Like a Prayer - Madonna (CD 1989)

Building on the maturity of True Blue , this album sees Madonna taking those accolades for seriousness to heart, resulting in an LP that alternates between sophisticated pop sizzle and cloying laborious drudgery. Like its predecessor, this is no giant musical leap forward the dance grooves are mostly present and correct, but the more hedonistic, bubblegum flourishes have been taken out to force more of a focus on lyrics and structure, so you won t find any sparkly keyboard effects on this one.

Like A Prayer is Madonna s first concept album, focusing on themes of religion and family. I certainly wouldn t expect any grand revelations, but the more personal nature of several of these songs was enough to have critics tripping all over themselves to praise the depth although I d question just how much there really is. It s all very well to write more serious material, but that does not automatically make one a worthy artist.

Indeed, I ll take the dance-pop innocence of Lucky Star or Dress You Up over dreary dirges like Pray For Spanish Eyes any day, while Dear Jessie should have Kate Bush s lawyers on the phone and the potentially good Love Song (a duet between Madge and Prince) turns out to be one of her worst songs ever, a limp pile of rotted synthesizer rags devoid of anything resembling a tune.

Fortunately, the hits up the ante. Like A Prayer has a surprising lack of melody, but makes up for it with a pure sound rush courtesy of the repeated alternation between bass-throbbin' funk riff and angelic gospel choir, while unabashed funk-dance groove Express Yourself counteracts Material Girl as an iron-willed ode to self-reliance (the thumping remix on The Immaculate Collection is even better). Cherish is a sweet bouncy love song with sun-kissed lyrics and a happy delivery to put a smile on anyone s face, while the lush orchestration and slide guitar of Oh Father help it stand out as one of Madonna s more emotional compositions. There s a lot to be said as to whether she s being sincere or not, but this is one of the rare cases where I find her lack of subtlety works, and lines like You can t hurt me now I got away from you, I never thought I would do convey a scalding ache.

I m not so keen on piano ballad Promise To Try , which is pleasant enough if falling into the look at me I m an artiste! trap a little. Still, the decision to write the song from an adult to a child prevents it from being too sappy; likewise, the clever contrast of relationship-collapse lyrics and zippy synth beat on Till Death Do Us Part works well, although the general lack of a strong hook makes it sound more a like a B-side that somehow snuck onto the album. Keep It Together is another enjoyable listen, albeit one I m not too fond of, with its funk sound too similar to Express Yourself , and lacking that song s good hook. It s by no means bad, but I do wish it had a little more of that patented Madonna zest which is something I feel about this album in general.

Overall, there are overtones of take me seriously here, but Madonna is still showing an understanding of her basic strengths, creating some good grooves while mostly avoiding pretension. Both Madonna fans and general pop fans will love it, but the uninitiated should perhaps watch their step.

Other Madonna Album Reviews:

Madonna
Like A Virgin
True Blue
Erotica
Bedtime Stories
Ray of Light
Music
American Life
Confessions On A Dance Floor