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"Rebel Heart" Reviews [continued] - thread 2


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And they gave Me. I Am Mariah... that exact same score (meta shade) :lmao:

They're a mess.

I will throw up if this is true.

The craziest sentence I have read is at the end of the Slant review. So the writer praises a great deal of the album, outlines his few problems with it, but then says that IF she had cut it down to 10-12 songs it would surely be her best in ten years. I mean wtf, Sal? So you think it's worse than HC and MDNA as is, but that with 12 songs it would have been her best in TEN years? Given the largely positive nature of the review and the 3.5 star rating, I find that sentence odd. It would almost make more sense if he said that trimming it to 12 songs would make it her best album in FIFTEEN years, or seventeen years. Oh well he's wrong anyway because no songs should be cut :)

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A couple of publications like Boston Phoenix, Expert Witness, BBC Music & Beats Per Minute that reviewed MDNA are now defunct.

I guess these sites could still review Rebel Heart (they reviewed MDNA):

American Songwriter

Clash Music

Consequence of Sound

Fact Magazine

No Ripcord

The Quietus

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frozenlight- did you reply back, asking if it would be too much trouble for him to post a proper review, as he's done in the past? You don't get a sense of how he feels about the album, based on the feature.

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I think we missed this one from the Miami Herald. It's one of the best I've read! Reviews the super deluxe edition and says she is one of the best vocalists to emerge from the 1980s.

http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/article13124297.html

Wonderful review. Sometimes it seems the more obscure reviewers really get her. I'm jealous of Miami! Unlike the hate us DC people had to endure in the Washington Post. I love it when people praise her voice.

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I emailed Jon Pareles from NY Times to ask if he would write a review for RH, and this is what he replied:

:huh:

Can't he give it a ranking so it will count? :newspaper:

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Here's an exemplary review from V:

http://www.vmagazine.com/site/content/3930/rebel-heart-a-review

Just making an observation that a couple of the new print interviews we've seen have pointed out that the album is critically acclaimed, her best in however many years, etc. Further proof that the perception is built more on reviews that the public actually sees (USA Today, Time, Associated Press, People) than what someone writes on Pretty Much Amazing.

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Music Reviews: The Latest From Madonna, the Cast of 'Empire,' Will Butler and More

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Madonna’s “Rebel Heart” (Super Deluxe Edition) ****

Madonna’s 13th studio album in its most expanded, 25-track form is actually a pretty astonishing piece of work. I’ll be honest. The “Material Girl” hasn’t delivered an album that has impressed me from end to end since “Music” in 2000, but this record is strikingly different.

“Rebel Heart” is a legacy record and by that I mean, Madonna is building upon her 33-year recording history while adding more to her body of work. So, you get the slick dance numbers (“Living For Love,” “Illuminati”) next to ballads (“Ghosttown”, “Joan Of Arc”) and along the way quite a few surprises are tossed into the mix. “Body Shop” somehow sounds like it could be a hip-hop remix of a lost Ani DiFranco song, while the title track is a mid-tempo adult-alternative acoustic rocker.

Throughout the set, Madonna tosses in her favorite subjects of sex (“S.E.X.” “Best Night”) and religion (“Messiah.”) Sometimes, she manages to combine the two, as she does on the “Vogue”-quoting “Holy Water.” Nas drops a verse on “Veni, Vidi, Vici,” while Chance The Rapper appears on “Iconic.” Nicki Minaj makes her second appearance on a Madonna song on the weirdly spacy and trippy “B_____ I’m Madonna,” a song which makes up for its ridiculous lyrics with its innovative sense of bombast. The album often has a sultry club sheen, as if soundtracking some futuristic discotheque. This is Madonna’s modern pop record. If autotune and vocoders bother you, this may not be your album. To be honest, these effects bother me more often than not, but in this case, I understand their use. This is a celebration of Madonna’s career in all her brash glory.

In all, “Rebel Heart” shows that Madonna is still a vibrant force. She’s not afraid of controversy. She’s not afraid to go her own direction. She’s still, underneath it all, a punk kid wanting to cause a ruckus while she makes you dance. If you get this album, this deluxe edition is most recommended. While this album does not quite match the highpoints of career highlights “Ray Of Light” and “Like A Prayer,” in its fullest version this record stands as the most ambitious and sonically eclectic album of Madonna’s career. Its nearly constant stylistic shifts make you forgive its weaker spots. This is exactly the album she needed to make at this point. This album’s impressive immensity and diversity should silence many of her doubters. There’s only one Madonna and she should never stop being herself.

Focus Tracks:

“Ghosttown” Since “Live To Tell,” Madonna has always been best at ballads. This is a stunner. I wish it didn’t have the Autotune over the verses, but nevertheless this deserves a place among her biggest hits.

“Veni Vidi Vici” (Featuring Nas) Every superhero needs an origin story and this deluxe-edition track tells Madonna’s, starting with her days tagging and hanging out with graffiti artists on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the early eighties, up until the present day. You have to remember she used to be in the same circle as Jean–Michel Basquiat. Nas uses his verse to tell a bit about his own history, thus creating some cool cohesion.

“Inside Out” This is a sleek electro groove mixed with the tenderness of a ballad, even if it is full of erotic lines like “Let me love you from the inside out.” Again, this should be a single.

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I emailed Jon Pareles from NY Times to ask if he would write a review for RH, and this is what he replied:

:huh:

Yes it would be lovely if you could kindly ask if he would make it a review or give it a score or something :)

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Music Reviews: The Latest From Madonna, the Cast of 'Empire,' Will Butler and More

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Madonna’s “Rebel Heart” (Super Deluxe Edition) ****

Madonna’s 13th studio album in its most expanded, 25-track form is actually a pretty astonishing piece of work. I’ll be honest. The “Material Girl” hasn’t delivered an album that has impressed me from end to end since “Music” in 2000, but this record is strikingly different.

“Rebel Heart” is a legacy record and by that I mean, Madonna is building upon her 33-year recording history while adding more to her body of work. So, you get the slick dance numbers (“Living For Love,” “Illuminati”) next to ballads (“Ghosttown”, “Joan Of Arc”) and along the way quite a few surprises are tossed into the mix. “Body Shop” somehow sounds like it could be a hip-hop remix of a lost Ani DiFranco song, while the title track is a mid-tempo adult-alternative acoustic rocker.

Throughout the set, Madonna tosses in her favorite subjects of sex (“S.E.X.” “Best Night”) and religion (“Messiah.”) Sometimes, she manages to combine the two, as she does on the “Vogue”-quoting “Holy Water.” Nas drops a verse on “Veni, Vidi, Vici,” while Chance The Rapper appears on “Iconic.” Nicki Minaj makes her second appearance on a Madonna song on the weirdly spacy and trippy “B_____ I’m Madonna,” a song which makes up for its ridiculous lyrics with its innovative sense of bombast. The album often has a sultry club sheen, as if soundtracking some futuristic discotheque. This is Madonna’s modern pop record. If autotune and vocoders bother you, this may not be your album. To be honest, these effects bother me more often than not, but in this case, I understand their use. This is a celebration of Madonna’s career in all her brash glory.

In all, “Rebel Heart” shows that Madonna is still a vibrant force. She’s not afraid of controversy. She’s not afraid to go her own direction. She’s still, underneath it all, a punk kid wanting to cause a ruckus while she makes you dance. If you get this album, this deluxe edition is most recommended. While this album does not quite match the highpoints of career highlights “Ray Of Light” and “Like A Prayer,” in its fullest version this record stands as the most ambitious and sonically eclectic album of Madonna’s career. Its nearly constant stylistic shifts make you forgive its weaker spots. This is exactly the album she needed to make at this point. This album’s impressive immensity and diversity should silence many of her doubters. There’s only one Madonna and she should never stop being herself.

Focus Tracks:

“Ghosttown” Since “Live To Tell,” Madonna has always been best at ballads. This is a stunner. I wish it didn’t have the Autotune over the verses, but nevertheless this deserves a place among her biggest hits.

“Veni Vidi Vici” (Featuring Nas) Every superhero needs an origin story and this deluxe-edition track tells Madonna’s, starting with her days tagging and hanging out with graffiti artists on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the early eighties, up until the present day. You have to remember she used to be in the same circle as Jean–Michel Basquiat. Nas uses his verse to tell a bit about his own history, thus creating some cool cohesion.

“Inside Out” This is a sleek electro groove mixed with the tenderness of a ballad, even if it is full of erotic lines like “Let me love you from the inside out.” Again, this should be a single.

:clap:

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Music Reviews: The Latest From Madonna, the Cast of 'Empire,' Will Butler and More

abc-logo.png

Madonna’s “Rebel Heart” (Super Deluxe Edition) ****

Madonna’s 13th studio album in its most expanded, 25-track form is actually a pretty astonishing piece of work. I’ll be honest. The “Material Girl” hasn’t delivered an album that has impressed me from end to end since “Music” in 2000, but this record is strikingly different.

“Rebel Heart” is a legacy record and by that I mean, Madonna is building upon her 33-year recording history while adding more to her body of work. So, you get the slick dance numbers (“Living For Love,” “Illuminati”) next to ballads (“Ghosttown”, “Joan Of Arc”) and along the way quite a few surprises are tossed into the mix. “Body Shop” somehow sounds like it could be a hip-hop remix of a lost Ani DiFranco song, while the title track is a mid-tempo adult-alternative acoustic rocker.

Throughout the set, Madonna tosses in her favorite subjects of sex (“S.E.X.” “Best Night”) and religion (“Messiah.”) Sometimes, she manages to combine the two, as she does on the “Vogue”-quoting “Holy Water.” Nas drops a verse on “Veni, Vidi, Vici,” while Chance The Rapper appears on “Iconic.” Nicki Minaj makes her second appearance on a Madonna song on the weirdly spacy and trippy “B_____ I’m Madonna,” a song which makes up for its ridiculous lyrics with its innovative sense of bombast. The album often has a sultry club sheen, as if soundtracking some futuristic discotheque. This is Madonna’s modern pop record. If autotune and vocoders bother you, this may not be your album. To be honest, these effects bother me more often than not, but in this case, I understand their use. This is a celebration of Madonna’s career in all her brash glory.

In all, “Rebel Heart” shows that Madonna is still a vibrant force. She’s not afraid of controversy. She’s not afraid to go her own direction. She’s still, underneath it all, a punk kid wanting to cause a ruckus while she makes you dance. If you get this album, this deluxe edition is most recommended. While this album does not quite match the highpoints of career highlights “Ray Of Light” and “Like A Prayer,” in its fullest version this record stands as the most ambitious and sonically eclectic album of Madonna’s career. Its nearly constant stylistic shifts make you forgive its weaker spots. This is exactly the album she needed to make at this point. This album’s impressive immensity and diversity should silence many of her doubters. There’s only one Madonna and she should never stop being herself.

Focus Tracks:

“Ghosttown” Since “Live To Tell,” Madonna has always been best at ballads. This is a stunner. I wish it didn’t have the Autotune over the verses, but nevertheless this deserves a place among her biggest hits.

“Veni Vidi Vici” (Featuring Nas) Every superhero needs an origin story and this deluxe-edition track tells Madonna’s, starting with her days tagging and hanging out with graffiti artists on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the early eighties, up until the present day. You have to remember she used to be in the same circle as Jean–Michel Basquiat. Nas uses his verse to tell a bit about his own history, thus creating some cool cohesion.

“Inside Out” This is a sleek electro groove mixed with the tenderness of a ballad, even if it is full of erotic lines like “Let me love you from the inside out.” Again, this should be a single.

Now, why call her a "dance artist" then?

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Music Reviews: The Latest From Madonna, the Cast of 'Empire,' Will Butler and More

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Madonnas Rebel Heart (Super Deluxe Edition) ****

Madonnas 13th studio album in its most expanded, 25-track form is actually a pretty astonishing piece of work. Ill be honest. The Material Girl hasnt delivered an album that has impressed me from end to end since Music in 2000, but this record is strikingly different.

Rebel Heart is a legacy record and by that I mean, Madonna is building upon her 33-year recording history while adding more to her body of work. So, you get the slick dance numbers (Living For Love, Illuminati) next to ballads (Ghosttown, Joan Of Arc) and along the way quite a few surprises are tossed into the mix. Body Shop somehow sounds like it could be a hip-hop remix of a lost Ani DiFranco song, while the title track is a mid-tempo adult-alternative acoustic rocker.

Throughout the set, Madonna tosses in her favorite subjects of sex (S.E.X. Best Night) and religion (Messiah.) Sometimes, she manages to combine the two, as she does on the Vogue-quoting Holy Water. Nas drops a verse on Veni, Vidi, Vici, while Chance The Rapper appears on Iconic. Nicki Minaj makes her second appearance on a Madonna song on the weirdly spacy and trippy B_____ Im Madonna, a song which makes up for its ridiculous lyrics with its innovative sense of bombast. The album often has a sultry club sheen, as if soundtracking some futuristic discotheque. This is Madonnas modern pop record. If autotune and vocoders bother you, this may not be your album. To be honest, these effects bother me more often than not, but in this case, I understand their use. This is a celebration of Madonnas career in all her brash glory.

In all, Rebel Heart shows that Madonna is still a vibrant force. Shes not afraid of controversy. Shes not afraid to go her own direction. Shes still, underneath it all, a punk kid wanting to cause a ruckus while she makes you dance. If you get this album, this deluxe edition is most recommended. While this album does not quite match the highpoints of career highlights Ray Of Light and Like A Prayer, in its fullest version this record stands as the most ambitious and sonically eclectic album of Madonnas career. Its nearly constant stylistic shifts make you forgive its weaker spots. This is exactly the album she needed to make at this point. This albums impressive immensity and diversity should silence many of her doubters. Theres only one Madonna and she should never stop being herself.

Focus Tracks:

Ghosttown Since Live To Tell, Madonna has always been best at ballads. This is a stunner. I wish it didnt have the Autotune over the verses, but nevertheless this deserves a place among her biggest hits.

Veni Vidi Vici (Featuring Nas) Every superhero needs an origin story and this deluxe-edition track tells Madonnas, starting with her days tagging and hanging out with graffiti artists on Manhattans Lower East Side in the early eighties, up until the present day. You have to remember she used to be in the same circle as JeanMichel Basquiat. Nas uses his verse to tell a bit about his own history, thus creating some cool cohesion.

Inside Out This is a sleek electro groove mixed with the tenderness of a ballad, even if it is full of erotic lines like Let me love you from the inside out. Again, this should be a single.

Wonderful.

A little bit of exaggeration of the use of vocoder tho. :crazy;

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Wonderful.

A little bit of exaggeration with the mention of use of vocoder tho. :crazy:

I know, even the best of the reviews always have to fuck up at least one thing :laugh:

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I'm still trying to figure out how Bitch I'm Madonna and Unapologetic Bitch are not particularly distinguishable from a prior review. They are two different vibes to me. They both contain the word "bitch" I guess?

It's not that I have a problem with a reviewer's opinion. I just don't get where their opinion is coming from Sometimes. I understand if someone doesn't care for a certain vibe in a song but I care when that opinion is turned into Madonna didn't care or has superficial reasons for creating a song.

For some it's easy to figure out where their opinion is coming from and I move on but you read some reviews and you get most of what they are saying but then your like "huh?"

I am very suspicious of people.

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That ABC News review is great. It got mostly good reviews, but I felt they for the most part didn't do it justice. It's a lot better than people give her credit for. But that's nothing new.

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I don't see Inside Out as an erotic song. At all. It's a song about opening up to your Partner and baring your soul, not your tits.

Who says "erotic" means just the physical? It's about the intimacy and vulnerability, along with the production, that does give it a 'sensuality' of sorts... at least to me.

I get the same vibes with Best Night.

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frozenlight- did you reply back, asking if it would be too much trouble for him to post a proper review, as he's done in the past? You don't get a sense of how he feels about the album, based on the feature.

Sorry, I just got back to the forum. I emailed him again kindly asking for a review. I hope he replies. Will keep you posted. :)

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