this is my second favourite balld on the album. It's might not be as mainstream as Masterpiece and not as artistic, either, but I still enjoy most of it and I think it's nice that we get to hear songs about her personal life, too. (If this is song is about her life!) - A

B-day Song - What the fuck was she thinking?! I mean, really this is what comes out if Madonna and M.I.A. work together?! This is Madonna's worst song of all time! It's worse than Don't Stop, and more dumb, too. I mean, Don't Stop actually had more of meaning to it, than this! I can't believe this was actually supposed to be on the main disc instead of Love Spent...Did you know that it actually brings bad luck if you sing/say Happy Birthday to yourself/someone else, if it's not yours/their birthday? I guess this is what happened to Madonna and MDNA... - F+ (It gets a "+" for being different from anything we have ever heard from Madonna)

Best Friend - Okay...so I know this song gets a lot of shit among Madonna fans, but I petrsonally think it's a good song. The lyrics are not that great, so is the production, but it has something to it that makes me like it. It's very experimental, but the chorus is lovely and there's a meaning behind this song too. It shows another very vulnerable spot of Madonna and it's a good album ender. It sums up things perfectly and gives some sort of completion to the album. - A

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I do think fans tend to be swayed by whether or not something is successful. I don't think I'm one of them. MDNA is obvously a commercial disappointment, but I really like the album despite the poor singles choices. Would I hate GMAYL less if it were a big hit? I don't know, but I doubt it. I hate 4M and that was a huge hit for her, so...

Absolutely. In some ways I am like this and in some ways I am not. I'm sure you are too.

For example, I think I like Music more because it's a hit - not so sure I'd be putting it on my playlists as often otherwise. (Although the production of course is exceptional and fresh.) Certainly, I think that Jump, Get Together, Turn Up the Radio are better songs... and they were all lesser hits.

On the contrary, I think Girl Gone Wild is as good and could've been as big as Hung Up - and I know I've been crucified on this forum for saying that before :) Six months later, I stand by that.

4 Minutes is her worst first single ever - but probably a lot of people might think GMAYL is worse. I can't imagine ever saying that, because to me 4 minutes is a flat, chorus-less, Madonna-phoning-it-in piece of crap that lyrically makes as much sense as a Red Hot Chilli Peppers tune.

And so on.

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It's such a solid album that just had a wrong lead single choice. If she had just released GGW, I'm Addicted, Gang Bang, Beautiful Killer, or Love Spent first, then everything would be different.

Who gives a fuck though. She delivered an amazing album and an untouchable tour as usual.

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Girl Gone Wild - A-, great song, but she can do much better... The video is pure joy.

Gang Bang - B Never got the excitement. Too repetitive. It goes nowhere.

I'm Addicted - A+ One of her best songs ever. Should ve been the first or the second single.

Turn Up The Radio - A Amazing song through and through.

Give Me All Your Luvin' - B Quite shitty, I dislike it from day one.

Some Girls - A+ Its up there with her best.

Superstar - C The song I always skip. I cant believe this is to be the next single.

I Don't Give A... - A Again amazing totally great song

I'm A Sinner - A Again amazing totally great song

Love Spent - A +++++++++ Should ve been the first or the second single.

Masterpiece - A. Cute song but not her best.

Falling Free - A. Amazing song. Could have been a single.

Beautiful Killer - A+++++. Should ve been the first single.

I Fucked Up - C She did fuck up.

B-Day Song - D. But here its the definition of a fuck up.

Best Friend - B. Sounds like HC reject, but it is not that bad.

Overall: A-. Its much better than Music or Hard Candy. Not as good as COADF. Miles better than AL, BS etc... It deffinately doesnt deserve the lack of sucsess, because its a great album, no matter what anyone says.

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It's such a solid album that just had a wrong lead single choice. If she had just released GGW, I'm Addicted, Gang Bang, Beautiful Killer, or Love Spent first, then everything would be different.

Who gives a fuck though. She delivered an amazing album and an untouchable tour as usual.

Disagree. I think maybe "Beautiful Killer" could have done better, but the others would have flopped. I think TUTR was the only clear choice - and I still think "Superstar" had a chance at being a hit.

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Disagree. I think maybe "Beautiful Killer" could have done better, but the others would have flopped. I think TUTR was the only clear choice - and I still think "Superstar" had a chance at being a hit.

TUTR is overhyped generic crap. I'm Addicted or Gang Bang are at least a little bit different than what's on the radio now. I am not saying they would be hits but the videos would have been amazing and the critics would have paid more attention.

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Guest HaveASit

A great album. Unfortunatelly, doesn't show how big her potencial as an artist can be. Fortunately, tells the world that she still understands what pop music really is and why "the queen" title belongs to her. Its a flawed diamond with a very strong base and cohesive songs. The weak moments to me are Girl Gone Wild and GMAYL (a song that had potencial but wasn't utilized). Its mature and fun at the same time, something hard to do.

For her next musical project, I hope for an indie-pop direction.

Edited by Matheus
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I love the album and i still listen to it daily in my car. However the production is subpar and the lyrics are shit in some songs but her VOCALS totally grabs me into it. She had an average material to work with but really delivered her magic in each song based on her singing abilities alone that were really shining in this project and saves it from being a low effort.

Speaking about the singles choices, the situation was a result from the lack of a direction or cohesion in this project. Madonna had a bunch of good songs that in union didn't printed a face on the album. She had eurodance eletronica, light heart fluffy dance, dark experiment acoustics and power balads to compose it and all of this together couldn't work in the same project. So they were totally lost in what singles they should choose since there wasn't a "theme" to work with in the first place.

For me the MDNA album exposes how much the cohesion its important to a project and how the lack of it compromises the overall result and subsequent marketing. It also shows that Madonna's singing abilities are capable to easily distract us from the production flaws and make a few uninspired lyrics into something really enjoyable.

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As at least one person has pointed out, the reaction to this album on forums etc was hugely positive in the first week or so. It was when it became clear that it was going to free fall off the chart that loads of people turned on it. That's how it always is.

Myself, I still absolutely love it - my favourite M album since 'Music' and definitely in the top half of her albums.

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Some of you are lucky that you're not teachers - you can't say something like "A - Not her best, but good" and then "A - Brilliant!" :)

I absolutely love the album, especially the singles. My two least favourite songs are "Gang Bang" and "Some Girls" (I still like them a lot, but they're the tracks I listen to the least - I know I'm in the minority here). "Love Spent" is amazing but like TDDUP, it's probably too personal for her to want to release it as a single.

Madonna herself nixed "Gang Bang" as a single very early on - she said she didn't think it would be played on the radio, although given that radio pretty much ignored the other singles (GMAYL's six or so weeks aside), maybe she wouldn't worry about that as much now.

My Madonna fan friends (who never frequent boards) love MDNA. Had radio actually given the singles a chance, I think the whole project would have been much more successful. People aren't going to buy something that they haven't heard. It might be 2012, but radio programmers are still extremely powerful and have the ability to make or break a single.

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It might be 2012, but radio programmers are still extremely powerful and have the ability to make or break a single.

I know and hear this all the time - but - who even listens to the radio anymore besides teeny-boppers. Certainly no one my age. When you reach a certain age you tend to have more income and are able to buy technology more and your taste becomes refined. I don't want to let some DJ or radio programmer play some arbitrary list of sub-par songs for me.

I want my own list, on my own device played when, how and WHAT I want to hear. The ONLY way I discover new music is through iTunes or (on the very rare occasion) VH-1.

Oh yeah, and I STILL LOVE MDNA - the entire album with my stand-out favorites being:

- I'm Addicted

- I Don't Give A

- I'm A Sinner

- Love Spent

- Masterpiece

- Falling Free

- BEAUTIFUL KILLER

- I F*cked Up

- Best Friend

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I still think that if Turn Up the Radio was the leading single the album would have performed much better. It's soooo radio friendly that it's a shame how bad it was promoted and chosen as a third single. I don't care if the lyrics are not the best, the song is catchy as hell. But she chosen another way...

The unfortunate thing is that MDNA is such a great album, but with this absurd marketing strategy that turned brilliant tracks (such as Love Spent for instance) into nothing. It's frustrating.

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I absolutely LOVE this album, still play it in its entirety very often and it still sounds fresh and new to me. It has also entered my all time M's Top 3, after ROL and Erotica. I know it's not very coherent, GMAYL was a bad choice for the 1st single, a non-traditional promo has been a huge failure etc., but somehow it feels like a "real" Madonna album after a long time and that's what makes it so great.

Anyone having doubts on MDNA as an album should experience the tour in person to be able to appreciate it properly.

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.The unfortunate thing is that MDNA is such a great album, but with this absurd marketing strategy that turned brilliant tracks (such as Love Spent for instance) into nothing. It's frustrating.

Frustrating is the right word, I think. But when it's all said and done, we'll still have a great album.

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1. Love Spent needs to be a single. I've grown to really like this one, it's my favorite now.

2. Gang Bang was my favorite when the album first came out — really excited about this one — and I still like it. We got remixes for this so I'm not as bummed about it not being a single.

3. Never understood all the contempt for Some Girls. It's one of the heavier tracks on the album, beat-wise. The intro synths kind of annoy me though

4. I loved I'm A Sinner at first, now it's sort of meh

5. The singles stand as my least favorite — including Superstar omg, just awful. This album is not bad at all but the single choices really destroyed it for me. It's interesting how much different of an album it would be if the singles were different.

6. I love the tour mash up of Best Friend & Heartbeat.

7. Even though I don't typically go for ballads, Falling Free is very pretty.

Sorry, I'm not very eloquent w/ my critique but all-in-all M still has a perfect record w/ me in terms that there has yet to be an era from her I didn't like. But these singles ... I just can't. GAYLUV is my favorite of the 3 and even that one is just okay. Unlike a lot of her fans, I don't mind "immature having fun" Madonna. I thought the whole drum majorette / cheerleader thing was pretty ballsy on her part; a pop star of her age doing that is unique. It's a shame more of her fans don't see that and appreciate it more. M's always done tacky to perfection.

MDNA album: Never liked the covers. Very disappointed in lack of artwork for this era. That tour book is shameful.

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Girl Gone Wild - Kinda boring production, obviously cheesy lyrics. But I can't help dancing lol. Oh well, still doesn't quite save it. C

Gang Bang - Oh god, I love this. Has such a Dita feel to it, so sexy, dark, mysterious. A

I'm Addicted - I fucking love this as well. The breakdown = eaaargaaasm A

Turn Up The Radio - I love the beat and the feel. It's liberating. It's a bit too simple and generic though, and the lyrics a bit too cheesy. B

Give Me All Your Luvin' - Jesus fucking christ, whyyyy. I barely listen to the album version, haven't in months now. The lyrics just ruin the song for me. F

Some Girls - Now this one, however. Cool and tough. So very Madonna. B+

Superstar - Not too much of a fan of this. Sure, it's cute and all, but I kinda end up wanting more. D+

I Don't Give A... - The beat is killer sick. The song as a whole, pretty damn good. B-

I'm A Sinner - I used to love this, it was among my top 5 tracks on the album, but I've gotten so sick of it over the past months. C

Love Spent - Just so insanely superb. I'm trying hard to find flaws in this one. But no, everything's just perfect. A

Masterpiece - I have been in love with Masterpiece ever since I first heard it. It just gives me that mid-90s Madonna-feeling. The lyrics are a bit worse than the rest of the song, though. A-

Falling Free - I'd love to hear more stuff like this from her. It's so mature. I love the vocals, the production, the lyrics. The perfect closing track. A

Beautiful Killer - Why on earth was this not on the standard edition?! Hit potential. A

I Fucked Up - I love Madonna's vocal delivery on this. It feels so emotional, and raw. B

B-Day Song - ugh, guilty pleasure. I hate it so much but I can't help listening to it haha. :((( F

Best Friend - Reminds me a bit of Timbaland's older stuff. Kinda gives me the same feel as I Fucked Up. But sadder of course. B

Edited by thelament
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Guest bluejean

Wow, such an array of differing opinions. I'd say I like this album about as much as Hard Candy. Hard Candy didn't have alot of filler but was let down by the stale choice of producers. This album on the other hand was hit and miss with the producers, abit too much filler but it has more stand out tracks than Hard Candy. So overall they're about even but I definitely prefer this era over HC. The tour is about 5 times better than Sticky.

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