Ray of Light - Madonna (CD 1998)

Madonna, Madge, Mo Mother of reinvention; call her what you want to call her Madonna has single-handedly made herself into an American icon. She is an emblem for power, sexuality even motherhood. Madonna is the perennial chameleon, changing her look more than some people change their underwear. Ray Of Light found Madonna in an enlightened state a visceral goddess whom motherhood had morphed into a sensitive yoga-goer. Ray Of Light produced primarily by Madonna and William Orbit is a look at electric Madonna and one of her best albums to date.

- Track Listing -

01. Drowned World/ Substitute For Love
02. Swim
03. Ray of Light
04. Candy Perfume Girl
05. Skin
06. Nothing Really Matters
07. Sky Fights Heaven
08. Shanti/Ashtangi
09. Frozen
10. The Power Of Goodbye
11. To Have & Not To Hold
12. Little Star
13. Mer Girl


Drowned World/Substitute For Love is hauntingly beautiful. Here Madonna s voice is soft and even perhaps another indication that there is a change of self. The reserve of the song is also a change here Madonna impresses you not with power but with how steady and strong she is able to sing. Ray Of Light was the first single from the album (later it was purchased by Microsoft for use in a commercial for the cost of a small village) more important than the new sounding Madonna was the Ray Of Light video that showed her looking vibrant, healthy and like always sexy. The refrain: and I feel/ Like I just got home permeates the song. Subtleties are all over the album showing perhaps that Madonna was willing to let her guard down and someone who is really into the music will pick them up easily.

Nothing Really Matters is probably the most vulnerable and open songs included on the album. The lyrics speak much louder than my own words: when I was 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 . Undoubtedly, this is a departure from a leather-clad starlette holding a whip.

There is also a touch of abstract to be found with tracks like Sky Fits Heaven and Shanti/Ashtangi which require the listener to think before digesting. On the flip side what makes Ray Of Light progressive and an excellent album is that fundamentally it is still a dance album and you can enjoy it for that if you care to discard its messages. In Sky the beat is punching and there s a delicious break near the end little touches that let you know as a listener that Madonna can still make you move. Shanti/Ashtangi which is a yoga mantra transformed into song, has an electric Indian feel to it. The beauty of Shanti is that it would be just as at home in a club as it would be in a yoga class.

The Power Of Goodbye is multi-faceted. On one hand it is a song that seeks forgiveness from someone and on another level it seeks to reconcile old feelings of hurt and love. Showcasing a harmonious string section it is another one of those looks into the psyche of a woman who has enchanted so many for so long. Little Star is my choice for album s best. A dedication to Madonna s then only child, Lourdes it is the paramount look into her new life and position as a matriarch.

- Final Thoughts -

All said, Ray of Light seems fragile, delicate and at the same time fierce in its beliefs and convictions. If you ve ever wondered what lie beneath the surface of such a complex person you need only seek your answers within this album.