NME: Madonna's Devil Pray sounds like Aura

[StrawberryBlond 13,287]

Ridiculous, they sound worlds apart. That little guitar strum is just that - a little guitar strum. There's nothing original or non-original about it. If this is copying Aura, then a lot of other songs with acoustic guitar are too. This was a serious stretch and I'm surprised it came from NME as they've hardly been supportive of Gaga lately. The tide's turning alright. If anything, Aura sounds a lot like House Of The Rising Sun, especially the last few lines before the chorus. I was glad to see when researching the song that I wasn't the only one who thought this either.

​They always praise her. The minute Madonna releases an album people are sure to be up her ass and trying to push it like its her new masterpiece because shes Madonna and then it underperforms because it sucks and then thats when they start saying how they really feel if they dont just sit silent. This dude just beat the sheep to the punch. Yeah this album is better than MDNA and Hard Candy but thats not really saying much. Shes set the bar so ****ing low for herself by releasing these lameass albums so a bland effort such as Rebel Heart is seen as good by comparison. Im sorry but as a Madonna fan myself im tired of seeing people, especially Gaga fans, crawling up her ass everytime she releases something subpar just because shes who she is. She makes lame pop music now. Until she makes something worthwhile im not going to sit here and pretend like its great just to not be a cliche Gaga fan thats supposed to dislike Madonna.

​Oh, thank goodness someone agrees (though I think their 5/10 score was too high). This is exactly the trend that I've been noticing with Madonna's albums too, especially her most recent ones. The public bash them, but they actually get pretty decent reviews. I can't find any fans who seriously like Hard Candy and a lot of them usually call it her worst ever album. But it actually had average critical reviews of 3.5/5 - 4/5. Same with MDNA. And Rebel Heart has been no different. I can't fathom why professional, older critics can think this is genuinely good music, so my only theory is that they must be getting paid to write good critiques or they're being blind and biased because Madonna's a legend, or both. And it's true, they always praise her new albums at the time and make them out to be a glimpse into the old Madonna and then when it gets released, flops and the public deride it, then they go on to say in later reviews "at least this was better than her last album." This is why I'm happy being an amateur critic - no BS and I get to say what I actually feel. The professional reviewing world is too corrupt.

I think Madonna made her best work from True Blue until Ray Of Light. She was ok before True Blue, terrible after Ray Of Light. And Rebel Heart has proved to me that she still hasn't produced a good album in 17 years. I'm not a fan of her and I know a lot of her fans think American Life and Confessions was some of her best work, but I'm sorry, I just don't see it (though American Life was her best "worst" album if I'm honest). It was like all her creativity died after Ray Of Light apart from one or two occasional gems per album, about 3-4 in my opinion. And she's not going to get any better if she keeps getting the same old praise from critics who make out like every album is a masterpiece. Her fans have wanted her to make another Ray Of Light for years, but she never listens because the critics seem to like her new stuff as much as her old stuff, so she's afraid to change.

[Psychedelic 1,098]

​Lol... Do you really believe I used that just because it makes me hip? I'm not that kind of person, no thanks.

To answer your question.. Yes I do :

The song is extremely melodic, a sort of heavenly inferno with a powerful chorus which is absolutely excellent. Speaking of the chorus and excellence, has your "queen" ever done something as powerful as Aura's chorus? Sonically and lyrically? Because Gaga wrote something really poetic, when I see Devil Pray's chorus I don't know what to think to be honest. I'm not tempted by what the singer asks me because it lacks intention. Well, basically I'm just saying the song lacks power, and I can see that in the lyrics and the way Madonna sings it. Anyways yeah my thought is absolutely subjective but I took the time to listen to Devil Pray and I'm not convinced, sorry.

Edit : By the way, you can see how Madonna doesn't write for herself and that she isn't sincere in that song, your fave is trying to hard to appeal to teenagers by using d--gs in her but please, PLEASE. Don't even compare Gaga to this and just don't say Aura isn't better than that song because it clearly is.

​We shouldn't even be discussing with you. It's clear you have never listened to Ray Of Light or other Madonna records to even make a comparison. You probably don't even listen to any other type of music or artists, you are sounding very ignorant. You just came here to throw your egomaniac opinion believing that what you think is the absolute truth, when the fact is that you live in Gaga buble hard to burst.

Madonna does write her own lyrics, and the d--g reference is because many people nowadays use d--gs to expand their minds or seek for spiritual experiences, and what she tries to say with this songs is that this isn't necessary, it's about unity and love where we can find the true element of the divine. But it's obvious you couldn't get that message because when you listend to the song all that you could think of is what weak points it had so you could come back and argue why you think Aura is better or even worse, your opinion is the right one.

I like Aura, it's a great song in its own, it tells a completely different story and I respect that you like it better than Devil Pray. But in the same way you should respect that some people like Devil Pary better, and not say deluded things like it's centuries behind Aura, when it isn't true. It's different artists, diffent stories, different songs, but each one makes its purpose to deliver a message. Messages that are clearly not understood by someone who comes and tries to shove their opinion on people's throat like an ignorant Priest would refer so literal and fervently to a Bible.

[Psychedelic 1,098]

Oh look! another pressed butt came. Madonna still gets critical acclaim after 33 years into her career, something your faves will never. DEAL WITH IT!!!