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Madonna Album: “Ray of Light”
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Release Date:1998-03-03
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Type:Unknown
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Genre:Pop
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Label:
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Explicit Lyrics:No
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UPC:093624684763
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Review - AMG :
Returning to pop after a four-year hiatus, Madonna enlisted respected techno producer William Orbit as her collaborator for Ray of Light, a self-conscious effort to stay abreast of contemporary trends. Unlike other veteran artists who attempted to come to terms with electronica, Madonna was always a dance artist, so it's no real shock to hear her sing over breakbeats, pulsating electronics, and blunted trip-hop beats. Still, it's mildly surprising that it works as well as it does, largely due to Madonna and Orbit's subtle attack. They've reigned in the beats, tamed electronica's eccentricities, and retained her flair for pop melodies, creating the first mainstream pop album that successfully embraces techno. Sonically, it's the most adventurous record she has made, but it's far from inaccessible, since the textures are alluring and the songs have a strong melodic foundation, whether it's the swirling title track, the meditative opener, "Substitute for Love," or the ballad "Frozen." For all of its attributes, there's a certain distance to Ray of Light, born of the carefully constructed productions and Madonna's newly mannered, technically precise singing. It all results in her most mature and restrained album, which is an easy achievement to admire, yet not necessarily an easy one to love. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music GuideReview - Yahoo! Music - Bill Holdship :
Now that she's let the world know she's keeping her baby via another phenomenal media blitz, it's time for Ms. Ciccone to put her money where her mouth's been (no pun intentional) and deliver the latest reinvented goods. And, by gosh, perhaps more than ever, she passes with flying colors this time out. Ray Of Light could well be one of THE revolutionary LPs of the '90s--this from someone who never thought he'd write a Madonna review, let alone a positive one.Pundits have been predicting the advent of techno-based electronica music as a dominant force since the advent of the '90s, but just at a time when same pundits are writing "it ain't gonna happen," Madonna makes the sound especially palatable for mainstream modern pop audiences. She recruits techno wizard William Orbit to man the production controls here, but his rhythms are mixed with some genuinely pretty pop melodies (actually, on countless tunes among the album's 13) and all kindsa styles from both Madonna's past and beyond. The title track genuinely rocks--I kid you not--and some of the gimmicks, ranging from Philly soul borrowings to the genuinely ethereal, can best be described as "psychedelic." On top of that, being a mom agrees very well with Madonna, since the recent persona revealed--both lyrically (kick off an album with the line "I traded fame for love.." and ya know this is high concept stuff) and interviewically--actually comes across as quite classy. A Sgt. Pepper for electronica? Well, let's just say Madonna's best album since her earliest ones--and I bet the bank it'll hold up better than those do today. Review - :
Returning to {\pop} after a four-year hiatus, {$Madonna} enlisted respected {\techno} producer {$William Orbit} as her collaborator for {^Ray of Light}, a self-conscious effort to stay abreast of contemporary trends. Unlike other veteran artists who attempted to come to terms with {\electronica}, {$Madonna} was always a {\dance} artist, so it's no real shock to hear her sing over breakbeats, pulsating electronics, and blunted {\trip-hop} beats. Still, it's mildly surprising that it works as well as it does, largely due to {$Madonna} and {$Orbit}'s subtle attack. They've reigned in the beats, tamed {\electronica}'s eccentricities, and retained her flair for {\pop} melodies, creating the first mainstream {\pop} album that successfully embraces {\techno}. Sonically, it's the most adventurous record she has made, but it's far from inaccessible, since the textures are alluring and the songs have a strong melodic foundation, whether it's the swirling title track, the meditative opener, {&"Substitute for Love,"} or the {\ballad} {&"Frozen."} For all of its attributes, there's a certain distance to {^Ray of Light}, born of the carefully constructed productions and {$Madonna}'s newly mannered, technically precise singing. It all results in her most mature and restrained album, which is an easy achievement to admire, yet not necessarily an easy one to love. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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