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"Rebel Heart" Reviews [continued] - thread 2


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I don't think it counts for metacritic, but overall positive review. It has several factual errors.. I'm not sure why people who get paid to write reviews don't fact check before publishing their work.

http://www.newsadvance.com/the_burg/music/pop_rocks/album-review-madonna-s-rebel-heart/article_7d510812-d23b-11e4-aac2-8bdf51d76bb9.html

Album review: Madonna's 'Rebel Heart'

By Matt Ashare | Posted: Tuesday, March 24, 2015 12:15 pm

So I actually thought Madonna’s new album came out months ago.

Or maybe I was under the impression that she was merely gearing up for a big tour this summer when she showed up to perform her newest night-clubbing single “Living for Love” at the Grammy Awards in February. Or, who knows, and, does it even matter?

Well, it matters a lot to Madonna.

The queen of pop royalty was thrown for a virtual loop late last year when tracks from the new “Rebel Heart” began leaking to the general public on the Internet. It was a major breach of security for a star who’d grown accustomed to enjoying tight control over everything related to her own branding. She actually likened it to being sexually violated, which I can appreciate on one level.

But, on another level, it seems like an unfortunate frame of reference for an artist who once published a racy book called “Sex,” a project/publicity stunt based around the brilliant premise that people would flock to stores and plunk down 50 bucks to see naked pictures of the star.

That, my friends, was way back before we were all online, in 1992, when Madonna was just 34 years young. And, in what now seems like a quaint memory, the scandalous “Sex” book quickly topped the “New York Times” bestseller list, even as it was being roundly dismissed by the stolid arbiters of cultural etiquette as a crass exercise in pornography.

Madonna is nothing if not layered, which is a big part of what’s made her a pretty reliable source of fascination for fans, critics and even academics for close to four decades. Ultimately, “Sex” found its way onto the coffee tables of millions of fans, and then probably onto shelves and into closets, where it was quickly forgotten. Actually, I’m guessing a first edition of “Sex” is probably worth something on eBay.

Anyway, Madonna was not at all pleased about the leaked material. She quickly reasserted her dominance and marketing savvy by brokering a deal with iTunes to offer six “Rebel Heart” tracks as a free download to anyone who pre-ordered the album, and then embarked on her version of a media charm offensive.

If you didn’t happen to be following her on social media at the time — and I wasn’t — then you probably missed most of the Madonna drama as it unfolded over the course of the holiday season.

And then, suddenly, right around the time of the Grammys broadcast, Madonna started popping up on the cultural radar in all kinds of ways, including an oddly irrelevant incident that ended with her issuing a rare public apology for using the “N” word in the caption of a photo she’d posted of her son Rocco.

With her plan to make a major event out of a Valentine’s Day arrival of “Rebel Heart” largely foiled, she pushed the release date back to March and promised that the final version would include a lucky 13 more songs.

Her Grammy performance was followed by an appearance at the Brit Awards, during which a bizarre costume malfunction led to yet another minor dust up. This time, the culprit was a flowing black cape, designed by Armani, which was supposed to give way when a dancer tugged on it from behind.

Instead, the 56-year-old Madonna was yanked to the ground, prompting her to post a visual of the cape with not one but five exclamation points in the caption: “Armani hooked me up! My beautiful cape was tied too tight! But nothing can stop me and love really lifted me up! Thanks for your good wishes! I'm fine!”

Giorgio responded by telling reporters that Madonna was “very difficult to work with,” as if that would come as any surprise.

And, then, just as the drama was threatening to subside, and “Rebel Heart” was finally arriving in finished form with an as-promised 19 tracks on the “deluxe” edition, Madonna got into a little spat with the BBC, of all people.

Apparently, BBC Radio 1 had declined to add “Living for Love” to its playlist, perhaps as part of an effort to lower the demographic of its listening audience, which led to accusations of age-discrimination, or ageism, from the Madonna camp.

If nothing else, it was good grist for the controversy mill, and Rolling Stone played it up quite well in their March 12 cover story on Madonna.

The BBC relented, and “Living for Love” was indeed heard on Radio 1, but the Brits wouldn’t be entirely cowed: Last week, in a show of defiance, the people of England spoke with their wallets, buying just enough copies of Sam Smith’s “In the Lonely Hour” to deny Madonna the honor of having “Rebel Heart” debut at the top of the British charts.

It’s hard to be Madonna, but it’s worth it. That’s pretty much the subtext and boldface type of “Rebel Heart.”

As she puts it in the acoustic intro to the sprightly “Joan of Arc,” one of the new album’s more touchingly introspective tracks, “Each time they write a hateful word/Dragging my soul into the dirt/I want to die/Never admit it but it hurts.”

As a tempered beat kicks in, she goes on to admit, “I don’t want to talk about right now/Just hold me while I cry my eyes out/I’m not Joan of Arc, not yet/I’m only human.”

I’m tempted, on the basis of that song alone, to say that “Rebel Heart” is far and away Madonna’s best album in years, but that may just be because I don’t remember the last few all that well.

It’s definitely really, really long. You have to make your way through 18 songs before you get to the title track, which almost feels like an afterthought, although it’s also among the disc’s better tracks.

It’s almost as if Madonna wanted to punish all of us for getting a sneak peak at the album before it was ready. Or, maybe it’s just her way of giving more of herself to her fans.

Either way, her staying power remains as impressive as it’s ever been, but it’s starting to feel a little exhausting. I was worn out just watching her athletic performance at the Grammys, and I’m not sure that’s the effect she should be going for.

Then again, media saturation and stamina have always been important to Madonna. And I can’t help thinking that she did the math this time around and figured that an extra-long album plus a whole lotta social media bandwidth would be just the thing to keep her on top of the cultural heap.

In fact, as the “Huffington Post” reported, Madonna now has the distinction of being the first major artist to debut a video on Snapchat. Your move, Lady Gaga.

As for the rest of “Rebel Heart,” it’s a sprawl.

The requisite house-music-based club anthem “Living for Love” is a classically defiant dance-floor gospel redemption tale. And there’s also the heavier, teasingly playful slow dance of “Inside Out,” with its “show me yours and I’ll show you mine” refrain, and the hypnotic seduction of “Hold Tight,” a “we’re gonna be alright tonight” mid-tempo technotronic confection.

There’s also plenty of attitude, including a pair of tracks that deploy the “B” word — the surprisingly cool, reggae inflected “Unapologetic B----,” and the more in-your-face, glitchy “B---- I’m Madonna,” which features some guest rapping by Nicki Minaj.

And, of course, there’s some gratuitous sex as well, including the 50 shades of silliness of “S.E.X.,” and the unfortunate “Body Shop,” a folktronica construction in which Madonna whispers sweet double nothings about various parts of what almost certainly isn’t a car — “You can polish the headlights/You can smooth out the fender/You can start the ignition.”

You get the point.

But Madonna is at her best and most provocative when she lets down her guard a bit, stops worrying about whether she’s hip or hip-hop enough for contemporary primetime, puts away the lingerie, and just reflects on what it’s like being this strange being of her own creation.

That includes the title track, which references half a dozen of her previous albums, hangs on an unblemished hook and finds her acknowledging, “I’ve spent some time as a narcissist/Hearing the others say, look at you, look at you/Trying to be so provocative/I said oh yeah, that was me/All the things I did just to be seen.”

It’s by no means an apology, and it doesn’t have to be. But it feels more real than all of the virtual drama that was kicked up along the way to “Rebel Heart.” And, in the end, it feels like it was worth the trip.

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Guest HaveASit

Hmm, I thought CoS wouldnt review the album after so long.

Still think Noripcord will tho. They waited for the second week of sales of MDNA to review it, justifying their 4/10 with the logic that, if the sales dropped so hard, its because the album sucks

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Madonna unveils renegade, romantic sides in new album 'Rebel Heart'

By Patricia ReaneyNEW YORK | Mon Mar 9, 2015 2:58pm EDTEmailFacebookTwitterBy Patricia ReaneyNEW YORK (Reuters) - Madonna proves her staying power as a creative force and an enduring pop icon with her new album, "Rebel Heart," her 13th studio release that also shows her renegade and softer sides.It is a revealing portrait of the Material Girl, showing the Grammy-winning singer as a trail-blazer and provocateur but also someone who is sensitive, reflective and outsider.Madonna, 56, told Reuters that the album's title "Rebel Heart" reflected her original intent to make a two-sided record featuring 10 songs on each."One side was going to be the more rebellious, provocative, envelope pushing part of me and the other side was going to be the more romantic, vulnerable side and they end up getting all mushed together," she said."Rebel Heart" is her first album since 2012's "MDNA," which shot to the top of the Billboard 200 chart. It is also somewhat autobiographical with tracks like "Veni Vidi Vici," which chronicles her career, and personal, revealing feelings of insecurity, heart ache and loss.The album's 19 tracks includes lush, lyrical ballads, such as "Devil Pray," "Ghosttown" and "Joan of Arc" that ponder the meaning of life, breakups and love."Each time they write a hateful word/Dragging my soul into the dirt/I wanna die/Never admit it but it hurts," she says in "Joan of Arc."But Madonna also lets loose with catchy dance numbers including "Living for Love" and "Unapologetic Bitch," a collaboration with Grammy-nominated American DJ Diplo."He likes to make people get up out of their seat and dance and so do it," she said about Diplo."Living for Love," the lead single has a thumping disco beat with lyrics about the heartache of a parting and picking herself up to find love again.Madonna returns to themes of sex and religion, which she said she finds infinitely interesting topics."They are as important to people as they are misunderstood," she explained. "They both bring a lot of light into the world and a lot of darkness. For those reasons, I like to explore them."For "Rebel Heart," Madonna collaborated with rapper Kanye West on four songs, Swedish DJ and producer Avicii, American producer and songwriter Toby Gad, among others. West, rappers Nas and Nicki Minaj and boxer Mike Tyson also lent their vocals on tracks.Madonna will support "Rebel Heart" with an international tour beginning in Miami on Aug. 29.(Additional reporting by Alicia Powel; editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and W Simon)

Not sure if this was posted.

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It's like they write these articles without putting anything into proper perspective, esp. for an artist at her stage. Other than the handful of current corporate shills, sales are in the shitter and only get worse every few years.

It's as if success works against you in the long run... you can never win by their standards.

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I'm not. I just type "Madonna" onto google and these are the FIRST things that come up. We can't hide from it, we must face it and defeat it

ignore the haters. Don't feed them.
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http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article16476548.html

The Observer's brief review of RH. Positive....kinda

But isn't this a reprint of a previous review? I remember reading the exact same words in another review. I'm all for posting everything good, bad and mediocre and letting everyone think for themselves, but do we have to repost the negative stuff over and over.

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But isn't this a reprint of a previous review? I remember reading the exact same words in another review. I'm all for posting everything good, bad and mediocre and letting everyone think for themselves, but do we have to repost the negative stuff over and over.

Um, it's a positive review

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Well, I played the album for my dad in the car and he was NOT impressed. He called it an "epic fail". Poor dad :rotfl: he was so excited to hear it. He's the one that introduced me to Madonna. He liked a lot of MDNA even rocking out to Gang Bang with me.

He thought Living for Love was the best. Ghosttown and Inside Out were the only others ones he liked.

He didn't like ANY of the others. I didn't even bother to play him Holy Water or SEX because I was sure he would vomit. He said Rebel Heart sounded like it belonged on an episode of Dawson's Creek :dead:

Dad's comment was "this just isn't the Madonna I know. She built herself on high energy, fun or dance music. What is this guitar shit?" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Never thought I would hear him say that. I was really surprised he didn't like even Devil Pray!

I played Bitch Im Madonna to my 15 year old sister, her boyfriend and her friend. The bf said "I like it". Sister said "it's not something I would expect from Madonna" and her friend said "it sounds like a song that would be on a Bratz tv show". Whatever that means...

My mum on the other hand got drunk and totally rocked out to the album with me. She loves Living for Love, Heartbreakcity, Body Shop. She loved SEX and made me send her friend a snapchat then told me she wanted it as her ringtone :lol:

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Well, I played the album for my dad in the car and he was NOT impressed. He called it an "epic fail". Poor dad :rotfl: he was so excited to hear it. He's the one that introduced me to Madonna. He liked a lot of MDNA even rocking out to Gang Bang with me.

He thought Living for Love was the best. Ghosttown and Inside Out were the only others ones he liked.

He didn't like ANY of the others. I didn't even bother to play him Holy Water or SEX because I was sure he would vomit. He said Rebel Heart sounded like it belonged on an episode of Dawson's Creek :dead:

Dad's comment was "this just isn't the Madonna I know. She built herself on high energy, fun or dance music. What is this guitar shit?" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Never thought I would hear him say that. I was really surprised he didn't like even Devil Pray!

I played Bitch Im Madonna to my 15 year old sister, her boyfriend and her friend. The bf said "I like it". Sister said "it's not something I would expect from Madonna" and her friend said "it sounds like a song that would be on a Bratz tv show". Whatever that means...

My mum on the other hand got drunk and totally rocked out to the album with me. She loves Living for Love, Heartbreakcity, Body Shop. She loved SEX and made me send her friend a snapchat then told me she wanted it as her ringtone :lol:

Weird how everyone love LFL yet it flopped

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Well, I played the album for my dad in the car and he was NOT impressed. He called it an "epic fail". Poor dad :rotfl: he was so excited to hear it. He's the one that introduced me to Madonna. He liked a lot of MDNA even rocking out to Gang Bang with me.

He thought Living for Love was the best. Ghosttown and Inside Out were the only others ones he liked.

He didn't like ANY of the others. I didn't even bother to play him Holy Water or SEX because I was sure he would vomit. He said Rebel Heart sounded like it belonged on an episode of Dawson's Creek :dead:

Dad's comment was "this just isn't the Madonna I know. She built herself on high energy, fun or dance music. What is this guitar shit?" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Never thought I would hear him say that. I was really surprised he didn't like even Devil Pray!

I played Bitch Im Madonna to my 15 year old sister, her boyfriend and her friend. The bf said "I like it". Sister said "it's not something I would expect from Madonna" and her friend said "it sounds like a song that would be on a Bratz tv show". Whatever that means...

My mum on the other hand got drunk and totally rocked out to the album with me. She loves Living for Love, Heartbreakcity, Body Shop. She loved SEX and made me send her friend a snapchat then told me she wanted it as her ringtone :lol:

:rotfl:

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Weird how everyone love LFL yet it flopped

Are you able to write ONE post without the word "flop", or is it a medical condition? You are really boring. And people can love a song without caring about its sales.

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I do love this album and enjoyed LFL, but lets be honest it is not fresh or creative for a first single, l love the lyrics but it felt dated from day 1.

It sounds like nothing else on the radio, and the critics, even those who've trashed the album, have praised the single. Not to mention a vast majority of fans who love it. I think you're letting the bombing of the single confuse your own feelings about the song.

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I do love this album and enjoyed LFL, but lets be honest it is not fresh or creative for a first single, l love the lyrics but it felt dated from day 1.

How does it sound "dated" when there has never been a song that sounds like LFL? It has a pretty unique production with various elements of house music which I think makes it special. It doesn't sound dated or trendy or experimental. LFL is in its own lane.

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LFL would have been sung by Rihanna, it would have been everywhere on the radio.

Anyone saying it's dated, is clearly deaf and need to see a doctor.

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