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Posts: 659
Feb 23 05 2:03 PM
Quote:1. "Like A Prayer" - This is definitely one of my favorite songs of hers, if not my favorite. I like the production, the lyrics are decent, and Madonna's vocal even works. Just a classic record.2. "Express Yourself" - I used to like this more than I do now (like it better with the video), though it's still a good track. What I realized in listening to this again is that Madonna's timbre turns me off; I find her voice to be cold or something. Still, the production and message are good. I am glad you mentioned the video version being different, because I think I am remembering that version.3. "Love Song" - A little off-putting at first because the production seems odd after the first two songs and Madonna's voice can't quite carry the song. It also doesn't have a real melody. But like Mariah's "The Beautiful Ones," I think I will grow to like this more. I already like it better now than when I first listened to it. I also like how she sings the "you're just being kind" line.4. "Till Death To Us Part" - Um, this isn't a strong track to me at all. I don't know what she was going for here (the production is odd 80s). I might like the speaking parts better if she didn't stack the singing and talking (the talking is more effective to me). The vocal seems off from the sped-up music as well. I am truly surprised you see this as one of the strongest tracks of her career.5. "Promise To Try" - I like the scaled down production. Her childlike voice fits the effective lyrics, though it's not quite pleasing to the ear (that's what keeps me from loving the track).6. "Cherish" - This used to be a favorite of mine, but it's gone way down for me. I have no idea why. I press skip without even realizing it.7. "Dear Jessie" - I hear the Beatles influence, but this doesn't approach the quality of the Beatles for me. I like the small touches you mentioned, but it isn't a song I want to listen to over and over (maybe because of the lack of strong hook).8. "Oh Father" - Even though it's not quite one of my favorite Madonna songs (it's top 20 for me, not top 10), it's one of her best songs. She again uses a childlike voice for effect, and the lyrics and production complement each other well. Like some other songs on the album, this seems to be about childhood. Is that part of the theme of the album?9. "Keep It Together" - This is a song whose appeal was lost on me. It's a generic 80s dance song to me, and it's ultimately forgettable for me. It seems like a redux of "Holiday" to me, though I'd have to listen to that song again to see if it's true or not. I found my mind drifting each time I played this.10. "Spanish Eyes" - Oh my! Her voice sounds out of tine on some of the lines, and then she sounds *horrible* going for some of those notes during the chorus!! Talk about not pleasing to the ear. I've heard her hit those notes before, so I guess she left them in on purpose. I'm so distracted by the vocal that I don't know what else was going on on the track.11. "Act Of Contrition" - I like the idea of the song, and the production is interesting. Again, though, her vocal is off-putting, and the last line comes off so fake to me (her reading of it, I mean).The real impression I come away with is that the songs don't form a cohesive album musically. She goes for some interesting things, but the songs don't quite form a whole for me (unlike the songs on, say, RAY OF LIGHT). The two lyrical themes seem to be religion and childhood, but I didn't grasp whether she was trying to connect the two or not. And why did "Act Of Contrition" seems to contradict "Like A Prayer?" I am guessing the stuff she went through from the first song to the end made her question God??I think this review also points out to me that while I respond to Mariah's voice and that lifts her mediocre material for me, you probably respond to Madonna's voice/personality in a similar fashion. I would have liked some of the songs better if her timbre wasn't distracting. I find her voice to be similar to her personality - cold and uninviting.I give the album a B+, mainly because I really like the songs that I like. This is probably my third favorite Madonna album, behind both RAY OF LIGHTand BEDTIME STORIES.