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Madame X album general discussion


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8 hours ago, Ray Finkle said:

I totally agree.

Today I noticed how thoughtful the tracklist is.

In Medellín, M is candid and wants to discover the world.

From Dark Ballet to Killers, she observes the state of the world and sends a message of awareness.

In the C section, she analyzes her personal life / love life and empowers herself. The mood starts to change. It's confirmed in Extreme Occident : she looks into herself and starts to think positive again.

Then in Faz Gostoso, Bitch I'm Loca and I Don't Search I Find, she can be happy again and enjoy life.

She goes back to introspection in Looking for Mercy, to find a balance between her state of mind and the state of the world.

And finally, with I Rise, she sends and empowering message to the world and to herself.

Now I get why EO and LFM, while absent of the Standard Edition, aren't put at the end of the record. And we can also think that the dynamic of Madame X still works without these tracks. (Don't get me wrong, I love those songs, I wouldn't want them out of the album).

Brilliantly stated and very well thought out!!!  :clap::clap::clap:

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8 hours ago, Jazzy Jan said:

Yes,  get what you are saying.   Some albums can give different reactions later.  Same with songs.  I did not rave about Bad Girl until I saw the video and somehow it just clicked and I now adore it.   I did not love Heartbreak city the song (  sorry @runa,  who was stunned )   but when I saw her perform it live at Rebel Heart tour,  I found it powerful, beautiful and I know wonder how on earth I did not love it earlier.  I think it was the lyrics which somehow I did not earlier like but have done a complete 360 on it.,  One of my favourite powerful ballads of hers now and I adore her ballads.  Was once underwhelmed with the song Secret but now I love it so much. 

With Madame X,  I have found that I have 4 songs that I have loved a lot  from the start.   Never changed my views on them.  I have now added Crave to that list and I was not fond of that song at all at first - mainly due to the first verse.   Somehow Madame X has not hit me with the same love as other Madonna albums but that is OK.  In contrast,  I have a great great love for I'm Breathless.  Love the majority of songs on that album so much.  I always enjoy the songs I love and don't let the songs I don't love get too much into my thoughts.  Knowing too that songs can grow more later.  I love Rebel Heart the album with a passion and many Madonna fans don't rate it at all.  It is all personal choice with Madonna and I love that.   Always like hearing what songs other passionate Madonna fans  love.  Madonna has made the best music of my life.  I don't go a day without listening to one of her songs.

I don't like spoilers either.  But that is the same for everything.  Movies, tv shows, books -  I never want to know much in advance about anything.  Find the full on effect on release is always want I want.    

I can totally relate with what you're saying! I've not totally gotten into this album, but Crave was one of my favorites from the start. Everyone is special in their own way, in regards to how we all relate differently with Madonna's music. I love it!

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I'm still loving every second of this amazing album. I still get excited when I put it on shuffle, like "What's next?" 🙂

And other times, I have to do start to finish and experience the journey. 

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I listened a lot in the beginning, after the release. Now not so much. I thought about it the other day and I have no clear answer as to why. It might be that the sound of parts of this album is sonically quite "messy". I understand that that is what she aimed for, but I'm not so fond of it. Although I really like the fact that she felt inspired and creative on this album. I doesn't really sound like anything else out there.

But I think many of the critics were right when they made clear that people will be divided over this album. On the other hand that's what artists do, they follow their path. I think that's where she is right now.

I am however, as someone else pointed out, a little disappointed in the marketing of the album. She hasn't been very visible in the media and when she has been she's seemed very nervous and I really don't understand why. 

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I still consider it a very strong album with a fantastic concept and exciting production but to be honest I prefer Rebel Heart‘s „simpler“ and catchier pop melodies. Which is weird because I tend to prefer Experimentaldonna and American Life is one of my favorite albums ever but with Madame X only a handful of songs really stuck with me and some artistic choices (especially the way some vocals were produced) are just not the tea (for me).

Maybe it will change in future but I only listen to about 6 songs from it these days. That said, I am beyond excited for the tour and I am sure I will change my mind about some songs after I have seen them being performed live.

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41 minutes ago, Plaything said:

I still consider it a very strong album with a fantastic concept and exciting production but to be honest I prefer Rebel Heart‘s „simpler“ and catchier pop melodies. Which is weird because I tend to prefer Experimentaldonna and American Life is one of my favorite albums ever but with Madame X only a handful of songs really stuck with me and some artistic choices (especially the way some vocals were produced) are just not the tea (for me).

Maybe it will change in future but I only listen to about 6 songs from it these days. That said, I am beyond excited for the tour and I am sure I will change my mind about some songs after I have seen them being performed live.

Good to see you again Plaything.  Always love reading your views. 

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Guest eroticerotic

Def enjoying the album still. Killers flows really well with what im . Working on. I’ll prob ask for clearance to use it. It’s such a great song

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1 hour ago, Jazzy Jan said:

Good to see you again Plaything.  Always love reading your views. 

Thanks Jazzy, that’s nice of you. I stepped back and morphed into lurker mode because I didn’t want to kill anyone’s excitement with my less enthusiastic views. But I still enjoy being part of the ‚Nation‘ and love reading your posts. 👍

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 Anyone who can objectively form opinions about music should be able to listen to Madame X and at the very least appreciate what she did here. It’s a true sonic experience. A journey.

I remember I compared this to Tori Amos’s Boys for Pele but I think it’s actually far more similar to Scarlets Walk. Both albums are about an alter ego who’s talking about social and political upheaval. Both are about a woman on a sonic journey during tumultuous times. Although MX is more worldly than SW, they truly share an extremely similar concept. 

I have mad respect for Madonna for releasing an album like this nearly 40 years into her career. She’s not resting on her laurels. She’s not in Vegas singing her greatest hits. She’s not releasing a covers album. She’s continuing to push the boundaries of what it means to be a pop star.

However, having Madame X on the majority of the summer still hasn’t changed my mind personally tho. I just can’t get into it the way I have with her previous albums. And that’s ok. An artist like Madonna (or Tori for that matter) can’t release albums that set my soul on fire each and every time. 

The songs from the album that I love, I REALLY LOVE: Crave, Come Alive, Medellin, God Control, IDSIF, & I Rise are some of her absolute best. 

And who knows, I may find a time in my life when MX really grabs me. Happened with American Life. Happened with Tori’s Under The Pink. That’s the beauty of these two artists. Their records are timeless and they can creep up on you when you least expect it. 

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...I don't listen to the album anymore. Unfortunately I could not connect to it. The only song I really like is Medellin. The other two songs I kinda like are Batuka and Looking For Mercy. The rest doesn't do it for me. I love catchy melodies and harmonies… but what I mostly miss is the fun and ease element. For me MX sounds all too strained and serious. 

I am glad though that Madonna is still creative and providing us with new material and that you guys here love MX so much... though I'd rather listen to Over And Over, I'm Going Bananas, True Blue, Gambler, Who's That Girl or the songs from COADF. Madonna's music is so diversified… So for each their own... 

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13 hours ago, YannBouch said:

So madame X is bad now? come on 

MX follows the natural way of the last albums: since they are not commercial successes, their artistic qualities vanish so brutally for certain fans who are still hooked to the past. That said, it was obvious that this album would have a divided reception despite its very high quality. In general, the public does not want to think and enjoy a culture of emptiness that does not challenge them. MX is a politicized album that demands an effort from the listener. It was obvious that this would put off many people.

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Madame X is unique. 

I felt like I had to put her to one side for a while. Like so many have said, she is such a rich body of work and hard to digest.

I listened again from beginning to end last night for the first time in weeks. It's the only way for this story to be told - in sequence and as a fully body of work.

I stand by my reaction  in the first few weeks; it's in my top 3 Madonna albums. I feel like that goes; Erotica, Ray of Light, Madame X.

I've never got the love for the AL album. I see how people can compare her to that, but for me she is far more complex both in themes and in sound. Madame X feels like her own entity and feels more like a Tori Amos or Kate Bush album; conceptual and raw. I don't mind the auto tune; I feel like it adds to the mystique of Madame X. 

I'm glad we got her and I've gotten to know her so well. She feels like a friend, though one that only visits when she can. I don't expect her to stick around for too long each visit; and she is the one doing all the talking when we meet. She's interesting and arresting but she's never going to make me feel warm; she's just here to inform.

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We are 3 longtime madonna's fans: my sister, my best friend and I... every album they are less and less interested by her new music. For madame X it's terrible: they were first totally horrify by Medellin (let's say raggaeton Madonna is not what they expected to), then they watch eurovision (embarassed and bored). When the allum was out, there was not even one song they liked. I tried with god control, a bit of disco doesn't kill anyone, but they really dislike the album. I gave up. I said to them, guys you're not really a fan anymore, but in fact I was wrong, they listen more madonna's old hits than myself. In my case, I allways want Madonna to be praised, but in fact, I don't listen madame X, and even less and less madonna's music (except when I'm drunk or nostalgic or in a special mood). Maybe I'm the one who is becoming less and less fan. That why I really want her to look back and do a greatest hits tour or something for her legacy. Because 10 years without a commercial succes for a superstar like Madonna is too much to handle.

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50 minutes ago, Monkey said:

We are 3 longtime madonna's fans: my sister, my best friend and I... every album they are less and less interested by her new music. For madame X it's terrible: they were first totally horrify by Medellin (let's say raggaeton Madonna is not what they expected to), then they watch eurovision (embarassed and bored). When the allum was out, there was not even one song they liked. I tried with god control, a bit of disco doesn't kill anyone, but they really dislike the album. I gave up. I said to them, guys you're not really a fan anymore, but in fact I was wrong, they listen more madonna's old hits than myself. In my case, I allways want Madonna to be praised, but in fact, I don't listen madame X, and even less and less madonna's music (except when I'm drunk or nostalgic or in a special mood). Maybe I'm the one who is becoming less and less fan. That why I really want her to look back and do a greatest hits tour or something for her legacy. Because 10 years without a commercial succes for a superstar like Madonna is too much to handle.

The difference between us is that I do not put people famous or other wise,  in boxes.  I do not try to dictate art or insist that it speak directly to my personal needs each and every time.  There are billions of us on the planet and I respect that truth.  And I don't participate in fan blogs with the purpose of killing the energy or informing people that there heroes are fading.  I thank the powers that be each and every day that M did not stop after The Immaculate Collection.  Madonna is the mother of reinvention and always has been and my journey with her has been magical.  M has grown so much since Lucky Star, Like A Virgin and even Like a Prayer.  Personally, I am far more interested in what M has to say today than what she said in 1985... 86...89.  If I wasn't,  I would not waste my time on a "fan" blog in 2019.  It is a big world, find something that speaks to you but please don't waste your time telling others that our star is falling.

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9 minutes ago, sul8323 said:

The difference between us is that I do not put people famous or other wise,  in boxes.  I do not try to dictate art or insist that it speak directly to my personal needs each and every time.  There are billions of us on the planet and I respect that truth.  And I don't participate in fan blogs with the purpose of killing the energy or informing people that there heroes are fading.  I thank the powers that be each and every day that M did not stop after The Immaculate Collection.  Madonna is the mother of reinvention and always has been and my journey with her has been magical.  M has grown so much since Lucky Star, Like A Virgin and even Like a Prayer.  Personally, I am far more interested in what M has to say today than what she said in 1985... 86...89.  If I wasn't,  I would not waste my time on a "fan" blog in 2019.  It is a big world, find something that speaks to you but please don't waste your time telling others that our star is falling.

Sorry if I sounded negative, I really didn't want kill your mood. I'm a huge Madonna fan, and that won't change, she is part of my life and my personal story.

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On 9/3/2019 at 11:58 AM, Icykiller said:

Are we all still enjoying this amazing album? I for one am still thrilled about it, and can't wait to see how she translates the songs to the live setting. MX is THE '10s M album for me. 

Yep. Me too. I’m excited how she’s gonna translate the new songs to the stage!! As well as the old hits she’ll sprinkle throughout. 💜

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2 hours ago, Monkey said:

 That why I really want her to look back and do a greatest hits tour or something for her legacy. Because 10 years without a commercial succes for a superstar like Madonna is too much to handle.

Didn't she do that already with The Re-Invention Tour in 2004? I think she would just be repeating herself. That's the magic of Madonna is that she takes her music in new directions and won't do the same things over and over and sell out for commercial success. She's a true artist in that way, and doesn't care what people expect from her. She's at a place now where she can afford to take more risks, whereas in the early part of her career she needed to play it a little more safe. Not many female pop stars are in that position to do what they want, they have to keep listening to the people around them.

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2 hours ago, Drowned World said:

Didn't she do that already with The Re-Invention Tour in 2004? I think she would just be repeating herself. That's the magic of Madonna is that she takes her music in new directions and won't do the same things over and over and sell out for commercial success. She's a true artist in that way, and doesn't care what people expect from her. She's at a place now where she can afford to take more risks, whereas in the early part of her career she needed to play it a little more safe. Not many female pop stars are in that position to do what they want, they have to keep listening to the people around them.

Not really, reinvention tour was not a proper greatest hits tour... but whatever i’m off topic.

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