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Madonna - American Life Audio CD

A fair review of the Madonna "American Life" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Madonna reviews here, or go back to the Madonna tabs.

Madonna Band: Madonna
Title: American Life
Rating:
Release Date: 2003-04-22
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: American Life 2: Hollywood 3: I'm So Stupid 4: Love Profusion 5: Nobody Knows Me 6: Nothing Fails 7: Intervention 8: X-Static Process 9: Mother & Father 10: Die Another Day - from the MGM motion picture Die Another Day 11: Easy Ride

Blame Mirwais..
The result is an album that feels like almost nothing Madonna has done before. 'American Life' builds upon some of the more radical experiments of 'Music', most notably Madonna's collaborations with French techno "genius" Mirwais, as well as the incorporation of more introspective and acoustic elements. With a title like 'American Life' and release in the post 9-11/War On Terror world, the album was hyped as a political record, but that's not quite true. While there is some social commentary on the album, Madonna satirises Amercian culture, celebrity and society in general. There are also plenty of very introspective personal reflections and acoustically-based songs here. After two decades of hearing multi-tracked Madonna singing over dance beats, hearing her unadorned voice over simple acoustic instruments is a refreshing change.

So there are some good ideas here, certainly. There's also a few ideas that are not so good, but still interesting. And in the hands of a different producer, this might have been a real artistic breakthrough. Unfortunately, Mirwais was not the right choice. While Madonna has to accept ultimate responsibility for this (it's her album, after all), I point the finger squarely at the producer, for two reasons:

1) Mirwais is a one-trick pony, and that trick was already wearing thin on 'Music'. At least on that album, it provided a contrast to the poppier songs. Here, Mirwais drags out his stuttering beats, droning synths, and vocal tweaks for nearly every song.

2) This layered production just does not suit the songs Madonna has written. Both her pointed barbs and intimate reflections are more suited to a less cluttered, stripped-back arrangement. The wash of surface gloss robs the album of its impact, meaning too many songs fall flat instead of hitting hard emotionally.

It's hard to pick the best songs here, since nearly all of them suffer from Mirwais' heavy hand. I personally have always liked the title track, 'Hollywood', and the more reflective 'Nobody Knows Me'. On the other hand, I think most people agree 'Die Another Day' is the least impressive song.

As it stands, the album probably doesn't deserve 3 stars, but I'm prepared to cut Madonna some slack. She genuinely tries to push her music and lyrics forward, and for an artist as massive as her to take that risk is admirable. If only she'd found someone to better translate her ideas into practise, this could have been one of her best albums. .


great buy
So I came on here and got some. I love Madonna and I needed a few replacement cd's. The delivery time was awesomw, the cd plays perfectly!.


One Of The Best!!
Again she plays the acoustic guitar and again she works with Mirwais. American Life could have been the second part of Music, her previous album. The title track is awesome, but it does include some Madonna rapping we never heard before. The lyrics are good, but you have to listen and think well. They are cryptic, if you know what they mean you will understand the message of this song (and other songs on the album). Hollywood is about how you can make it there, simple lyrics and repeatable melodies, but very catchy! I'm So Stupid is about how stupid Madonna is, she believed all the famous people were perfect. Love Profusion is one of the very rare positive songs on this album. It's about love, and is one of the best of the album. Intervention looks a bit like Love Profusion, but Love Profusion is better, because Intervention is very simple: it's played with the guitar and some beats and that's it. Love Profusion has some more sounds. Nothing Fails is a guitar ballad, it sounds like I Deserve It. Die Another Day doesn't fit in this album, just like American Pie didn't on Music. It has lots of crazy sounds, really Madonna.


Disappiontment
And no wonder this album is a HUGE let down especially when compared to both Music and Confessions on a Dance Floor. When I first heard the singles American Life, Die Another Day, and Hollywood, I had wondered what the rest of the album would sound but couldn't find it in stores. This could have been a chance for Madonna to show the world that she more than just electrobeats and love songs, she could have totally gone the electropop meets military & politics route that she had opened up the album with on the title track American Life but inside decides to go the Hollywood route with cool and danceable tracks but overall forgettable. Overall Madonna's ninth act was an utter disappoint which of course she redeems and goes beyond on her tenth album.


This is not a pop album.
Frankly, this is why I, and most people who appreciate art, LOVE this album! It's not a pop album. A lot of people don't like this album, and I can see why: it's gritty, edgy, weird - both lyrically and instrumentally, and breaks out of the upbeat pop mold that other Madonna albums fit in too. It's more rock and experimental and techno, and there's nothing wrong with that.


You can see a complete list of all Madonna discography, or go back to the Madonna tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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