Sucking on 'Hard Candy'
By Miranda Likes
It’s been three years since singer-songwriter Madonna released a studio album, which means it’s high time for the entertainer to reinvent herself yet again. In 2003 Madonna dipped her feet into the waters of techno music with her “American Life” release. In 2005 Madonna dove right into that pool with the critically acclaimed “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” consisting largely of electronic and dance music usually reserved for a discothèque in Europe instead of an American radio station. Now, with Madonna’s latest release, “Hard Candy,” the entertainer is trying a little bit of hip-hop on for size.
That’s not to say “Hard Candy” is a hip-hop album per se (you won’t find Dr. Dre or Snoop Dogg anywhere near this album), but it does incorporate certain elements of the genre along with pop music to create an album that’s full of dance music that sounds just a little bit different from anything you’re used to.
Even casual radio listeners are probably already familiar with “4 Minutes,” the lead single of the album which features a little help from Justin Timberlake, and has played in heavy rotation since being released in mid-March. The song also has a seductive music video airing on music channels that still actually play music videos, although it’s hard to get the 22 year age difference out of your head when you see Justin Timberlake and Madonna each ripping their clothes off.
Also making an appearance on the album is Kanye West, in the track “Beat Goes On.” Some of the lyrics are hardly anything to get excited about (“Get down / Beep, beep / Gotta get up outta your seat.”); however, Kanye is given a chance to breakdown and do his thing in the last minute and a half of the song, which only seems to make the listener wish he was on more of the first half of the track. What’s interesting about this track is that an early version of it was leaked on the internet last summer; only Pharrell Williams was heard backing Madonna up on the song, not Kanye. Williams leaves most of the heavy lyrical work that Madonna doesn’t tackle to Kanye, but he is still given a producer credit on the track.
With the powerhouse team of Timberland, Timberlake, and Pharrell behind her, Madonna practically guaranteed her latest album would be a success before one word was even recorded. With that much talent behind an album, William Hung could probably get himself a gold record. To her credit, Madonna holds her own on tracks like “Devil Wouldn’t Recognize,” where her voice coos through confidently and melodically.
The album does have its shortcomings, though. At times some of her collaborators either overshadow Madonna on songs they produced, or it comes off as Madonna trying to sound too much like someone else and the resulting sound falls short. The most prevalent example on the album would have to be “Spanish Lesson.” Pharrell collaborates with Madonna on this track, but much of it, particularly the beginning, sounds like a cross between an N.E.R.D. song and Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You.” Madonna is just kind of there, awkwardly singing with an odd dance beat behind her, leaving the listener more than a little confused.
There’s no denying the singer-songwriter is getting older – she’s pushing 50. Yet “Hard Candy” proves, at least for the most part, that Madonna can still hang with boys half her age and carry audiences even younger than that. And, despite her age, she still unashamedly brings the same sex appeal to her music that she did two and half decades ago with “Like a Virgin.”
Originally Published: Issue 646 - April 30, 2008
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