Since Madonna is releasing her brand new album American Life next week, I decided to review the two predecessors, with Ray Of Light being the start of a new era for Madonna and a new musical style, with Music continuing the trend for her.
I’m not going to waste my time telling you Madonna’s story, I’ve talked about her story in previous reviews, and no need to repeat it over and over again. She’s a 44 year old woman, and Ray Of Light is her 10th studio album and it was released in 1998, all of the songs were produced by William Orbit. It sold 5 million copies worldwide, and had two #1 hits; Frozen and Ray Of Light.
Quicker Than The Ray Of Light I’m Flying From Her Story Over To The Details
I traded fame for love Madonna sings in the first song Drowned World / Substitute For Love, a song where she reflects over motherhood, and it’s an excellent introduction to the rest of the album. William Orbit’s mellow production mixed with electronic bleeps and special sound effects compliment Madonna’s voice which is remarkably darker and more mystical than it was before.
Ray Of Light is an excellent song, which was the song that introduced us to the upbeat and modern Madonna. It has everything one could want from a song, meaningful lyrics, production is flawless and Madonna sounds divine. What makes this song so special for me is that Madonna is daring, she has spark and she’s edgy; she’s certainly not the most talented singer out there, but she doesn’t try to be anything she isn’t, and she sounds so natural and I can picture Madonna having a great time recording this tune.
Skin and Sky Fits Heaven are the two other really upbeat songs on the album, which definitely could have been big hits on the dancefloor. Skin is a dense, mystical and gloomy song with many oriental elements to it. Madonna’s haunting voice mixed with the incredibly fitting production makes it a song worth listening to more than once. Sky Fits Heaven’s strength is in the lyrics and Madonna’s vocals. Production is minimalistic and relies on Madonna’s talent. It just shows that Madonna definitely is more than a material girl.
Shanti Ashtangi, Frozen and To Have And Not To Hold are the songs on the album that have the most oriental influence. Shanti is a yoga song and it’s sung in a weird language with a strange production and Madonna definitely doesn’t sound like she usually does. It’s not a bad song at all, it’s just so incredibly strange that I have problems liking it as much as the other songs on the album. Frozen, the first single of the album is a beautiful song in every way. The production sounds glaciated and Madonna sounds marvellous.
To Have And Not To Hold is also Latin inspired, and it has a very 80’s Madonna feeling to it. I love the song to death, and even though it’s lyrically strong and production-wise as well,it’s one of the weaker tracks here.
You only see what your eyes want to see
How can life be what you want it to be
You're frozen
When your heart's not open
Nothing Really Matters and The Power Of Goodbye are the strongest tracks here. Nothing Really Matters is very spiritual, but what makes it different from all the other songs here is that it is so incredibly catchy and danceable. Many of the other songs here are good;they fit well on the album, but they couldn’t have stood on their own. This song can, and being one of my favorite Madonna songs ever, I’ve still not grown tired of it even if it was 5 years since it was released. The Power Of Goodbye is a depressing song about losing the one you love. The production fits well with the theme, and Madonna’s sorrow can be heard in her voice.
When I was very young
Nothing really mattered to me
But making myself happy
I was the only one
Now that I am grown
Everything's changed
I'll never be the same
Because of you
Mer Girl is an excellent way of ending the album. The production is practically non-existent and it takes Madonna in a totally new direction, showing Madonna more mature than we’ve ever seen her and very different. It’s nice though, and as she sings the last line I ran and I ran, I’m still running away, it gives time for reflection and to think about the major growth in Madonna.
Track Listing
Drowned World / Substitute For Love (****)
Swim (****)
Ray Of Light (*****)
Candy Perfume Girl (****)
Skin (****)
Nothing Really Matters (*****)
Sky Fits Heaven (****)
Shanti Ashtangi (***½)
Frozen (*****)
The Power Of Goodbye (*****)
To Have And Not To Hold (****)
Little Star (****)
Mer Girl (****)
Ray Of Light, Something To Remember By Madonna?
I wasn’t expecting some opus when I listened to this album, and I was definitely very satisfied with it after listening to it. Something To Remember, her last real studio album was a let down for me, and I personally didn’t think she had done anything memorable the last 7 years. But Ray Of Light is a very different album, and it shows that Madonna has the ability to constantly renew herself, and even though it seems like all hope is gone, one must never lose faith in her, because she comes back stronger than before. Ray Of Light is a diverse, personal, emotional and experimental album which definitely is Madonna’s strongest album to date. It’s by no means perfect, but that doesn’t prevent it from being a great album which any music loving person should have in their CD collection.
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