A Pleasant Surprise

First of all, I hate the cover of this CD it is just way too tacky for me and I also don't want to see Madonna making that face. However, we have all heard don't judge a book by its cover...so I decided to give it a listen and it was just ridiculous. Madonna made the perfect career move in selecting the producers for her album "Hard Candy." She has switched her style up a bit as Timbaland has said "it's kinda like 'Holiday' with an R&B groove." These beats by Timbaland and The Neptunes are just crazy as many of them slightly tap into a trance hop vibe and are tracks that will definitely be heard banging in the club. My favorite track on the album is "Beat Goes On" with the Neptunes are at their best; Kanye West's swagger also thrives at the end of the track as he says " 'Flashing Lights' yo I lived that/ Fame is a drug wanna hit that?/ Cause I know exactly where to get that, did you get that?" Another banger, aside from Timbaland's "4 Minutes" is his other track "Dance 2nite" with Justin Timberlake. Producer Nate "Danja" Hill also was crucial in the production of several of the tracks on the album.



Aside from the album's production, another element of its success is the songwriting of the album. Madonna gets deep on the complexities of struggling relationships on "Miles Away" (my second favorite track) as the chorus goes, "You always love me more, miles away/ I hear it in your voice, we're miles away / You're not afraid to tell me, miles away / I guess we're at our best when we're miles away." Another track that is good to listen to is the track "She's Not Me" by the Neptunes that deals with Madonna singing about the unsuccessful effort of her ex-boyfriend to replace her with another



All in all, this album is definitely worth listening to. Believe me, I am not the biggest Madonna fan, but I decided to give it a try and it was well worth it. It has some tracks worth skipping like "Spanish Lesson", but it has several that can be added to your rotation, it is just a pleasant surprise so check it out.

Shout Out to Zona Musical!