dollhouse Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Reductive review Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plaything Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 The Gay mags are so damn prudish. They'd respect and appreciate her more if she turned into Streisand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markm Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 The Gay mags are so damn prudish. They'd respect and appreciate her more if she turned into Streisand. Yes and they heap praise all over Kylie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozenlight Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 I listened to the NYTimes podcast on RH, and John Pareles keeps praising the record. Do you think the final NYTimes verdict will come out as positive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 I listened to the NYTimes podcast on RH, and John Pareles keeps praising the record. Do you think the final NYTimes verdict will come out as positive? Love that podcast! I love when he says she is great at writing hooks, and that obviously it is HER talent because they have always been there through so many producers. Love Ben Ratliff praising the soul in her voice as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonski43 Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 NME is a UK publication... Yes, but its website is international and gets nearly half its visitors from the US. However the print publication is going down the pan. It's sales are less than 15k a week. The twatter twitter guy only has 3000 followers too who probably don't like M anyway. It's so reflective of the media though - white middle class males who want to bring down successful women. I'm hoping that this will be a grower of an album. MDNA had too many silly songs that undermined its credibility but this is stronger all round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelvvv Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 It's so reflective of the media though - white middle class males who want to bring down successful women. Truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotos8 Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 No. Boston Globe and Boston Phoenix do, but not Boston Herald. Who cares about metacritic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carey Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Interesting, reading that review I would have assumed a lower score. It irks me when they say things like "It wont join the ranks of "insert acclaimed album" etc" It isn't a competition between her records. Madonna isn't Michael Jackson, she isn't trying to recreate her "Thriller" or have another 2.0 moment and that is arguably why she has stayed relevant for so long. She's plugged in and lives in the moment. How can you try and recreate an album that was 20+ years ago when she's so grown and far past all the feelings of that time? They don't understand her artistry or dare I say, the concept of that word in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXL Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 The Gay mags are so damn prudish. They'd respect and appreciate her more if she turned into Streisand. No, they and most of the media world just love to worship and fawn over starlets with little to zero talent who are used as interchangeable puppets with no voice/opinion/education whatsoever. As always, some, luckily not most people, cannot cope with Madonna's astounding longevity. I can't at all those slant/pitchfork type blogs' customary level of condescension towards her. And I don't care if they made an effort this time and conceded better reviews What Madonna did on that Italian TV show last Sunday and on Le Grand Journal, Grammys, Brits etc etc is a big memo to the rest of the industry. And not just for female singers, a lot of male superstars could learn a lot from her too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombigbee Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Who cares about metacritic? Everyone that reads music reviews. Just them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carey Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/be-still-the-unseemly-beating-of-madonnas-rebel-heart/2015/03/08/645dc50c-c5a2-11e4-b2a1-bed1aaea2816_story.html A new Madonna album, a fresh reminder that we’re all going to die. That probably isn’t the take-away the pop matriarch was aiming for with her 13th — and 13th-best — studio album, “Rebel Heart.” But as time continues to march us all off toward our respective expiration dates, we’ll continue to crave art that distracts us from our terminal destiny by making us feel young. And while the line between the bliss of escapism and the unseemliness of denial can be a blurry one, which side this album falls on is not. And it hurts! Back in 1989, this conquering pop queen was rallying for confidence, freedom and excellence with such ease: “Don’t go for second best, baby!” Now, her music sounds so tentative, so trapped, so shabby. Ageism is a cruel and formidable force in popland, but Madonna’s desire to live forever young isn’t exactly the problem, here. It’s the fact that she takes pains to sound so juvenile. The lyrics on “Rebel Heart” feel almost violently resistant to wisdom, as if espousing even the slightest air of sophistication might remind the planet that Madonna is now 56 years old. So instead, we get the lumpy neo-reggae of “Unapologetic Bitch,” in which she sasses a boy-toy: “See you trying to call me, but I blocked you on my phone.” Over the bratty dubstep of “Bitch, I’m Madonna,” she brags of partying so hard that “the neighbor’s pissed and says he’s gonna call the five-o.” And on “Devil Pray” — a song that doesn’t have the word “bitch” in the title — she rattles off a menu of intoxicants: “We can do drugs, and we can smoke weed, and we can drink whiskey/Yeah, we can get high, and we can get stoned/And we can sniff glue, and we can do E, and we can drop acid. . . .” Which one will best help us forget that this is happening? As she did on her last album, 2012’s almost-as-bad “MDNA,” Madonna has called on a hodgepodge of hitmakers to help produce these tunes. And this time the list includes Diplo, Avicii, Kanye West and Ariel Rechtshaid, all names skimmed off the top of today’s pop marquee. Accordingly, “Rebel Heart” sounds dispassionate and incurious about the world it’s trying so hard to participate in. But when things go especially awry, they do so in perversely interesting ways. Like when boxing legend Mike Tyson shows up to play the hype-man on “Iconic.” Or when rap great Nas materializes for “Veni, Vidi, Vici,” a duet in which Madonna raps the autobiographical highlights from her Wikipedia page. For an album so lacking in personality, these quirks go a long way. Overall, the spackle holding “Rebel Heart” together is the fact that Madonna is still intent on making dance music — perhaps for a dance floor that now exists only in her imagination. Or maybe it’s stadium filler. When she hits the road later this year, we’ll be reminded that Madonna has only two living peers: Bruce Springsteen and Prince. The trio rose to ubiquity in the ’80s, exploiting the black magic of MTV to cement the enduring ideal of pop-star-as-character. Today, all three of those characters enjoy very different relationships with their flocks. Prince delights in defying expectations while Springsteen fulfills them with plenty of gusto and little imagination. As for Madonna, it’s trickier. From the launch of her career through her last great album, 2005’s excellent “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” Madonna has been throwing her parties in spaces the masses might not otherwise visit. And maybe that’s what’s happening on “Rebel Heart”: Instead of actually forging a meaningful dialogue with contemporary pop music, she’s simply trying to make her longtime fans feel as if they’re connecting with 2015 kiddo-culture. But that’s a charitable hypothesis, and for those of us who don’t need Madonna to hold our hand on a tour through today’s teeming pop scene, “Rebel Heart” will sound like a string of poor decisions made by an icon with evaporating confidence and deteriorating taste. And that’s a far cry from even second best. Not even one positive thing. Why are obviously biased people allowed to write reviews? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikki Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 at least it doesn't count. im not even gonna read it or give it attention. fucking a hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Routa Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 But 70 from Attitude isn't that horrible. And that counts for metacritic right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plaything Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 No, they and most of the media world just love to worship and fawn over starlets with little to zero talent who are used as interchangeable puppets with no voice/opinion/education whatsoever. As always, some, luckily not most people, cannot cope with Madonna's astounding longevity. Well I mentioned the gay critics only and I stand by what I said: they obviously admire M and enjoy her longevity but they'd appreciate her more if she would 'act her age' and drop the sex/bitch/grillz stuff. We as hardcore fans know that'll never happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glindathegood Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/be-still-the-unseemly-beating-of-madonnas-rebel-heart/2015/03/08/645dc50c-c5a2-11e4-b2a1-bed1aaea2816_story.html Not even one positive thing. Why are obviously biased people allowed to write reviews? I knew it would be that way, Chris Richards of the Post hates her. He's an idiot in general though. He bashed Sleater Kinney and thought it was great that Kanye interrupted Beck's award presentation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR! Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 I agree with the Attitude reviewer that RH is not on par with ROL or LAP but is way above her last two records MDNA & HC. I think that most on here will agree to that statement. IMO, fair review! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sloane Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Madonna is still intent on making dance music — perhaps for a dance floor that now exists only in her imagination. ouch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Msig Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 One more Danish review, this time from the newspaper Politiken. Once again, my rough translation below: The stubborn blonde returns to form with a catchy pop album With Rebel Heart, Madonna proves that she is still relevant. Simply because she's Madonna. In the music video for her latest single, "Living for Love", Madonna has once again taken up the bullfighting. Wearing a sparkly matador jacket, her look is reminiscent of the "Take a Bow" video, which was aired to death by MTV back in 1994, when MTV was still relevant. With its housey beats, "Living for Love" is also musically retrospective, sounding like an updated version of a classic Madonna song. You have to admit that the 56-year-old icon is stubborn. Even though she's been following trends for the past decade rather than setting them, she doesn't seem to have considered changing her strategy or succumbing to her age. On her 13th album, Rebel Heart, Madonna insists on being Madonna, with all its implications, including sexuality, Catholicism and vulnerability. We're getting the full treatment in 2015: A world tour marking the 30th anniversary of her Virgin Tour, platinum-blonde poses on magazine covers and the mandatory handful of hot producers. The question that remains to be answered is whether Madonna is still able to seduce a world now that she has been copied by everyone else, including Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Beyoncé. My concerns started growing when Madonna performed on the Grammy Awards a few weeks ago, breathless and looking like a shadow of her former self. Not to mention her disastrous appearance on at the Brit Award, when she tumbled down from the stage during her perfomance. But I was positively surprised when I heard the album Rebel Heart. It's not a revolutionary album on par with Ray of Light, but it's much stronger than any of her last few albums. Madonna the chameleon Madonna's musical origin is the creative chaos of 1980s' New York when Grace Jones, Herbie Hancock and Talking Heads were at the peak of their careers. Dancing was what Madonna did - and what she continues to do. Dance-pop has been the backbone of all her albums since her 1983 debut. Madonna has often been described as a chameleon". Whenever one trend dies and the next one emerges, Madonna follows along. Thus, Madonna the dancer transformed into Madonna the musician, who has always been making danceable music. Danceable music is also a description that applies to Rebel Heart. However, unlike the disaster that was MDNA, on which no traces of personality were present, Madonna's main focus this time around has been the actual songwriting. She wrote all the songs before hiring producers such as Diplo, Blood Diamonds, Ariel Rechtshaid and Kanye West. This is what makes all the difference. Her best album in 10 years Madonna is spiritual rather than preachy on this record. On songs such as "Joan of Arc", she lets down her guard to reveal emotions that she usually hides from the public. In many ways, Rebel Heart sounds like Madonna has found herself again. It certainly proves that she is still relevant as a musician. Here you'll find both grandiose pop anthems and ritual provocations; songs destined for larger-than-live performances and quieter thoughtful moment. And unfortunately also an odd sequencing, exemplified by "S.E.X." being followed by "Messiah". Long story short, Rebel Heart is Madonna's best album since Confessions on a Dance Floor. But it's far too long with far too many fillers. If Madonna had cut off the weaker half of the songs, the resulting album might have been the best of her career. Rating: 4/6 Original article (in Danish): http://politiken.dk/kultur/musik/cd-beat/ECE2578740/den-staedige-blondine-vender-staerkt-tilbage-med-faengende-popalbum/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikki Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 stop quoting that washpost article. glinda already said he's a hater. don't even link him, really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 I agree with the Attitude reviewer that RH is not on par with ROL or LAP but is way above her last two records MDNA & HC. I think that most on here will agree to that statement. IMO, fair review! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glindathegood Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 stop quoting that washpost article. glinda already said he's a hater. don't even link him, really. He's actually pretty bitchy and hateful towards most artists. I guess it's his "thing", and he thinks it's funny or amusing. I don't remember him ever saying anything good about anyone. You would think a credible newspaper like the Post would have a more serious music reviewer like the New York Times does. He wrote an article about how he thinks it's great when artists trash talk other artists in the media. That's his level of intelligence and artistic dialogue that he likes to write. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy Jan Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Yes, that Washington Post review was dreadful. Apart from the obvious dislike of Madonna, there was no music actually reviewed. Just an essay really on why this nasty man does not like Madonna. Glinda was right about him as a person and reviewer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Who cares about metacritic? I don't know, the person who asked me if it counted, I suppose! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 He's actually pretty bitchy and hateful towards most artists. I guess it's his "thing", and he thinks it's funny or amusing. I don't remember him ever saying anything good about anyone. You would think a credible newspaper like the Post would have a more serious music reviewer like the New York Times does. He wrote an article about how he thinks it's great when artists trash talk other artists in the media. That's his level of intelligence and artistic dialogue that he likes to write. You called this one days ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glindathegood Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 You called this one days ago! Reviewers can be so predictable. You know there are the haters like him and the almost fan people like Jim Farber and Edna from USA Today. I guess it's hard to approach someone like Madonna with no preconceptions. Maybe if you just arrived on Earth from Mars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Msig Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Yet another Danish review, from the music magazine Gaffa: Madonna - Rebel Heart As a whole, Rebel Heart is a tiresome mess of an album. The six songs that were released in December promised well for the full album. Unfortunately, it wasn't worth waiting fo. Those 6 songs are the most interesting, by far. The album is well-produced, but once again sees Madonna following trends that peaked a few years ago, combined with a few cringe-worthy and forced attempts at provoking the Catholic church. She should have spent some more time on the actual songwriting. The songs here are decent, but unmemorable, especially on the second half of the album. Musically, it sounds like Madonna has chosen to go down the safe route. "Body Shop", however, proves that Madonna is still capable of creating magnificent pop tunes. On the other hand, by-the-numbers ballads such as "HeartBreakCity" and "Wash All Over Me" are delivered so half-heartedly that you'd rather skip them in favour of hearing "Unapologetic Bitch" and "Illuminati" again. It would suit Madonna to quit the forced provocations and the most embarrassing vulgarities. That would allow her to focus on creating a solid album. Rebel Heart is one of those albums that make you appreciate the era of playlists, Rating: 3/6 Original article (in Danish): http://gaffa.dk/anmeldelse/93225 Another newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, rated the album 5/6, but I won't have access to read the full review until tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Yet another Danish review, from the music magazine Gaffa: Madonna - Rebel Heart As a whole, Rebel Heart is a tiresome mess of an album. The six songs that were released in December promised well for the full album. Unfortunately, it wasn't worth waiting fo. Those 6 songs are the most interesting, by far. The album is well-produced, but once again sees Madonna following trends that peaked a few years ago, combined with a few cringe-worthy and forced attempts at provoking the Catholic church. She should have spent some more time on the actual songwriting. The songs here are decent, but unmemorable, especially on the second half of the album. Musically, it sounds like Madonna has chosen to go down the safe route. "Body Shop", however, proves that Madonna is still capable of creating magnificent pop tunes. On the other hand, by-the-numbers ballads such as "HeartBreakCity" and "Wash All Over Me" are delivered so half-heartedly that you'd rather skip them in favour of hearing "Unapologetic Bitch" and "Illuminati" again. It would suit Madonna to quit the forced provocations and the most embarrassing vulgarities. That would allow her to focus on creating a solid album. Rebel Heart is one of those albums that make you appreciate the era of playlists, Rating: 3/6 Original article (in Danish): http://gaffa.dk/anmeldelse/93225 Another newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, rated the album 5/6, but I won't have access to read the full review until tomorrow. Thank you for all the translations. Your papers are really loving that 3/6 rating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXL Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Well I mentioned the gay critics only and I stand by what I said: they obviously admire M and enjoy her longevity but they'd appreciate her more if she would 'act her age' and drop the sex/bitch/grillz stuff. We as hardcore fans know that'll never happen. And I think that says it all about their credibility as reviewers of someone's work. And from a gay audience and point of view, as far as Madonna and Barbra are concerned they should understand the difference better (and they do know it). To think that Madonna should start being Streisand is preposterous It's like comparing apple and oranges. Madonna is a singer and a performance artist. Streisand is only the former. Their reviews are biased like 80% of the "general" media outlets. The day Madonna does something to please a magazine or a TV presenter that'll be a day to worry about. I think that if they really appreciated her longevity they wouldn't rate her work based on the grills at 56 or not or her being more Streisand-like. I think a lot of gay people have this idea that Madonna somehow and for some odd reason should do what they want her to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glindathegood Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Why do Danish reviews have 6 as the highest score? Seems like an odd number to choose! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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