Remixed & Revisited - Madonna (CD 2003)

Now I'm not 100% positive, so don't quote me, but I'm pretty sure ever since there has been dance clubs, there has been Madonna remixes. Ever since You Can Dance, Madonna's been releasing dance crazy tracks on every disc. For example, was anybody getting their groove on to the Music cut of What It Feels Like For A Girl? Well, when it was made into a video, that all changed. And the Ray Of Light Ultra Hard Bright Mix was enough to convince me.

So when Madonna: Remixed & Revisited was announced, you bet I was one of the first people in line to... um... download it. (shhh)

Something surprising about R&R is that none of these tunes intend for you to shake your booty. There's really only 4 remixes on this (only) 7 track disc. These are Nothing Fails (Nevins Mix), American Life (Headcleanr Rock Mix), Nobody Knows Me (Mount Sims Old School Mix), and Love Profusion (Headcleanr Rock Mix), all originally from Lady M's spectacular American Life album.

But these remixes don't even try to get you on the dance floor. Instead, Madge took a more unique approach to her reworking. She turned them into rock.

I'll be honest: I like dance remixes. Yes. But only to an extent. I bought Mariah's remix disc, and while I love the remixes on CD1 (the dance versions), I can't listen to the thing straight through. Why? Because too much dance is a bad thing. That's why, although I was taken offguard, I was pleasently surprised with the way this was done.

So here it is, track by track:

Nothing Fails (Nevin Mix)
As if this song wasn't good enough on it's own, this is an awesome remix. It adds a very nice acoustic guitar into the song and gives it more of an uptempo. Towards the end, the guitar part gets heavier and the rhythm more defined, making this an awesome reworking of an already great song. I love the filtered guitar throughout the end of the track, and how even though it is rock, there is still some dance element to it.

American Life (Headcleanr Rock Mix)
I gotta give it up to whoever these Headcleanr guys are, because they made American Life a totally different track. We are all aware that the rap in the original tune was pretty ridiculous, but these remix takes it to a whole new level. Now as sad as I may sound, I like it. Yes. I do. It's Madonna doing rock-rap, but this remix works so well that I just can't help it.

Nobody Knows Me (Mount Sims Old School Mix)
This is one of the less rocky remixes on the CD, as it sounds somewhat reminiscent of the 80s. I'm not a big fan of the original Nobody Knows Me, but this isn't a bad remix, even though nothing about it really stood out to me. Some of it sounds a little trancy at times, and that's not a bad thing. Pretty good track.

Love Profusion (Headcleanr's Rock Mix)
This is probably my favorite remix on this CD. There is a blossoming guitar in it that really brings this track to life like an acoustic guitar just didn't do. Throughout the whole song, the guitars are jammin' to their fullest, adding life to a track I never really liked. I probably like this one better than the original.

Like A Virgin (Live at 2003 MTV VMAs) (with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Missy Elliott)
Now, I'm pretty biased on this track considering I am a massive Christina Aguilera fan, and I sorta like Britney too. Watching this performance was like a dream come true for me. For sure. Watching. Listening to the track just isn't the same, especially without those kisses. A studio version would have been one of the best tracks ever. Besides, Britney and Madge don't sound top-notch on this song. Christina... well, you know Christina. But this song just isn't the same as watching it on TV.

Into The Hollywood Groove (Passengerz Mix) (with Missy Elliott)
This is a clever little reworking of Madonna's classic Into The Groove and her latest single Hollywood done by Missy Elliott for a Gap promotion. Now if this song is really a remix of something else, I honestly don't know, but it's quite interesting. Frankly, it sounds kind of weird hearing Missy Elliott over Into The Groove - I mean... c'mon! And to be honest, Hollywood isn't that good of a song. So throwing all this stuff on top of Into The Groove is just... weird. I give 'em credit for creativity, but this is just... odd.

Your Honesty
I was totally excited to hear this previously unreleased song from the Bedtime Stories era. Since Madge is the queen of reinvention, it's not hard to tell the age of the song, and it's easy to see why it didn't make the album. It's average B-Side filler. It does have some clever lyrics ("I could make love to your voice"), but it's really nothing as special as anything that did make Bedtime Stories, but it's also better than anything on Like A Virgin.

Overall, this CD is... well, decent. There's nothing remarkably good on it, and there's nothing remarkably bad. If there were more remixes like the first four tracks on this CD, it would definitely be worth purchasing, but it's like buying a single with a bunch of crap you don't want to listen to.

The lowdown: I'm not going to buy it. I did download it, and I'll listen to the tracks if they come on my playlist, but I know Madonna: Remixed & Revisited would never be a frequent spinner.