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

After spending months waiting for Madonna s new album, spending hours every week on Madonna forums on the internet since February, I finally got Madonna s new album American Life last week. Sure, I loved American Life and Die Another Day, but an entire album with French producer Mirwais Ahmadza really got me worried; maybe Mirwais didn t have enough creativity to produce the whole album himself?

The X-Static Process, A.K.A. American Life

American Life, the lead single is a great catchy song with a very minimalistic production filled with electronic beats and an acoustic chorus. The lyrics are somewhat on the weak side; it s all about her philosophy about the American life, but they get repetitive after a while. Nevertheless, a killer song which I m surprised isn t #1 all around the world yet.

Hollywood, presumed to be the second single is another hit for Madonna. Very much like something you would hear from Sheryl Crow, just a little bit more rock and electric and a little bit more infectious. The part I love the most about the song is the chorus where it s just Madonna and a very stripped down production, where you can hear a side of Madonna you don t get to hear very often, sounding completely different from anything I ve heard from her before.

Love Profusion, Intervention and X-Static Process takes Madonna to the next level, with guitar strum and a couple of digital effects a couple of places in the songs. Reminiscent to I Deserve It and Gone from the Music album, these songs are equally good, with the small difference that the production is better this time around, and Love Profusion and Intervention are very 80 s inspired, with elements of synth-pop as well. On X-Static Process Maddy shows us a completely new side of herself, singing a very folk inspired song where she asks Jesus Christ what s the meaning of life. If this song doesn t completely blow your mind, I don t know what will.

I always wished that I could find someone as beautiful as you
But in the process I forgot that I was special too
I always wished that I could find someone as talented as you
But in the process I forgot that I was just as good as you

Nobody Knows Me is really a step backward for Madonna. The song is vocoder (vocoder is an effect, if you re not quite sure what it is I suggest you listen to Cher and her song Believe) heaven, with her voice transformed into a robotic kind of voice, with extreme octave shifts throughout the song. The production reminds me of *NSYNC s Pop, completely electronic with a thumping bass. The song itself isn t bad, but it s something you would expect of Madonna in 2000, not in 2003.

Nothing Fails is my favorite song on the album. It s perfect in all kinds of ways; Madonna is singing about how much she loves her hubby Guy Ritchie, and she sounds absolutely divine. The lyrics are just as divine as Madonna s voice, and if that wasn t enough, she gets joined by a gospel choir and oh my god, I got chills running down my spine. It sounds too beautiful to describe.

You could take all this, take it away
I'd still have it all
'Cause I've climbed the tree of life
And that is why, no longer scared if I fall

Mother And Father and Die Another Day are two excellent upbeat songs. Mother And Father, though very dark lyrics is probably the song with the most positive production, filled with disco elements and similar to Kylie Minogue s Fever. Madonna s voice is transformed yet again, this time she gets a child-like voice, just to make people get the message of the song. Die Another Day is a song I m sure everyone has heard. Very stuttering beats, overture music and Maddy s transformed voice yet again. You either love it, or you hate it. I m one of those who love it.

I m So Stupid is the weakest track on the entire CD. Everyone has told me how much they love this song and that it s one of the best songs on the album, and I ve really tried to like it, I really have, but I just don t see what s supposed to be good about it. The production is average, with an annoying extremely high-pitched effect in the background, and Madonna s vibrato voice is totally not working on this song. The only good thing about it is the lyrics and that it doesn t completely suck.

Easy Ride is an excellent way of ending the album. A beautiful acoustic ballad with a gorgeous violin part and Madonna sounding absolutely fabulous as she sings I go round and round just like a circle, I can see a clearer picture, When I touch the ground I come full circle, and I am home, I am home., also a perfect way of telling the listeners that she has found her place in the world, something that can also be heard on the rest of the album, but it s most prominent here.

Track Listing
American Life (****)
Hollywood (*****)
I m So Stupid (***)
Love Profusion (*****)
Nobody Knows Me (****)
Nothing Fails (*****)
Intervention (*****)
X-Static Process (*****)
Mother And Father (*****)
Die Another Day (****)
Easy Ride (*****)

Nothing Fails On American Life?
I m not lying if I say that American Life is Madonna s best album so far. Ray Of Light and Like A Prayer were my favorite albums before, but this album manages to do something that those albums never did; create a perfect unity and harmony between all of the songs. There is usually one or two tracks I skip on every album, but I can actually listen to through the entire album without skipping. Sure, there are a few songs here that aren t perfect, but most of it is. If you think that Madonna s lost her grip, just buy this album and be amazed. This 44 year old has still got it, and hopefully she will for many years to come.

5 stars

Thanks for reading!
~Kent