I had a really long post here but now it's lost in Interference limbo because of the stupid smilie limit
Oh well, it was longwinded anyway, so let me put it in a nutshell.
I wasn't all that impressed with 4 Minutes, because honestly, the song is a
mess. It just sounds
crowded. There's just too much going on with all the music and vocalists. Plus my brain notes the heavy inclusion of Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, and can't help but feel that she's pandering to the young mainstream.
But I've been a Madonna fan since I was a Little Mermaid obsessed child, and I saw the mermaids in the Cherish video. I've been stuck ever since, and my brother, who loves Madonna like I love Bono has kept my love for the queen going strong.
So I listened to Hard Candy openmindedly, and overall, I like it. It's not as good as Confessions, and it's certainly not as good as Ray of Light (I don't think she'll ever top Ray of Light), but it's better than American Life, and about on par with Music.
I'll also add my two cents on American Life since so many others have. My problem with that album was that, while it had some really good songs, it just seemed to be all over the place. While I wouldn't say it had any real clunkers, some of the songs just got old fast. I really really like X-Static Process though.
As for Hard Candy, I have to agree with Britney that it definitely reminds me of her first album, although I didn't quite realize that until you brought it up. I just knew that it reminded me of something older, I just couldn't put my finger on just what. (P.S. I've been on a big Burning Up kick for the last couple of weeks)
My favourite tracks on the album are Devil Wouldn't Recognize You, Give it 2 Me, and She's Not Me. My least favourites are Dance 2Night, Voices, and 4 Minutes.
Devil Wouldn't Recognize You is an overall good song. Excellent music, vocals, production, and lyrics. I love the piano, the rain effects, the vocal layering.
Give it 2 Me is really catchy, with good lyrics and a great beat. I can already tell that it's gonna be a really fun song to sing along to loudly. I even love the funny 'get stupid' section. It's reminiscent of Thief of Hearts from Erotica.
She's Not Me has a fantastic bassline. I had a really big ooooh moment at 4:18 when the bass kicks back in all muted. It sounded fantastic, something worthy of Ray of Light.
On the other hand, I found Dance 2Night to just be boring. The guitar was groovy and the song had a funky beat, but nothing else stood out. The vocals just didn't hold my attention at all.
And Voices might actually be good if it weren't for the distortion. I like some distortion in its time and place, but it just didn't sound right here. I kept wanting to check to make sure there wasn't something wrong with my speakers. It kinda killed the song for me.
I'd also like to note that I liked Candy Shop, although I seem to be in the minority. It had a really fun, groovy beat. I could see belly dancers dancing to it. It was kinda vaguely middle-eastern. Maybe it was Moroccan
(that's a joke for those of you who follow the threads in WTAHNN) The lyrics just make me think of Savoy Truffle by The Beatles though
The beat made me think of Get into the Groove.
Also, Spanish Lesson has great music and a great beat, but the lyrics are just... cheesy. "Yo te quiero means I love you, much gusto means I'm welcome to you" ....and uno, dos, tres, catorce means Bono needs a Spanish lesson.
Lastly, I don't really like the album art. It seems flat, and poorly put together. Also the airbrushing on it makes her cleavage seem really unnatural (I am interested in Madonna's cleavage, you see.) Plus her hair looks like it should belong to every preppy girl who attended high school in the late 80s. That look should've stayed dead.
But my brother wanted a Hard Candy wallpaper, and he employed my graphic skills to get one, so I'll share it here, even though I didn't much like the image I had to work with:
Version 1, with a stripe:
Version 2, without:
Daaamn, that's STILL longwinded. Imagine how long it was before