KalamazooJay

I think this has happened with every release since Hard Candy - ‘If ONLY they would have done this or that or released this or if she had promoted it by doing this’ At this point, it’s just not going to happen. I don’t believe Danceteria would have been any bigger than IFSF, BYL, or LS with more promo. Might it have done MARGINALLY better with a bit more of a push? Sure. But I think a top 10 or even top 20 is long behind her. It’s doing what it needs to do on social media, it’s being embraced by a younger audience, and it will most likely be looked at in retrospect as a ‘hit’ for her due to those factors alone. The magic and iconography she’s created with this era is bigger than chart success.

It’s perfection in every single way. It’s gorgeous and her best since ROL.

Well, I loved it. All 3 seconds of it lol. I, for one, am really happy she did NOT headline or make any kind of full on performance. Like it or not, she’s held to a different standard than just about any other pop star in the world. MOST people do still see her as the woman who did 15 squats during the DWT with ease and have it seared into their brains that she’s somehow still able to perform that way. Even fans around here seem to think she’s still able to do dance breaks or walk town stairs the way she did during BA tour. In fact, Madonna herself seemed to have this mindset prior to CT and look where it got her. This is the new normal, folks. And I’m really glad she’s taking care of herself in this way. The performance itself was joyful, colorful and fun. I had 4 friends randomly text me about it saying how great she looked and what a surprise it was to see her, so that says something. The average person may not have even KNOWN she was going to be there, so for her to deliver the opening and dip out after 3 minutes is pretty perfect for attention spans these days. The song choice was absolutely perfect too. At least it wasn’t Vogue or LAP. She just looks so relaxed, happy and proud of everything she’s doing during this era. She should be. It’s a gift to still have her on this planet.

Today, I gotta go with One Step Away. An album track hasn’t hit me this hard since Sky Fits Heaven. Which I think OSA kind of resembles a bit ironically. It just lifts me up and transports me somewhere. I can’t get enough of it. Closely followed by Love Without Words. Fucking banger of epic proportions.

Yeah, it’s an album experience for sure. I tried putting individual songs on playlists but it didn’t seem right. At least not yet. The entire album flows beautifully and that hasn’t happened for me since ROL. In fact, I’d say Confessions II is more a sequel, sister album, to THAT than to the original COADF. EVERY time I play this album, I catch something new. A new lyric that hits. A new breath in between the words. A new noise or blip. It’s such a glorious experience from beginning to end. What I’m also struck by is how small recent releases now sound compared to this. I’m a lover of most things pop, and I enjoyed the recent output from Sabrina and Kylie. And even some of Taylor’s and Gaga’s last albums. But they simply can’t touch the complexity and depth of this record. And quite frankly, never will. Pop music needed this.

I was 17 when Ray of Light came out and I a say with confidence that I haven’t seen this kind of universal praise since then. Yes, COADF received rave reviews, but there was still this underlying feeling that they were singing her swan song. That this was her last act. She was still recovering from American Life so there was a bit of wariness with her among the GP here in the States. But with this album, she has created that effortlessly cool vibe she had with ROL into Music. It’s absolutely incredible to see. I love when she creates work so impactful, so above the stratosphere, that it literally silences her critics and elevates her to the untouchable pop icon she is. I love when she puts out an album that’s almost impossible to criticize. She did that with this entire era.

This album coincided with the 6 month mark of my sobriety. On January 2nd of this year, I checked into rehab for alcohol and cocaine abuse that spiraled out of control the last couple years. My anxiety and depression was off the charts and for the first time in my life, I had thought that maybe the world would be better off without me. These last 6 months, I’ve had to rebuild from the ground up and it’s been the most rewarding period of my life to start over and reconnect with parts of myself that I hadn’t since I was a teenager. I found my passion again through writing, poetry, cooking, and of course music. So last night, I did what my teenage self would’ve done and stayed up past midnight to give it a listen. It’s insanely hot and humid here right now in Michigan, so last night gave us this gorgeous light show of heat lightening in the sky. I put my AirPods in and hit play, went for a midnight walk and put on this masterpiece and literally got lost in the sonic landscape of it all. It’s an extremely emotional record for me. The lyrics, production, and delivery in these songs is something I haven’t heard from her since ROL. Songs like I Feel So Free, Good For The Soul, One Step Away, Everything, Fragile, and Love Without Words have a unique meaning for me at this point in my life. And the fact that she put them out when I needed them the most is one of the many reasons I love this woman beyond just her music. Her resilience, strength, tenacity, and courage really do seem to hit differently the older I’ve gotten. This is clearly a new career high for her in every single way. And I’m so thankful she’s still here with us. Still putting music out that pushes the boundaries. Still being her authentic self. She’s a warrior in every single way. I’m absolutely prepared to say this album is easily better than the first Confessions (although it’s almost unfair to say this is sequal since it’s SO different) and it’s easily up there as one of the best records she’s ever done. Bravo, Madonna. You’ve outdone yourself.

I love Kylie, she’s second to Madonna in my pop world. But Love Sensation, to me, is quintessential carefree Madonna. Not that I can’t see Ky,lie singing this song, but lyrically, it’s much more M. I’d love a collab with them and if there WAS ever a time to do it, it’s with this song. Which I still can’t get enough of. It’s pure bliss.

Of course this debuted where worked a 10 hour day without much of a break and had some things to do last night. I didn’t get a chance to sit down until almost 10pm. But to be able to relax and watch finally watch this was truly a gift. The best thing she’s done visually in 25 years. Since her ROL/Music eras. YES - she’s done some incredible work in between. But she hasn’t taken my breath away like this since then. EVERY single song sounds so good. Every little detail is just perfect. She looks comfortable, relaxed, and hasn’t come across this effortlessly cool and confident in a long time. You can tell she’s proud of this entire project. It genuinely feels like another career peak.

Maybe it’s because I’m of a certain age where she’s always just ‘been there’ and I don’t know a world without Madonna in it, but something about this performance was almost emotional. Like, here she is, STILL out there. STILL performing. STILL making current music. STILL proving her relevance. STILL being Madonna. The fact that she could either be dead or resting on her laurels isn’t lost on me. I’ll be the first to say that some of her choices and antics over the last 15 years or so have been irksome and eye rolling, but at the end of the day, at least she’s still being true to herself. As I approach Turing 46, that kind of free spirited approach to aging is so inspiring. I think 40 years from now when she’s sadly no longer with us, society will look back at this point in her career and give her an enormous amount of credit for staying on the forefront of pop culture like this at her age. When Arianna, Beyonce’, Taylor, Sabrina, Billie, and Olivia are 67 years old, I have ZERO doubt they will be using the playbook that Madonna is writing in real on how to confront ageism as a female pop star. At the end of the day, it may be one of the most important foundations to her legacy. We ALL owe her an enormous amount of gratitude.

Love this song so much. It’s got that breezy summer escapism that is absolutely perfect for the season. I was listening to it during a walk as the sun was setting last night and, for me, it captured the moment perfectly. There’s something about it that’s nostalgic, magical and warm. I love when she’s able to do that with music. Like Angel, Borderline, True Blue, Cherish, Turn Up The Radio and Rebel Heart. Songs that just make you smile. Love Sensation does that. Everything about this era is perfect.

She looks great and seemed really relaxed here, but the entire thing came across as so trashy to me. The setting, the crowd, the conversation, the platform. There are plenty of other arenas for her to talk besides Grindr to reach the LGBTQ audience.

This interview clearly wasn’t meant to be taken seriously. Seemed kind of unnecessary tbh. Fine, but forgettable. That podcast she did with Jay Shetty proved she still has A LOT to say and is extremely insightful when she’s in the right environment and asked the right questions. I always loved the chemistry between her and Cynthia McFadden, personally.

I had my AirPods in during a run the other day and can I just say that I Feel So Free followed by the Above and Beyond remix of What It Feels Like For A Girl is the most divine transition ever. Madonna, if you’re reading this - here are the first two songs you should perform on the tour.

I’m actually quite satisfied with the rollout so far, minus the fact we don’t have a video for either of the songs. To me, regardless of what their strategy is, it feels a bit like a missed opportunity. But I’ll reserve my judgement until the long form video is released next month. But overall, they’ve done an impressive job of overhauling Madonna’s image to the masses which I believe was the single most important part of this new era. Not since the first Confessions era has she seemed so ‘cool’ or chic or current. She’s turning heads again for all the RIGHT reasons. If we think about what we’ve gotten in just the last MONTH, it’s pretty extraordinary. If this is the plan, to have these little ‘bumps’ of songs, interviews, performances, visuals, announcements, etc. sprinkled in throughout the next few months, I’m absolutely here for it.