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Rebel Heart Reviews


markm

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This person can go fuck himself.

"Madonna has become a chaser of trends, not the trail-blazer she’s been for most of her career; and the early indications with Rebel Heart are that she is continuing down this path."

This criticism of her is tired and ridiculous. WTF is she supposed to do? Work with Patrick Leonard, Orbit and Stephen Bray forever? She's not allowed to appreciate newer artists and sounds and want to collaborate with these artists? Artists she's influenced, by their own admission?

She's constantly moving forward in her own direction. You may not agree or like what she does — fuck, I think if Hard Candy was all Pharrell, it would have been a classic — but bagging on her for wanting to work with artists that inspire her today is downright insulting. She's not a dinosaur, nor should and will she act as one.

Plus, if Living for Love isn't a revisiting of her own sound from some of her classic work(s), I don't know what is, and Devil Pray, in my humble opinion, could fit right in on AL. Sorry if this turd missed that album over a decade ago. He was probably too busy wishing she's remake LAP again.

"She needs to listen to Beyoncé’s most recent self-titled album to hear what a mature, sexy, fun and innovative pop album can sound like in today’s musical climate, or to Prince’s slick, quirky new “Art Official Age” to hear how a veteran artist can successfully navigate today’s pop landscape and sound current and fresh without frantically clinging to the coattails of a younger generation."

No, no she doesn't. Beyonce, who I do like, seems to have completely jettisoned memorable hooks and choruses she had in her older work and the performance of her singles kinda shows it. Prince's new album? Please. That man, a genius, but if anyone needs to work with producers of today, NO men - not just YES men - it's Prince. This has been his issue for 20 years.

So, to reiterate, this guy can fuck off.

Preach! :)

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People Magazine made a review of the 6 tracks early released from Madonna‘s Rebel Heart, and according to them this could be her best album since Ray Of Light!

“Life is a mistery, Madonna once sang, but she could have been talking about herself. Shortly before Christmas the diva unexpectedly released a half dozen new tracks from the upcoming album Rebel Heart, and they’re terrific. The standouts: “Living For Love” – a buoyant post-breakup anthem that echoes the gospel-drenched heights of “Like A Prayer” – and “Ghosttown”, a mid-tempo ballad in which Madonna promises to stick by her beloved even when “the world has turned to dust.”
The album’s remaining 13 songs are set to drop in March, but hey, this is Madonna, so who really knows? If they are just as outstanding, “Rebel Heart” could be Madge’s best album since 1998’s “Ray Of Light.

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15 future pop moments to get excited about in 2015

http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-new ... 2015-3390/

Madonna’s Rebel Heart beats faster

2014 was an exciting year for Her Madgesty, as she recorded songs for her 13th studio album with producers like Avicii and Diplo. The year ended on a bit of a bummer as a whole load of songs from these sessions were leaked on the internet. Madonna responded with characteristic calm on her Instagram, before giving us all an early Christmas present and announcing Rebel Heart would be released March 10 2015, and chucking five songs our way as a taster. Single Living For Love, which definitely falls into the banger category, is out in February, along with more teaser tracks for the album – we can’t wait.

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The album’s remaining 13 songs are set to drop in March, but hey, this is Madonna, so who really knows? If they are just as outstanding, “Rebel Heart” could be Madge’s best album since 1998’s “Ray Of Light.

:thumbsup:

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Guest CzarnaWisnia

Madonna responded with characteristic calm on her Instagram, .

that's when she talked about artistic rape right? :1251:

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Danish music magazine Gaffa has published a review of the 6 pre-order tracks. My rough translation below.

Exciting, but messy samples promise well for the Queen of Pop's coming album

The mass leak of demos recorded for her upcoming album Rebel Heart prompted Madonna to rush-release six songs from the new album. And how do they sound?

Well, the Diplo-produced "Living for Love" is a melodic, but also somewhat anaemic disco-pop song that sounds as if it could have come from Confessions on a Dance Floor.

"Devil Pray", co-produced by Avicii, seems forced, with studied provocation. However, it's also very effective and shows that Madonna is still strong not only physically, but also vocally, which she also demonstrated in the melodically powerful ballad "Ghosttown".

Diplo's eminent feeling for reggae and dancehall comes across in the infectious "Unapologetic Bitch", which might as well have been a Major Lazer track.

Closing the album sampler we find the equally irritating and inciting "Bitch I'm Madonna", which features a guest rap by Nicki Minaj. The best of the six tracks, however, is "Illuminati", in which Madonna namedrops everyone from Jay-Z to Steve Jobs and Obama on top of Kanye West's heavily shuffling beats.

Overall, the songs released so far point towards an exciting and melodious new album by the peppery Queen of Pop, who obviously doesn't intend to quieten down anytime soon.

Rating: 4/6

Original article (in Danish)

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This person can go fuck himself.

"She needs to listen to Beyoncé’s most recent self-titled album to hear what a mature, sexy, fun and innovative pop album can sound like in today’s musical climate, or to Prince’s slick, quirky new “Art Official Age” to hear how a veteran artist can successfully navigate today’s pop landscape and sound current and fresh without frantically clinging to the coattails of a younger generation."

shanghai-madonna.gif?__SQUARESPACE_CACHE

Some of us don't want spoilers or some reviews of unfinished songs. Ugh.

I say this with zero snark and total genuineness. The best way to avoid spoilers is to just not read anything until March. The demos are out there and people are talking about it and there's nothing you can do about it.

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"She needs to listen to Beyoncé’s most recent self-titled album to hear what a mature, sexy, fun and innovative pop album can sound like in today’s musical climate, or to Prince’s slick, quirky new “Art Official Age” to hear how a veteran artist can successfully navigate today’s pop landscape and sound current and fresh without frantically clinging to the coattails of a younger generation."

Her album wasn't innovative, and if Madonna released an album like that she wouldn't get the same praise Beyonce got.

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I agree.Prince hasn't done a truly great album since the early 90s.He seriously needs to start working with other producers.Imagine what Pharrell could do for him.

Prince's new album? Please. That man, a genius, but if anyone needs to work with producers of today, NO men - not just YES men - it's Prince. This has been his issue for 20 years.

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Danish music magazine Gaffa has published a review of the 6 pre-order tracks. My rough translation below.

Exciting, but messy samples promise well for the Queen of Pop's coming album

The mass leak of demos recorded for her upcoming album Rebel Heart prompted Madonna to rush-release six songs from the new album. And how do they sound?

Well, the Diplo-produced "Living for Love" is a melodic, but also somewhat anaemic disco-pop song that sounds as if it could have come from Confessions on a Dance Floor.

"Devil Pray", co-produced by Avicii, seems forced, with studied provocation. However, it's also very effective and shows that Madonna is still strong not only physically, but also vocally, which she also demonstrated in the melodically powerful ballad "Ghosttown".

Diplo's eminent feeling for reggae and dancehall comes across in the infectious "Unapologetic Bitch", which might as well have been a Major Lazer track.

Closing the album sampler we find the equally irritating and inciting "Bitch I'm Madonna", which features a guest rap by Nicki Minaj. The best of the six tracks, however, is "Illuminati", in which Madonna namedrops everyone from Jay-Z to Steve Jobs and Obama on top of Kanye West's heavily shuffling beats.

Overall, the songs released so far point towards an exciting and melodious new album by the peppery Queen of Pop, who obviously doesn't intend to quieten down anytime soon.

Rating: 4/6

Original article (in Danish)

who is this silly bitch? I bet a former bitter gaga fan..

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Her album wasn't innovative, and if Madonna released an album like that she wouldn't get the same praise Beyonce got.

the 6 tracks are far more innovative than that reductive Bounce album

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Beyawnce gets praise left and right for nothing and Madonna makes an amazing music and gets shit cause she is 56. So boring, ageist and unfair...

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Her album wasn't innovative, and if Madonna released an album like that she wouldn't get the same praise Beyonce got.

Absolutely. She would be attacked for trying to sound young and hip and above all, would have been criticized for hook-free music.

She can't win with these assholes.

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Beyawnce gets praise left and right for nothing and Madonna makes an amazing music and gets shit cause she is 56. So boring, ageist and unfair...

I agree. The only Beyonce song I've ever liked was Crazy In Love. And I don't mean the version with Jay-Z or that horrible 50 Shades of Gray remake. lol

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who is this silly bitch? I bet a former bitter gaga fan..

I doubt it. His reviews of Gaga's releases have been similar. 3/6 for "Born This Way" and 4/6 for everything that has followed.

He has previously reviewed MDNA (4/6) and the MDNA World Tour dvd (3/6) for the same magazine.

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The Boston Globe excited for Madonna’s Rebel Heart: “Give us more, please!”

The Boston Globe included Madonna’s Rebel Heart in the list of the albums we’re looking forward to in 2015. And who can disagree?

“The bad news is that an online leak of unfinished demos forced Madonna to suddenly release six new songs last month,” writes the Boston Globe. “The good news? Those six songs are among the freshest work she has done in recent memory, a promising glimmer of what will be Madonna’s 13th studio album.

Rebel Heart” is “the old me and the new me all mixed in together”, said Madonna to Billboard, and “Living for Love” (produced by Diplo) certainly gives that impression with its mashup of house music and gospel overtones.”

Ghosttown is exceptional, a big-hearted ballad you could easily hear nonstop on the radio.

“Give us more, please,” adds the Boston Globe’s James Reed.

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The Boston Globe excited for Madonnas Rebel Heart: Give us more, please!

The Boston Globe included Madonnas Rebel Heart in the list of the albums were looking forward to in 2015. And who can disagree?

The bad news is that an online leak of unfinished demos forced Madonna to suddenly release six new songs last month, writes the Boston Globe. The good news? Those six songs are among the freshest work she has done in recent memory, a promising glimmer of what will be Madonnas 13th studio album.

Rebel Heart is the old me and the new me all mixed in together, said Madonna to Billboard, and Living for Love (produced by Diplo) certainly gives that impression with its mashup of house music and gospel overtones.

Ghosttown is exceptional, a big-hearted ballad you could easily hear nonstop on the radio.

Give us more, please, adds the Boston Globes James Reed.

Fantastic.

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Great review in PopMatters:

Madonna's 'Rebel Heart' Reinforces Her Relevance

Wednesday, Jan 7, 2015
madonna-rebel-heart.jpg
Despite the detractors who insist that she gives it up, Madonna is determined to dominate the cultural conversation once again.

Madonna is making headlines again, and for the first time in two years, the topic of conversation is her music.


Over the past few weeks, demos of her latest songs have leaked into the Internet, forcing the pop star to think practically about her next move. In a seemingly desperate decision, Madonna made six finished tracks available to digitally download on 20 December 2014, and announced that her 13th studio album Rebel Heart, scheduled to be released on 10 March 2015, would come with 13 additional tracks.

Each Madonna release is held to the highest standard by professional music critics and die-hard fans. For better or worse, the Queen of Pop has an impressive legacy to live up to, and it is not enough for her to release a good pop album. She must release her best album every time, which is to say that each release must be trend-setting and iconic. This is why critics and fans were not too pleased with 2008’s Hard Cady and 2012’s MDNA. For other pop stars like Britney Spears or Katy Perry, these would have been solid albums, but for Madonna, they were lame attempts to appeal to the mainstream. This is obviously not fair, and such impossibly high expectations often overlook the fact that even Madonna’s lesser work is significantly more interesting than what passes for contemporary pop, but better this than to accept everything she does simply because her name is attached to it.


Unlike the Little Monsters, the Swifties, and the Arianators, Madonna’s fans are not afraid to tell her when she needs to step it up, and they don’t defend her every move for the sake of it. When she released “Give Me All Your Luvin’” as the lead single from MDNA, for example, fans expressed their disdain for the song, and the vast majority of them did not hold back their disappointment. How can pop music’s premier artist deliver such a trite, moronic single, they wondered? Such laziness was not going to be tolerated.


Whether or not the leak of Rebel Heart will impact first-week sales, Madonna fans can rest knowing that it will be her best album since 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor, if not better. I have listened to the majority of the demos and can breathe a sigh of relief, but out of respect for the artist, I am only going to focus on the six finished tracks that were released.


The first track, “Living for Love”, is her most joyous since “Express Yourself”, and shows us why Madonna still matters today. The production, which is inspired by ‘90s house, is instantly listenable, and the uplifting lyrics fit right in with contemporary pop’s obsession with self-help DIY optimism. Like Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off”, Ariana Grande’s “Break Free”, and Katy Perry’s “Roar”, “Living for Love” is a survivor’s anthem. However, unlike those other artists, Madonna has lived long enough to experience survival, which makes her song more powerful and emotional.


“Devil Pray” is the second track, and it is reminiscent of Madonna’s more introspective work from 1998’s Ray of Light and 2003’s American Life. The song finds Madonna searching for salvation, and it is bewildering and beautiful in equal measure. Track three, “Ghost Town”, is similarly introspective, and is arguably the most haunting love song of her career.


Although fans and critics are unanimous in their praise of the first three tracks, the latter three—“Unapologetic Bitch”, Illuminati”, and “Bitch I’m Madonna”—are more divisive. Some admire Madonna’s audacity to have fun, while others think that she is too old to be singing about the party life. Some appreciate Madonna’s ability to experiment with the current sounds, while others wish that she would stop trying so hard to stay relevant.


I understand the negative criticism, but it is impossible not to admire Madonna’s bravery. At a time when pop music is saturated with young twenty-something newcomers, the 56-year-old veteran takes a huge risk every time she returns to reclaim her throne. She risks alienating her older fans, as well as turning off younger generations that aren’t familiar with her aggressive persona. In a way, she reminds me of Jean-Luc Godard, who at age 84 decided to release his first digital 3D film,Goodbye to Language, in 2014. Despite the detractors who insist that she gives it up, Madonna is determined to dominate the cultural conversation once again.


That she has succeeded, at least for now, is an impressive achievement, and calls into question the significance of sales in the digital era. An artist like Madonna doesn’t need a number one hit in the same way that Swift might, and at this point in her career, she seems more interested in the quality of the music than anything else. Rather than chase the top of the charts like she did with Hard Candy and MDNA, Madonna finally seems to realize that the pop culture landscape she once dominated in the ‘80s, ‘90s, and early ‘00s has drastically changed. These changes have liberated her, and have inspired her to make some of the most personal and fully realized music of her career.


The idea of an artist’s legacy is worthy of contemplation, especially when icons like Madonna continue to create. How should we measure Madonna’s latest album, and in what ways can it influence her reputation? Do the first week sales and amount of top ten singles really matter? What about positive reviews from critics or fans? How important is quality?


Perhaps none of these things matter unless the artist can enter the cultural conversation, which Madonna continues to do with each release. Whenever someone expresses their opinion about her, whether it be positive or negative, they reinforce her relevance. Social media users around the world have joined the discussion after the surprise release of the aforementioned six songs, with some celebrating her return and others condemning her entire career. Regardless, everyone cares enough to offer an opinion.


When the dust settles, Rebel Heart will be cited as one of Madonna’s better albums, and fans and critics will praise her return to form. However, as we all know by now, it’s never been just about the music with Madonna, and more than anything else, Rebel Heart shows that she is still the most talked about pop star in the world.
http://www.popmatters.com/post/189474-madonnas-rebel-heart-reinforces-her-relevance/

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Madonna is making headlines again, and for the first time in two years, the topic of conversation is her music.

Over the past few weeks, demos of her latest songs have leaked into the Internet, forcing the pop star to think practically about her next move. In a seemingly desperate decision, Madonna made six finished tracks available to digitally download on 20 December 2014, and announced that her 13th studio album Rebel Heart, scheduled to be released on 10 March 2015, would come with 13 additional tracks.

Each Madonna release is held to the highest standard by professional music critics and die-hard fans. For better or worse, the Queen of Pop has an impressive legacy to live up to, and it is not enough for her to release a good pop album. She must release her best album every time, which is to say that each release must be trend-setting and iconic. This is why critics and fans were not too pleased with 2008’s Hard Cady and 2012’s MDNA. For other pop stars like Britney Spears or Katy Perry, these would have been solid albums, but for Madonna, they were lame attempts to appeal to the mainstream. This is obviously not fair, and such impossibly high expectations often overlook the fact that even Madonna’s lesser work is significantly more interesting than what passes for contemporary pop, but better this than to accept everything she does simply because her name is attached to it.

Unlike the Little Monsters, the Swifties, and the Arianators, Madonna’s fans are not afraid to tell her when she needs to step it up, and they don’t defend her every move for the sake of it. When she released “Give Me All Your Luvin’” as the lead single from MDNA, for example, fans expressed their disdain for the song, and the vast majority of them did not hold back their disappointment. How can pop music’s premier artist deliver such a trite, moronic single, they wondered? Such laziness was not going to be tolerated.

Whether or not the leak of Rebel Heart will impact first-week sales, Madonna fans can rest knowing that it will be her best album since 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor, if not better. I have listened to the majority of the demos and can breathe a sigh of relief, but out of respect for the artist, I am only going to focus on the six finished tracks that were released.

The first track, “Living for Love”, is her most joyous since “Express Yourself”, and shows us why Madonna still matters today. The production, which is inspired by ‘90s house, is instantly listenable, and the uplifting lyrics fit right in with contemporary pop’s obsession with self-help DIY optimism. Like Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off”, Ariana Grande’s “Break Free”, and Katy Perry’s “Roar”, “Living for Love” is a survivor’s anthem. However, unlike those other artists, Madonna has lived long enough to experience survival, which makes her song more powerful and emotional.

“Devil Pray” is the second track, and it is reminiscent of Madonna’s more introspective work from 1998’s Ray of Light and 2003’s American Life. The song finds Madonna searching for salvation, and it is bewildering and beautiful in equal measure. Track three, “Ghost Town”, is similarly introspective, and is arguably the most haunting love song of her career.

Although fans and critics are unanimous in their praise of the first three tracks, the latter three—“Unapologetic Bitch”, Illuminati”, and “Bitch I’m Madonna”—are more divisive. Some admire Madonna’s audacity to have fun, while others think that she is too old to be singing about the party life. Some appreciate Madonna’s ability to experiment with the current sounds, while others wish that she would stop trying so hard to stay relevant.

I understand the negative criticism, but it is impossible not to admire Madonna’s bravery. At a time when pop music is saturated with young twenty-something newcomers, the 56-year-old veteran takes a huge risk every time she returns to reclaim her throne. She risks alienating her older fans, as well as turning off younger generations that aren’t familiar with her aggressive persona. In a way, she reminds me of Jean-Luc Godard, who at age 84 decided to release his first digital 3D film,Goodbye to Language, in 2014. Despite the detractors who insist that she gives it up, Madonna is determined to dominate the cultural conversation once again.

That she has succeeded, at least for now, is an impressive achievement, and calls into question the significance of sales in the digital era. An artist like Madonna doesn’t need a number one hit in the same way that Swift might, and at this point in her career, she seems more interested in the quality of the music than anything else. Rather than chase the top of the charts like she did with Hard Candy and MDNA, Madonna finally seems to realize that the pop culture landscape she once dominated in the ‘80s, ‘90s, and early ‘00s has drastically changed. These changes have liberated her, and have inspired her to make some of the most personal and fully realized music of her career.

The idea of an artist’s legacy is worthy of contemplation, especially when icons like Madonna continue to create. How should we measure Madonna’s latest album, and in what ways can it influence her reputation? Do the first week sales and amount of top ten singles really matter? What about positive reviews from critics or fans? How important is quality?

Perhaps none of these things matter unless the artist can enter the cultural conversation, which Madonna continues to do with each release. Whenever someone expresses their opinion about her, whether it be positive or negative, they reinforce her relevance. Social media users around the world have joined the discussion after the surprise release of the aforementioned six songs, with some celebrating her return and others condemning her entire career. Regardless, everyone cares enough to offer an opinion.

When the dust settles, Rebel Heart will be cited as one of Madonna’s better albums, and fans and critics will praise her return to form. However, as we all know by now, it’s never been just about the music with Madonna, and more than anything else, Rebel Heart shows that she is still the most talked about pop star in the world.

http://www.popmatters.com/post/189474-madonnas-rebel-heart-reinforces-her-relevance/

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Yaaay. Something positive after days of BS M. news.

You were faster. Should I delete my post? :)

No! It should be seen twice haha!

No worries. It will still get posted 6 more times in this thread as breaking news anyway. :)

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