MADAME X: official reviews are in: MADAME X is a hit with the critics!

[Illuminati]

I'm so sad that German media reviews are so mean-spirited and bad. Hate how they love to tear her apart. 

[kubi]

Why do German media dislike her so much? Hilariously I have a few friends there who are massive fans. Like homegurl changes his Instagram handle to reflect his Madonna mood, lol.

[fandonna]

Germany should know that Madonna is the biggest chart topper in german music history. 

[karbatal]

Why paying so much attention to Germany? They've always been a Janet Jackson land. Fact.

[Musicinferno]

5 minutes ago, karbatal said:

Why paying so much attention to Germany? They've always been a Janet Jackson land. Fact.

not true!

[stevo208]

All the people who tweeted after the listening party still haven't given their verdicts, despite their initial twitter excitement.

Lucy O Brien (MOJO)

Dan Wooton

A few others including one who I think writes for Attitude

[Timtom]

 No one knows Janet here anymore! Janet Who??

[Nonoka]

16 minutes ago, karbatal said:

Why paying so much attention to Germany? They've always been a Janet Jackson land. Fact.

Well outside of the US and UK it's the biggest music market for her. She shifted almost 100k tickets for the last tour over the course of 5 concerts, so there's still clearly a lot of public interest as well.

This whole press situation really is a bit perplexing. She rarely had it easy with critics but this time it almost looks like a competition between newspapers on who writes the most damning article (already started with the Eurovision performance). And we're not talking some obscure local papers or tabloids, but reputable big papers with (theoretically) serious journalists. Oh well.

I'm very happy though to see the US and UK giving mostly serious reviews! 

[Nikki]

14 minutes ago, karbatal said:

Why paying so much attention to Germany? They've always been a Janet Jackson land. Fact.

madonna is the most successful female in Germany.. 

it's just the media that's always been nasty

[Wunderkind]

14 minutes ago, karbatal said:

Why paying so much attention to Germany? They've always been a Janet Jackson land. Fact.

Actually, no. Madonna is the most successful female artist on the German charts. That’s a fact  

How about criticizing those idiot journalists and not putting down a country?

[Raider of the lost Ark]

Well, here is the unsettling truth about the German media, especially those so called critics/reviewers. They like to build you up, just to destroy you the next chance they get. (Ever heard of Ute Lemper? A great talent in musical theatre. The way she was treated in the early 90s was incredibly ugly. I think she even left Germany because of the hate she received). They think they have some power and therefore make use of it. Keep in mind that Germany is (or at least) was a country with very high standards in journalism. Especially after the 3rd Reich, when the media was nothing more than a propanda tool for the Nazis. Today of course it is all about access. And I doubt Madonna gave them any. This rejection turns most of them into self righteous cunts. Never had a creative moment of their own, yet they believe they have a right to judge the output of more creative people. 

In addition to that, writing negative shit will result in lots of clicks and comments. It brings in the haters and the defenders. Der Spiegel (the online edition) has become notorious for click bait articles. Many of them being badly researched or intentionally offensive. Makes one wonder if those articles are actually written by journalists or external writers/interns. It's a shame actually for possibly the most respected weekly publication in Germany. The writer won't care (zhe same one who wrote that "career ending" article about Eurovision), it will give him probably the most read, most commented and most send article of the day. In the end another Z-lister using Madonna for his personal gain. 

[Kilt]

But even her old fans will not be able to fool her with an X for a U: in the meantime, they would probably rather prefer the quiet singer / songwriter album. But Madonna's play was never the authentic, but always the artificial character veneer. She can not do anything else. She can not think of music or the blues, she can not give a solo evening on the piano, and there is no gospel concert in the church. Her techniques were always just the cultural imperialist of Western pop, her performative capital was always her body as well - both are now exhausted.

So Madonna dances lonely from the ruins of her throne her gloomy ballet. And the young princesses celebrate in the former colonies. For them, this fairytale has a happy ending. For the queen? Who knows.

 

The Speigel reviewer word choice is just beyond dramatic and pretentious. 

[side_streets]

1 minute ago, Kilt said:

But even her old fans will not be able to fool her with an X for a U: in the meantime, they would probably rather prefer the quiet singer / songwriter album. But Madonna's play was never the authentic, but always the artificial character veneer. She can not do anything else. She can not think of music or the blues, she can not give a solo evening on the piano, and there is no gospel concert in the church. Her techniques were always just the cultural imperialist of Western pop, her performative capital was always her body as well - both are now exhausted.

So Madonna dances lonely from the ruins of her throne her gloomy ballet. And the young princesses celebrate in the former colonies. For them, this fairytale has a happy ending. For the queen? Who knows.

 

The Speigel reviewer word choice is just beyond dramatic and pretentious. 

This review is vicious shit! 

[Camacho]

22 minutes ago, Kilt said:

But even her old fans will not be able to fool her with an X for a U: in the meantime, they would probably rather prefer the quiet singer / songwriter album. But Madonna's play was never the authentic, but always the artificial character veneer. She can not do anything else. She can not think of music or the blues, she can not give a solo evening on the piano, and there is no gospel concert in the church. Her techniques were always just the cultural imperialist of Western pop, her performative capital was always her body as well - both are now exhausted.

So Madonna dances lonely from the ruins of her throne her gloomy ballet. And the young princesses celebrate in the former colonies. For them, this fairytale has a happy ending. For the queen? Who knows.

 

The Speigel reviewer word choice is just beyond dramatic and pretentious. 

Dreadful! Wtf is up with the German press?!

[Musicinferno]

28 minutes ago, Wunderkind said:

Actually, no. Madonna is the most successful female artist on the German charts. That’s a fact  

How about criticizing those idiot journalists and not putting down a country?

True. Germany loves Madonna. Even those who hate to admit it.

[Flip The Switch]

24 minutes ago, Kilt said:

But even her old fans will not be able to fool her with an X for a U: in the meantime, they would probably rather prefer the quiet singer / songwriter album. But Madonna's play was never the authentic, but always the artificial character veneer. She can not do anything else. She can not think of music or the blues, she can not give a solo evening on the piano, and there is no gospel concert in the church. Her techniques were always just the cultural imperialist of Western pop, her performative capital was always her body as well - both are now exhausted.

So Madonna dances lonely from the ruins of her throne her gloomy ballet. And the young princesses celebrate in the former colonies. For them, this fairytale has a happy ending. For the queen? Who knows.

 

The Speigel reviewer word choice is just beyond dramatic and pretentious. 

Germany loves Cuntga. There you go.

Absolutely disgusting and unbiased. 

[Coadf]

Nobody cares about Germany's poor taste. Madame X is already a hit with bigger critics. 

[Wunderkind]

Why is it so hard for people to stop with those fucking generalizations? Germany this, Germany that. A few moronic journalists spewe their verbal diarrhea. No more, no less. Germany’s poor taste? Really? 

Nobody says the UK hates Madonna when idiot Pierce Morgan goes in his usual Madonna rants, or the US hates M when one of those hags on The View puts her down. So calm your tits and direct your anger at those that earned it. 

[Kilt]

Let's cleanse this negativity with some Maluma

 

[side_streets]

Just now, Wunderkind said:

Why is it so hard for people to stop with those fucking generalizations? Germany this, Germany that. A few moronic journalists spewe their verbal diarrhea. No more, no less. Germany’s poor taste? Really? 

Nobody says the UK hates Madonna when idiot Pierce Morgan goes in his usual Madonna rants, or the US hates M when one of those hags on The View puts her down. So calm your tits and direct your anger at those that earned it. 

I felt the same when Western media depicted all Serbian people as genocidal lunatics who like to drink rakija and party all night long listening to the sound of turbo folk music. So, I agree with you, journalists are the problem not the country. 

[Plaything]

56 minutes ago, side_streets said:

I felt the same when Western media depicted all Serbian people as genocidal lunatics who like to drink rakija and party all night long listening to the sound of turbo folk music. So, I agree with you, journalists are the problem not the country. 

And here I am, a Serb who was born in Germany, who eventually got used to the hate both countries receive.

That said, I‘m sure no member on here is actually hating on any country per se and the generalisations are done in jest. But yes, the German media has been nasty to Madonna for a long time now. They loved her during ROL and Confessions, but that’s about it. They would love her again if she would start singing Power of Goodbye‘s again but that’s not going to happen.

Let’s focus more on the positive reviews and skip all reviews which don’t even the discuss the songs. No clicks for them!

[Cyber-Raga]

That Spiegel cunt really needs to go back to journalism school. His "article" was unbearable to read (content and style). It is so weird, Dark Ballet is my favorite song so far and this guy is tearing M a new one for Dark Ballet. Unbelievable. 

[XXL]

2 hours ago, Raider of the lost Ark said:

Well, here is the unsettling truth about the German media, especially those so called critics/reviewers. They like to build you up, just to destroy you the next chance they get. (Ever heard of Ute Lemper? A great talent in musical theatre. The way she was treated in the early 90s was incredibly ugly. I think she even left Germany because of the hate she received). They think they have some power and therefore make use of it. Keep in mind that Germany is (or at least) was a country with very high standards in journalism. Especially after the 3rd Reich, when the media was nothing more than a propanda tool for the Nazis. Today of course it is all about access. And I doubt Madonna gave them any. This rejection turns most of them into self righteous cunts. Never had a creative moment of their own, yet they believe they have a right to judge the output of more creative people. 

In addition to that, writing negative shit will result in lots of clicks and comments. It brings in the haters and the defenders. Der Spiegel (the online edition) has become notorious for click bait articles. Many of them being badly researched or intentionally offensive. Makes one wonder if those articles are actually written by journalists or external writers/interns. It's a shame actually for possibly the most respected weekly publication in Germany. The writer won't care (zhe same one who wrote that "career ending" article about Eurovision), it will give him probably the most read, most commented and most send article of the day. In the end another Z-lister using Madonna for his personal gain. 

 

That's very interesting. Thank you for elaborating on that. And giving us your perspective as someone who lives there

I had noticed this attitude towards her from 85% of articles in the German press for over a decade now. You can occasionally read dismissive and dumb pieces in the Italian press or the anglophone press but it's been really striking me how virtually almost everything they write about her in Germany has a negative connotation to it and for such a long time

I think her last moment of universal praise and love in Germany was at about DWT/Music era times? She guested on Wetten Does what three or four times over the decades? Remember when she visited Auschwitz in the summer of 2001. She was everywhere in the media that summer

[XXL]

1 hour ago, Kilt said:

Let's cleanse this negativity with some Maluma

 

 

Maluma is sweet and has zero attitude

On top of obviously being a handsome young man. I can totally see why Madonna felt safe allowing him into her world

He's also been very grateful so far. Unlike some of Madonna's previous squeak voiced, local, duet collaborators who will not be named and who probably thought they were doing her a favour or something

Funny how she continued filling arenas and stadiums after that record while the young hot things only wish to have achieved in their 30s what she's continued to amass in terms of public interest well into her 50s

[Shane]

She usually gets a great review from People and USA Today (Elyssa Gardener). Not sure if either counts for Metacritic.

[Nonoka]

 

1 hour ago, Plaything said:

And here I am, a Serb who was born in Germany, who eventually got used to the hate both countries receive.

That said, I‘m sure no member on here is actually hating on any country per se and the generalisations are done in jest. But yes, the German media has been nasty to Madonna for a long time now. They loved her during ROL and Confessions, but that’s about it. They would love her again if she would start singing Power of Goodbye‘s again but that’s not going to happen.

On a funny side note, I was just watching Sting perform on German late night TV (Markus Lanz), singing a dreary guitar version of his good ol' 1982 hit (while clearly struggling to keep longer notes), and he's receiving a standing ovation. Oh the irony.

No offense to Sting as he's obviously a talented artist who built up a big career too, but I was literally thinking of exactly what you said. 

Problem is, as others have already said, M is still moving along, creating new music, the music she wants to do - and giving zero fucks while at that. The more time goes by, I really think that's the crucial reason why she's receiving a very different treatment in the press compared to other big music artists.

[justinian]

3 hours ago, Nikki said:

madonna is the most successful female in Germany.. 

it's just the media that's always been nasty

She might be most successful....but strangely  her number ones in Germany only 4: la Isla bonita, american pie, hung up and 4 minutes

[Plaything]

6 minutes ago, justinian said:

She might be most successful....but strangely  her number ones in Germany only 4: la Isla bonita, american pie, hung up and 4 minutes

Well, world hits like Like A Prayer or Music got blocked from #1 by David Hasselhoff or Britney‘s classic gem „Lucky“. But enough of that...

[Carey]

currently sitting at 78 on metacritic.

[XXL]

4 hours ago, Kilt said:

But even her old fans will not be able to fool her with an X for a U: in the meantime, they would probably rather prefer the quiet singer / songwriter album. But Madonna's play was never the authentic, but always the artificial character veneer. She can not do anything else. She can not think of music or the blues, she can not give a solo evening on the piano, and there is no gospel concert in the church. Her techniques were always just the cultural imperialist of Western pop, her performative capital was always her body as well - both are now exhausted.

So Madonna dances lonely from the ruins of her throne her gloomy ballet. And the young princesses celebrate in the former colonies. For them, this fairytale has a happy ending. For the queen? Who knows.

 

The Speigel reviewer word choice is just beyond dramatic and pretentious. 

 

Omg

Talk about embarrassing

Shitty writing at its finest