Madonna

Ray Of Light

Ray of Light: Critics Finally Accept Madonna (3.5 stars)

Review Score:

(8/10)
In 1998, the pop queen Madonna was basking in the "ray" of spiritual "light". Before that, few critics regarded her as true artist. Her music was presented as too light, too simple for intellectual listeners. And then the "Ray of Light" suddenly shone.

No, Madonna's music did not got any better with this release than it was before; it always had its considerable quality. But
especially significant about "Ray of Light" was that its sound was very modern, cooked mostly by the British electronica genius William Orbit, and that its message was deeper, even tapping deep into eastern philosophies. That Madonna really did not become a spiritual person when making this album could be seen from her later releases, when she is back in worldly and secular affairs. Nevertheless, "Ray of Light" served its purpose brilliantly; showed the singer in a completely new "light" and, among other things, earned her four Grammies -- something that Madonna never before came close to.

The music? Simply, the singles are the best of the album, as is always the case with her. "Frozen" is one of her most beautiful songs ever. "Ray of Light" stands among her best and most original compositions, "The Power of Goodbye" perhaps best represents the spirit of this album as a whole, with its wonderfully swaying melody.

Other highlights include the Orbit-esque opener "Drowned World/Substitute for Love", pounding "Skin" and lyrically nonsensical yet powerfully alternative-clad "Candy Perfume Girl".

Not really helpful to make this album better are very ordinary "Nothing Really Matters" and "Skin", while "Shanti/Ashtangi" is utterly superfluous. The end of the album gets a bit out of this world musically and does not fit Madonna very much, although containing numerous autobiographical hints ("To Have and Not to Hold", "Little Star", "Mer Girl").

Despite its flaws, "Ray of Light" ends positively on the sunny side and is a powerful testimony to Madonna's ability to keep up with state-of-the-art trends and directions without sacrificing what fans like most about her -- her highly listenable music.

More Reviews: