stevo208 Posted July 3 Posted July 3 Just finished it. I cant review it now. Im overwhelmed. Im blown away. Wow. All I can say right now is that I've never been on a first date and fell in love instantly... until now. This is everything I wanted. What a journey. She is the greatest there ever will be. Quote
domyeyebrows Posted July 3 Posted July 3 I need to go to bed. So much to say. So many feelings. But let me just say two things: This is a revelatory album in many ways. How the FUCK do you get to 40+ years in your career then end an album with Lower East Side Girl which just tells everyone that what they know about you is the TIP of the iceberg. There is clearly still so much in her to come out, so many personal, beautiful songs. Wow. And secondly, half way through the album as I was immersed in this expansive, experimental, assured, confident soundscape, I just thought... SHE SOUNDS SO FREE. I'll write something proper up tomorrow. Wow. Quote
Benjl1993 Posted July 3 Posted July 3 Just finished the first full listen through. I'm trying to think objectively and not have fan goggles on, but it's an outstanding effort from a veteran artist. Easily her best album since Confessions 1, I think it's arguable it surpasses it too (I need more time to digest it). This is absolutely AOTY so far and one of the best of the decade. The first 10 tracks feel essential to me, absolutely killer, no filler. GFTS and OSA are sublime. Track 11 - School was the first that took me out of it just slightly and left me underwhelmed, then Fragile absolutely broke me and I started crying. That might be her most emotional song ever for me. The final 4 tracks are still good, but the energy had dampened a little. Can't wait to hammer this album. Quote
headonfire Posted July 3 Posted July 3 Just finished listening start to end, and let me tell you I'm a wreck right now, literally! What an emotional rollercoaster! I finished the record with one big cry, and cried many times all the way through! From euphoria, happiness, joy, and sadness. Quote
side_streets Posted July 3 Posted July 3 A triumph! It made me cried, a cathartic experience. My partner who passed away 5 years ago, would have loved it. This album is for him as well. I hope he have heard it! 🩷 Quote
headonfire Posted July 3 Posted July 3 I'm completely floored! What a journey this album is! I went from complete euphoria and joy to an emotional wreck with that final part of the album! If there was any fairness in how the music business works, this would be album of the year! Quote
smirnoff_ice Posted July 3 Posted July 3 Just finished it, it’s a stunning masterpiece. Only she can make me feel this way. A glorious rollercoaster of an album Quote
domyeyebrows Posted July 3 Posted July 3 4 minutes ago, side_streets said: A triumph! It made me cried, a cathartic experience. My partner who passed away 5 years ago, would have loved it. This album is for him as well. I hope he have heard it! 🩷 That's beautiful. I bet he heard it and loved it x Quote
sam1978mannheim Posted July 3 Posted July 3 Absolutely brilliant. Cannot describe my feelings. Madonna is best when she is vulnerable just like most of us here...that is why she is our idol and our savior! I just cannot express how much I love her! Quote
Rain Posted July 3 Posted July 3 It's too much.. I'm crying.. Can't deal... As someone said, Betrayal and LES Girl are THE songs. LES Girl is very Beatles. Love love love. The dance songs are fire but the sad songs are ... out of this world beautiful. Ladies and gents... : MADONNA. Quote
Carta Posted July 3 Posted July 3 2 hours ago, Nikki said: The whole album is fantastic.. except for Love Sensation (I really, really hate this song, Im sorry ) It's too Kylie and even Cher (woman's world) for me and I can't stand the vocals. I think it's a bit of a love letter to Akeem, which is cute and the only redemption it has for me, as it means it's a personal song, but I really don't like the feel of it Isn't it funny how taste works? I absolutely love the song (and I'd say it's my favourite on the album). I'm glad you love the album!! Quote
qaz Posted July 3 Posted July 3 1 hour ago, side_streets said: A triumph! It made me cried, a cathartic experience. My partner who passed away 5 years ago, would have loved it. This album is for him as well. I hope he have heard it! 🩷 Oh so sweet. Hope he is dancing! Quote
Carta Posted July 3 Posted July 3 1 hour ago, side_streets said: A triumph! It made me cried, a cathartic experience. My partner who passed away 5 years ago, would have loved it. This album is for him as well. I hope he have heard it! 🩷 He'll be up there streaming it on repeat on whatever platforms they have Quote
Tatu Posted July 3 Posted July 3 31 minutes ago, ThomasW said: omg 3 hrs That’s exactly what I’m thinking! Counting the minutes for this. I cannot wait. Quote
Ciccone's Cheeks Posted July 3 Posted July 3 5 minutes ago, Carta said: Isn't it funny how taste works? I absolutely love the song (and I'd say it's my favourite on the album). I'm glad you love the album!! lol fully w/ you! LS, Danceteria are my absolute instant top 2 favs. rn! Quote
Pink Elephants Posted July 3 Posted July 3 I have just over two hours until I can hear the full album. I've only heard IFSF, BYL, LS, all the snippets in the Confessions II film, and a snippet of "Bizarre." I have not heard anything else!!!!! I CANNOT WAIT!!! (I am also hoping that a certain someone who is having a big splashy wedding on the same day as a new Madonna release will also NOT drop a surprise album. I think the gays would lose their shit in anger, rightly so. LOL.) Anyway, I'm so happy for everyone else who has heard it already. Mother is back with a vengeance. Quote
bard Posted July 3 Posted July 3 2 hours ago, Benjl1993 said: Just finished the first full listen through. I'm trying to think objectively and not have fan goggles on, but it's an outstanding effort from a veteran artist. Easily her best album since Confessions 1, I think it's arguable it surpasses it too (I need more time to digest it). This is absolutely AOTY so far and one of the best of the decade. The first 10 tracks feel essential to me, absolutely killer, no filler. GFTS and OSA are sublime. Track 11 - School was the first that took me out of it just slightly and left me underwhelmed, then Fragile absolutely broke me and I started crying. That might be her most emotional song ever for me. The final 4 tracks are still good, but the energy had dampened a little. Can't wait to hammer this album. "school" is a very cool track, but not essential by any means. i think she should/could have whittled this down to 14 tracks ("school" and "betrayal." if only because sonically it sticks out, could have been b-sides or bonus tracks). Quote
toujours Posted July 3 Posted July 3 14 minutes ago, Pink Elephants said: I have just over two hours until I can hear the full album. I've only heard IFSF, BYL, LS, all the snippets in the Confessions II film, and a snippet of "Bizarre." I have not heard anything else!!!!! I CANNOT WAIT!!! (I am also hoping that a certain someone who is having a big splashy wedding on the same day as a new Madonna release will also NOT drop a surprise album. I think the gays would lose their shit in anger, rightly so. LOL.) Anyway, I'm so happy for everyone else who has heard it already. Mother is back with a vengeance. Have a great C2 journey! Quote
Beastialg Posted July 3 Posted July 3 The album is clearly a spiritual sequel to Confessions on a Dance Floor—not just in its title and visuals, but also in the continuous mix and its strong focus on dance music. At the same time, it draws heavily from Ray of Light and Erotica, resulting in one of Madonna’s most experimental but also cohesive albums to date. Those two qualities alone earn it major points in my book. While the album is packed with fantastic songs, nothing immediately struck me as a massive worldwide hit or felt as instantly iconic as "Hung Up" or "Sorry" did the first time I heard them. "Danceteria" and "Bizarre" came closest, but I’m not sure they quite reach the same legendary status as some of the classics in her catalog—despite the fact that I think both songs are excellent. That said, maybe I just need to spend more time with all the songs before final judgement. I also feel the album is divided into three distinct acts: Part 1: The more commercial and accessible section (I Feel So Free through Danceteria). Part 2: The club-oriented, dance-heavy section (Everything through School). Part 3: The more experimental, slower, and introspective closing section (Fragile through LES Girls). I actually like this structure, and "LES Girls" is a beautiful way to close the album. Personally, though, I would have preferred it to finish with a bigger, more explosive dance anthem—the same minor issue I had with Confessions on a Dance Floor. I’ll post more detailed thoughts on each track in their respective discussion threads, but for now, here are my ratings: I Feel So Free – 9/10 Good For The Soul – 9/10 One Step Away – 8.5/10 Bring Your Love (feat. Sabrina Carpenter) – 9/10 Danceteria – 10/10 Read My Lips (feat. Feid) – 9/10 Everything – 8/10 Love Sensation – 9/10 Love Without Words – 9.5/10 Bizarre (feat. Martin Garrix) – 10/10 School – 9.5/10 Fragile – 8.5/10 My Sins Are My Savior (feat. Stromae) – 9/10 Betrayal – 7/10 The Test (feat. Lola Leon) – 7.5/10 LES Girls – 9/10 Overall: 9/10 Should be singles: Bring Your Love, Danceteria, Read My Lips, Bizarre This is a fantastic album that could easily claim the #5 spot in my ranking of Madonna albums, behind Like a Prayer, Ray of Light, Confessions on a Dance Floor, and Erotica. It’s easily her strongest body of work in the past 20 years. Quote
xoxoboi24 Posted July 3 Posted July 3 First reaction! I Feel So Free 11/10 loved it since day one! best album opener since Erotica. classic Madonna. Good For the Soul 9/10 thoughtful lyrics One Step Away 10/10 what an intro! vocals!! amazing production and sonically beautiful Bring Your Love 7/10 it's fine. will likely be a grower and get better with time Danceteria 10/10 I wish it had a longer intro but obv it's an immediate hit Read My Lips 8/10 surprised by this! better than the film Everything 6/10 I'm missing a hook on this one and not sure I know what it's about lol - it got better towards the end. very experimental. Love Sensation 10/10 it's just a vibe. summery. breezy. light. pure bliss. Love Without Words 8/10 freaky. trippy. house. old school. Bizarre 10/10 nostalgic. will be on repeat! seems like one of the most accessible tracks for a younger audience perhaps. School 9/10 fresh. new sound. industrial. would love more tracks like this. who's the male voice?? Fragile 7/10 obviously it's touching. as a standalone song though, may not have a lot of repeats in its future. I want to like it but it's missing a hook My Sins Are My Savior 4/10 oh my. the Paradise Not For Me/ Iconic/ Act of Contriction of this album. Betrayal 6/10 solid vocal performance saves this from a worse score. not a fan of the trumpet. Traumatic reminder of Future (off Madame X) The Test 3/10 Sorry Lola. Please don't ever collaborate with your mom ever again. Sonically it got better towards the end. but the lyrics. yuck. L.E.S. Girl 8/10 beautiful melody. reminds me of Dear Jessie. Loved it as a closer to the album. Overall thoughts: I kinda wished it wasn't called Confessions II so that it could stand on its own and not under the shadow of COADF. A lot of bangers and that alone makes this so worth waiting for 7 years. I am grateful to be hearing new Madonna in 2026. I appreciate that the album is focused and well-made. A new era to cherish and fall in love with. Quote
AmericanLife95825 Posted July 3 Posted July 3 ....my honest review is.... WTF just happened???? i've been a fan for 900 years and this lady just SURPRISED me???? Floored me??? She's like an origami person or artist who just keeps unolding into something new and different. i cannot discredit really special moments in her last several records, but this experience - it WAS an experience... was exceptional! rare, and honestly, kinda weird that i could be so surprised by her right now. I have no right to be surprised. shouldn't i know better by this point??? I FUCKIN LOVE MADONNA!!!!! Quote
cocolattee Posted July 3 Posted July 3 I'm just gonna say this: the first part of the album is joyous and full of bops, no doubt. But the sequence from Fragile to Les Girl is IMPECCABLE. IMPECCABLE. I don't know how she came up with these songs, but Jesus. Every song is perfect. If this is the direction she's gonna go in the future, I'm ready. P.S. Fragile is one of the finest ballads she's ever written. Also My sins are my saviour sounds like an Enigma song in the best possible way. Quote
Hapertje Posted July 3 Posted July 3 5 hours ago, side_streets said: A triumph! It made me cried, a cathartic experience. My partner who passed away 5 years ago, would have loved it. This album is for him as well. I hope he have heard it! 🩷 Damn, I was already so emotional because of many lyrics. But now I am out loud crying. Big hug for you! Quote
OhFather Posted July 3 Posted July 3 39 minutes ago, ThomasW said: No skips in 16 songs 100/10 Yes, this. Euphoric and tragic all at once. What an experience. Fragile got me choked up. I swear it was about my late partner. RIP Tommy. Quote
Cerise Posted July 3 Posted July 3 1 hour ago, OhFather said: Yes, this. Euphoric and tragic all at once. What an experience. Fragile got me choked up. I swear it was about my late partner. RIP Tommy. Exactly, the tragic part really shocked me and I wasn’t prepared, at first I had an issue with these tracks because of how heavy they were (Betrayal, Fragile, the Test) but now I am obsessed. I still can’t wrap my head around the last track, it is much different than the rest of the album. Would love to hear her story around this track and why it’s closing the album. Quote
Django Posted July 3 Posted July 3 4 hours ago, bard said: "school" is a very cool track, but not essential by any means. i think she should/could have whittled this down to 14 tracks ("school" and "betrayal." if only because sonically it sticks out, could have been b-sides or bonus tracks). Bitch, don't... Quote
OhFather Posted July 3 Posted July 3 6 hours ago, side_streets said: A triumph! It made me cried, a cathartic experience. My partner who passed away 5 years ago, would have loved it. This album is for him as well. I hope he have heard it! 🩷 I feel this so much. My partner passed away last year and I truly feel I’m sharing this listening experience with him. I break down with Fragile. Quote
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