Candy Galore!
Madonna
Hard Candy
It's tough to be a pop star when you are Madonna, possibly the most hardworking woman in the world. The recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee returns for her swan song with Warner Bros., Hard Candy. While Confessions on the Dance Floor was decidedly electronic disco, Hard Candy is what Madonna does best - a dance record without all the preaching and profundity.
Candy Shop, the opener, is outright campy with a hypnotic beat and tongue-in-cheek lyrics like "Come on in to my store, I've got candy galore. Don't pretend you're not hungry, I've seen it before." Give It To Me may have been co-written by Pharrell Williams but reeks of early Madonna circa 1983 (think Everybody). 4 Minutes, the crowd-pleasing collaboration with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland is surprisingly the least exciting song on the album.
On Heartbeat, Madonna goes basal, singing about dancing and being so free on the dance floor, all to a hard rocking beat. It's so glorious that you'd immediately imagine yourself working out a sweat to it. Elsewhere, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake work their magic through tracks like Miles Away, a glowing electronic track about long distance love; She's Not There with its funky trademark interlude/bridge; and the unpredictable Incredible, Madonna's ode to hubby, Guy Ritchie's powerful bed thrusts. Devil Wouldn't Recognize You, the stylish ballad about a cheating lover, is set to grace Madonna's live tracklist in years to come. The album closes with the most lyrically introspective song about breaking free, Voices.
Hard Candy is what happens when FutureSex/Lovesounds meet Confessions on a Dance Floor. Despite of what everyone else does on Candy, it's not hard to notice Madonna's presence at every turn. It's been a long while since Madonna just wants to have fun and get into the groove. Like a song from her last album, like it or not, our grand lady of pop is here to stay. (B+)
