Madonna
American Life
It's an odd time in American pop music. While Jewel hits the dance floor and Lucinda Williams raps, the queen of the clubs straps on an acoustic guitar and continues to ride an electronic wave with a new collection of haunting songs.
While Madonna's latest effort plugs into the electronic sounds that fueled Ray of Light and Music, the songs won't be dance floor anthems. This is definitely not the most commercial record she's released—there's an initially surprising rawness that gives way to vulnerability.
Given that the buzz created by Madonna, entertainment shows and God over the allegedly scandalous "American Life" video has faded, the album can now be looked at for what it is. Madonna's maturity on this album coincides with a general loss of innocence in American life. She's Everyman in a sense—not the most articulate, but tapping into the general disillusion without specifically going into recent events. "There is no comprehension/there is real isolation/there is so much destruction/what I want is a celebration" she sings on "Love Profusion". While "American Life" certainly delves into the futility of fame, there's also the tongue-in-cheek humor of someone super rich and famous lecturing on how it's not all it's cracked up to be.
Madonna seems to channel Shirley Manson from Garbage on a couple of tracks. The cautionary pop tale "Hollywood" has the same mood of "Go Cherry Go". While Madonna singing about her own stupidity might answer the prayers of people with too much time on their hands, "I'm So Stupid" certainly taps into Garbage's tone of auto-derision.
While she's never been in the "great love song" category, there are some lovely valentine ballads on this record. "Love Profusion" is a marked shift from the sensual "Skin" or even the superficial "Dress You Up". "Nothing Fails" takes us back 15 years to her "Like a Prayer" days, accompanied by a gospel choir, for a moving pop song that rejects organized religion. "X-Static Process", a quiet acoustic number that ruminates on loneliness and faith, may be one of the best songs she's written about herself.
Finally, though the grossly overlooked "Die Another Day" doesn't quite fit into this collection of songs in terms of style, it's a solid pop song that didn't get the audience it deserved.
Madonna and Mirwais make a good team. They've managed to warm up the electronica and add in string arrangements without going over the top. And her voice has never sounded better or confident.
Anji Milanovic
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Madonna American Life
