Something to Remember - Madonna (CD 1995)

Can you even begin to imagine what it s like to be a star of Madonna s caliber? I certainly wouldn t know what to do with that amount of fame, but as Madge has grown and learned to keep her clothes on and mouth shut more, there s a certain grace about her and you respect her for not hogging the spotlight and nurturing the egos of other popstars by doing things like wearing Britney (Spears) and Kylie (Minogue) t-shirts in concert and public. She s an icon in every sense of the word she can create trends and work the media and public into frenzy with hardly any effort, she s like a self-contained tornado picking up any and everything in her path if you don t get out of the way.

Something To Remember was released in 1995 and is a collection of the Material Girl s ballads. Where I find irony in using the words Material Girl and ballad in the same sentence is that Madonna isn t one of those singers with a particularly outstanding voice, but year after year she has managed to make what she s got really work for her in a major way. Admittedly, her voice has gotten stronger and better over the years but she s never just going to blow you away with her vocal abilities and that s okay because she knows how to make music work for her.

- Track Listing -

1. I Want You f/ Massive Attack
2. I ll Remember
3. Take A Bow
4. You ll See
5. Crazy For You
6. This Used To Be My Playground
7. Live To Tell
8. Love Don t Live Here Anymore (Remix)
9. Something To Remember
10. Forbidden Love
11. One More Chance
12. Rain
13. Oh Father
14. I Want You (orchestral f/ Massive Attack)

Pairing Madonna with trip-hop super group Massive Attack was brilliant. Her breathy vocals over the dark beats and music makes for good listening without a doubt on I Want You . Taking on a Marvin Gaye song is a feat in and of itself, but to really make it work like this was special.

Although this CD is called Something To Remember some of the songs are less than worthy of being remembered. Tracks like I ll Remember and You ll See don t move me and there are a shipload s worth of material Madonna could have chosen to include on this album. It s not to say that either of those songs is terrible, but they aren t outstanding like the majority of the album s material. Take A Bow which was co-written and co-produced by legendary producer/writer/arranger Babyface is one of my personal favorite Madonna songs of all time. What really speaks about this song is the reserve. It s not knock you down, blow you away good it s classy, relaxed and beautiful good. Take A Bow also has a really amazing string section and is very well produced.

This Used To Be My Playground is one of the most overlooked Madonna ballads. Soft and subtle Madonna really is at her best on this one. The vocals sound strong and not contrived like she s trying to impress someone. Once again, the string arrangement lends something extra special to this song, taking it to a whole other level. Love Don t Live Here Anymore is a keeper for sure. Although the original is better than the remix, it s still an excellent remake of the song. Forbidden Love is better musically than vocally, but still sounds pretty damn good. Musically, around the time of Forbidden Love Madonna s music was a bit darker, a bit moodier, even edgy (as if Madonna wasn t always edgy), but she pulls of the mix like no one else.

Oh Father has always been a personal favorite. Perhaps some of the appeal comes from the autobiographical vulnerability. Madonna is at her best when she s able to let her emotions really shine through her voice (Little Star, Music) when you as a listener feel what she feels, she has accomplished a major goal.

- The Bottom Line -

No one is like Madonna. No One. The fact that everyone knows that makes it just that much sweeter for this music chameleon. It s nice to have some of the more popular Madonna ballads all on one album, even though it feels just a bit incomplete. All of the songs may not be mind-blowing, but they have a certain appeal even if for only nostalgia s sake.