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"Rebel Heart" Reviews [continued] - thread 2

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Glindathegood Rising Star

Glindathegood

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Not to harp on the Washington Post article, but I told him what he thought of his review on Facebook and here is his reply.

"Unfair how? I listened four times. Those "deeper" songs ain't that deep. I've never met her, but if I did, I bet I'd like her. What fun would life be if every publication published the same thing? Embarrassing, yes, probably, but certainly not as embarrassing as this album."

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rebelvvv Rising Star

rebelvvv

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^^ Yes, some people are a waste of air. Anyway, this is why people have no respect for journalists who care about being "fun" instead of professional. Talk about an embarrassing lack of integrity. Next.

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Phineaspoe Rising Star

Phineaspoe

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Not to harp on the Washington Post article, but I told him what he thought of his review on Facebook and here is his reply.

"Unfair how? I listened four times. Those "deeper" songs ain't that deep. I've never met her, but if I did, I bet I'd like her. What fun would life be if every publication published the same thing? Embarrassing, yes, probably, but certainly not as embarrassing as this album."

I take it he's a blogger journalist

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Flip The Switch Veteran

Flip The Switch

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Not to harp on the Washington Post article, but I told him what he thought of his review on Facebook and here is his reply.

"Unfair how? I listened four times. Those "deeper" songs ain't that deep. I've never met her, but if I did, I bet I'd like her. What fun would life be if every publication published the same thing? Embarrassing, yes, probably, but certainly not as embarrassing as this album."

reading.gif

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Glindathegood Rising Star

Glindathegood

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http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/rebel-heart-review-madonna-fearless-in-artistic-turning-point-1.10025427

REVIEW

BOTTOM LINE: Getting her artistic groove back.

Madonna is ahead of the curve once again with her new, ambitious "Rebel Heart" (Interscope) album.

She went a little too far with her 2003 album, "American Life," and then opted for the safer (well, safer for Madonna) world of dance music for a few albums.

With "Rebel Heart," she is innovative again, searching for ways to express her rebellious side and her softer, more heartfelt side. Madonna rarely gets credit for the strength of her melodies, but on this album, they are undeniable. From the gospel-influenced stomp of the single "Living for Love" to the reggae-tinged kiss-off "Unapologetic Bitch," the focus here is on creating a musical backdrop as memorable as the lyrics -- not through production, though Madonna has certainly assembled a who's who of collaborators here from Kanye West to Avicii and Diplo, but through melody.

"Joan of Arc," one of the best songs of her storied career, is an example of what musical magic occurs when all the pieces of a Madonna plan come together. Lyrically, it's a revelation, as she discusses the perils of fame and how all the negativity gets to her. "Never admit it, but it hurts," she sings, before adding, "Even hearts made out of steel can break down." In the end, though, love gives her strength and she remains quietly defiant.

Of course, Madonna can still be openly defiant, too. In "Holy Water," she uses West's aggressive synths and beats to gleefully blend sexual and religious imagery. The mix of joyful, classical-influenced EDM bits and trap-inspired hip-hop on "Bitch I'm Madonna" is a thrilling tension, even before Nicki Minaj shuts it down with a powerful verse.

Madonna breaks new ground with these combinations of hard and soft. On "HeartBreakCity," she takes what could have been a French torch song and toughens it up, adding a thunderous choir and massive-sounding production.

Despite her unexpected revelations on "Rebel Heart," Madonna is more artistically fearless now than ever, ready to forge new styles at a time in her career when most would be considering acoustic interpretations of her hits and decades-themed cover albums.

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THE GRADE A

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Camacho Mentor

Camacho

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The Toronto Sun gave RH 5 out of 5 stars!! Though were quite shady in the whole premise of the review:

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/03/09/review-madonna-acts-her-age-on-rebel-heart#

Review: Madonna acts her age on ‘Rebel Heart’

BY DARRYL STERDAN, QMI AGENCY

FIRST POSTED: MONDAY, MARCH 09, 2015 11:18 AM EDT | UPDATED: MONDAY, MARCH 09, 2015 11:42 AM EDT

Madonna will try anything once. Including vulnerability, humility, sincerity and — believe it or not — acting her age.

No fooling. After more than 30 years of pushing buttons and crossing boundaries, pop’s most predictably provocative diva tries to adopt a more subtle, mature and balanced approach on her daring 13th studio album. Even more surprising: For the most part, she succeeds impressively.

Supposedly titled in reflection of two opposing sides of her personality — fighter and lover — Rebel Heart is in many ways the 56­year­old singer­songwriter’s most emotionally intimate and revealing album. Relatively speaking, of course. After all, this is still a Madonna record. So there’s plenty of titillation, confrontation and domination in the proceedings. No lack of double­entendre lyrics (and sound effects) that blur the line between sex and religion. A slew of verbal smackdowns aimed at failed lovers, media snipers and pretenders to her queen­b­­­­ throne. And no shortage of trendhopping dance tracks — all stylishly crafted by ultra­hip producers like Diplo and Avicii and Kanye, and decorated with cameos from VIPs like Nas, Nicki Minaj, Chance the Rapper and even Mike Tyson.

But along with all those essential ingredients, there are also unmistakable signs of growth and evolution in the 14­song disc (and the superior 19­song deluxe edition). You can hear it in her vocals, which seem less forced and more relaxed than they have in years. You can hear it in her lyrics, which express doubt and loss as often as triumph and confidence, and even wax nostalgic at times. You can hear it in the plethora of ballads sprinkled amid club cuts. You can even hear it in the breathing space and artistic licence she grants her various collaborators, graciously allowing them the spotlight instead of continually trying to upstage everyone.

It’s all the more ironic when you consider that she was technologically upstaged — though she controversially termed it “artistic rape” — by a hacker who leaked the bulk of these tracks late last year (a former reality­show contestant from Israel has been charged with the crime, which seems appropriately bizarre). To add insult to injury, she was blasted for using images of Gandhi and Martin Luther King to promote the album. And to add even more injury and insult, she tumbled off the stage at this year’s Brit awards. Between its many artistic risks and myriad PR hurdles, Rebel Heart could have easily unspooled into an unmitigated disaster.

Instead, it holds together as one of her most strong, dynamic and memorable albums in years. Uplifting gospel­house opener Living for Love harkens back to Like a Prayer. The druggy Devil Pray moves from dusty acoustic guitar to electropop. Co­produced by Diplo, Unapologetic B­­­­ blends reggae, dancehall and dubstep. Illuminati boasts conspiracy theory lyrics and wobbly, buzzy sonics from Kanye. Nicki Minaj drops in on the Diplo­helmed electro­stomp B­­­­ I’m Madonna (which rhymes with “Na, na­na na­na,” of course). The gorgeously confessional Joan of Arc finds her weeping, wounded by fame and media scrutiny. Dark shape­shifter Iconic features a Mike Tyson monologue. Piano ballad HeartBreakCity blasts a lover who used her. The disorienting Holy Water is hedonistic and randy. The Nas ­guesting Veni Vidi Vici and the closing title cut are nostalgic and autobiographical, with Madonna name­checking dozens of hits in a few verses during the former.

Sure, there are a few duds like the car­sex metaphors of Body Shop. There might be one or two ballads too many. And S.E.X. becomes more ludicrous than lewd when Madonna purrs 50 shades of lines like “Oh my God, soaking wet, back and forth till we break the bed.” (Thanks for the visual there.) But even if the 74­minute album — her longest since 1992’s Erotica — might have benefitted from a judicious edit, there’s no denying that more than a few of these songs are second to none in her vast and varied catalogue. Chiefly because more frequently and honestly than ever before, they let us glimpse one of Madonna’s few private parts we haven’t already seen: Her soul.

the site shows 4 stars. is that out of 5 or 4?

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Glindathegood Rising Star

Glindathegood

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http://townhall.com/news/entertainment/2015/03/09/music-review-madonnas-rebel-heart-is-lovely-n1967810

(Interscope)

Madonna's 13th studio album, "Rebel Heart," beats with romance and rebellion. At 19 tracks, it's an overstuffed triptych through the iconic performer's life, careening between uplifting dance tracks, like the percolating "Living for Love" — her 44th No. 1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart — and corrosively bitter tunes such as the Avicii-produced "HeartBreakCity."

Songs such as the largely acoustic "Devil Pray," which will stylistically remind many of "Don't Tell Me"; the achingly vulnerable "Joan of Arc"; and the deceptively double entendre-filled, lilting "Body Shop" course with vitality and showcase some of Madonna's best singing in years.

While the majority of the material falls solidly in the positive, some of the tunes undoubtedly meant to sound fierce and liberating just feel tired, like the electro-clash braggadocio of "Bitch I'm Madonna," featuring Nicki Minaj, and the tedious X-rated bump-and-grind of the Kanye West-produced "Holy Water."

In perhaps her most complex album, Madonna seems determined to plant a flag for her 30-plus year career, even giving a crash course in Madonna-ology on the self-referential "Veni, Vidi, Vici," featuring Nas, during which she playfully incorporate phrases and titles from past hits. At its best, "Rebel Heart" pulsates with a vibrancy that reveals both the sour and the sweet in Madonna's extremely complicated life and leaves no doubt that she still has a lot more to share.

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Dindi Community Regular

Dindi

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http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Music+Review+Madonna+shines+Rebel+Heart+which+beats+with/10873804/story.html#__federated=1

The Vancouver Sun gave it a good review as well. :)

Music Review: Madonna shines on 'Rebel Heart,' which beats with romance, rebellion
BY MELINDA NEWMAN, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MARCH 9, 2015

Madonna's 13th studio album, "Rebel Heart," beats with romance and rebellion. At 19 tracks, it's an overstuffed triptych through the iconic performer's life, careening between uplifting dance tracks, like the percolating "Living for Love" — her 44th No. 1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart — and corrosively bitter tunes such as the Avicii-produced "HeartBreakCity."

Songs such as the largely acoustic "Devil Pray," which will stylistically remind many of "Don't Tell Me"; the achingly vulnerable "Joan of Arc"; and the deceptively double entendre-filled, lilting "Body Shop" course with vitality and showcase some of Madonna's best singing in years.

While the majority of the material falls solidly in the positive, some of the tunes undoubtedly meant to sound fierce and liberating just feel tired, like the electro-clash braggadocio of "Bitch I'm Madonna," featuring Nicki Minaj, and the tedious X-rated bump-and-grind of the Kanye West-produced "Holy Water."

In perhaps her most complex album, Madonna seems determined to plant a flag for her 30-plus year career, even giving a crash course in Madonna-ology on the self-referential "Veni, Vidi, Vici," featuring Nas, during which she playfully incorporate phrases and titles from past hits. At its best, "Rebel Heart" pulsates with a vibrancy that reveals both the sour and the sweet in Madonna's extremely complicated life and leaves no doubt that she still has a lot more to share.

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Shane Rising Star

Shane

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^That's an AP review, not Vancouver Sun, per se. But, all good. :)

Yes, I love that that one is being read in newspapers across the continent with such a good headline!

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Flip The Switch Veteran

Flip The Switch

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"The fact that a woman falling over can provoke world-wide headlines is proof positive of the cultural impact that Madonna still wields on the zeitgeist. And all this is without even mentioning the music contained on Rebel Heart which is, perhaps, her most impressive achievement considering that shes not really produced a truly great album since Confessions On A Dance Floor a decade ago"

Well, of course.

:thumbsup:

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Guest

Guest

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That's weird, I swear it was 5/5 before, but maybe I wasn't looking clearly, since you're right, it shows 4 out of 4 now.

ugh I hate the title of that review

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