American Life [PA] [ECD] - Madonna (CD 2003)

04.27.03 - I felt the need to update and just say that I have tried very hard to find some good in this album. I've taken a few hits about the low rating and honestly I simply feel that this album is an overproduced mess that does very little to showcase Madonna's talent. I'm a fan still - I always will be, but just not of this album.

Madonna has been called a lot of things in her life b!tch, phony, bad actress. Whether or not any of those things is true is not up to me to decide [well, maybe not the part about being a bad actress], but one thing is very certain: Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone will never be called boring. She is a one-woman controversy machine, able to whip folks into frenzy with a few words or a provocative video.

Case in point is the lead single from her new album of the same name American Life . It might be the single dumbest song Madonna has ever recorded, but it has folks salivating at the thought that Madge is up to her old tricks by deciding not to release the video that goes along with the single so as not to cause a stir about it s war theme. American Life continues with that electro-dance theme that has pervaded the last few Madonna releases but this time it s a bit more subdued and the verdict is out on whether or not that s actually a good thing. She even takes a stab at rapping and she s been convicted of butchering that and should never try it again.

Hollywood sounds like electric Sheryl Crow. It s certainly not spectacular but one of the highlights of the track is that Madonna s voice has consistently gotten better. She s still not going to ever blow you away by hitting any high notes but her voice sounds crisp and strong. I m So Stupid reminds me of a really bad Hole song from the days when Courtney Love did lots of heroine and dressed like a five year old. The song is a reflection of days past and is definitely not a forerunner for being one of the better tracks.

Love Profusion continues the bad luck streak. With a bit of a country twinge to it the production is very stripped down and the song quite frankly sounds terrible. The digital revolution has quite obviously influenced Madonna and even though you can hear it on every part of this album it s painfully obvious on Nobody Knows Me which is electronica gone horribly wrong. The voice effects, the cheap studio effects all of it fails miserably at being a good song.

Nothing Fails sounds like Nobody s Perfect [from the Music album] redux. Musically, it s one of the stronger tracks on the album and it s unfortunate that it sounds just like another of her songs since Madonna has been known for being an innovator. It is a lovely song though, very insightful and reflective you know she s talking about herself and you can see the growth that she s mad not only as an artist but as a person and it suits her. Intervention is okay it keeps the disco, country, electric sound scheme going but once again the vocals save this track. It s not that the song just moves you, it s more that you re impressed by her.

X-Static Process hits a homerun for the material mom. It has a very stripped down production and with it s simplicity comes a certain type of beauty that hasn t ever really been heard from Madonna before. It s not really a ballad but the slowed down tempo and concentration on vocals is a sweet surprise. If you were hoping to keep up the subdued feeling think again because Mother And Father brings back that Bjork but more discotheque feeling. Of all the more upbeat tracks on American Life this one is the best one and at it s best, it s only average. Die Another Day is awful. I hated the video and hated the song even more. I do remember Elton John calling it the worst Bond theme song ever , and he s right. It is the worst theme ever and it is also one of Madonna s worst songs ever.

The final [thank God] track on American Life is the lovely Easy Ride . With so few actually good tracks to choose from on the album it s great to hear Madonna be intelligent [as always] and the song is easy to listen to: I want the good life/ but I don t want any easy ride/ what I want/ is to work for it .

- Final Thoughts -

This has got to be my least favorite Madonna release - ever. Its much too overproduced, contrived and just a general let down. There are a few gems to be found but as a self-professed fan that actually liked Music I d have to pass this one up.


Great Music to Play While: It's not - don't.