Madonna

Ray Of Light

A Pleasant Surprise

Review Score:

(8/10)
This is the first thing by Madonna that I've ever owned. Because of that, I'm not in a position to say whether or not this is her best CD, to comment about how these songs reflect her personal life (I don't pay much attention to that), or to make any comparisons to other music she's recorded. I spent 20 years or so largely ignoring Madonna. My impression was that she was literally the "material girl" she proclaimed herself to be. A shallow tart who used her sex appeal to sell music and other media products.

That changed when I heard the song "Ray Of Light". Not that it necessarily changed my attitude toward Madonna as a person, but I liked the song very much and it propted me to get the CD. Surprise! The CD is very good. The songs here are complex yet appealing. There is the less-than-subtle torch song ("Candy Perfume Girl" comes to mind), but many of the lyrics have an introspective quality and the music has an ethereal sound that is very nice to listen to. I was also impressed with the quality of the singing on this CD. I had no reason to suppose that Madonna could actually sing, but her vocals here are very well done. She is expressive and demonstrates both power and range.

All in all, RAY OF LIGHT is a very good CD and a very pleasant surprise for me. I will be listening to more of Madonna's work in the future. It is clear that underneath the hype, there is a genuine artist at work here. Though I am generally more of a fan of classic rock than of pop, I recommend this CD.

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