Madonna Hires New PR Team

[Lord Temptation 11,209]

20 hours ago, Possibly Maybe said:

I have the opposite perspective than you  Ray Of Light isn’t even my favorite album of hers, but I will admit that it’s her at her best, it’s what she’s a natural at, and a lot of other albums like Hard Candy (still full of bops though), MDNA, or Confessions seemed almost try-hard to me. 

Just curious, what is your opinion on the matter? I’ll explain more when I have time later 

To me ROL was made for critics. It’s a very polished, terrific concept album but it’s not a Madonna album to me, more of a William Orbit album with Madonna doing vocals. I prefer her early 90s stuff when she didn’t care about who she was possing off

[ode 1,530]

18 hours ago, That J said:

This video is a masterpiece.

But let me share my fave Madonna vid...

 

best. video. ever.

 

legendary.

[ShayCristoforo 10,607]

Hire a new vocal coach and therapist too

[Maleficent 6]

I regret making this thread. Let it die already 

[whore 11,447]

14 hours ago, Lord Temptation said:

To me ROL was made for critics. It’s a very polished, terrific concept album but it’s not a Madonna album to me, more of a William Orbit album with Madonna doing vocals. I prefer her early 90s stuff when she didn’t care about who she was possing off

Well absolutely, Erotica is my favorite album of hers. However, it’s odd you say “early 90s stuff” because her follow up Bedtime Stories was undoubtedly made to pander her critics. Her image was so destroyed from Erotica that Bedtime Stories was her and her team’s effort to clean her image. Meanwhile, I view Ray Of Light as her full realization of her artistry. This was her as a mother, her finding balance in her life and her career, and her peak creativity and songwriting. Even the album leftovers “Gone, Gone, Gone” and “Revenge” have better lyricism than most of her modern tracks.

Like I said before, Ray Of Light isn’t my favorite of hers, but I can definitely argue for it, it deserves the acclaim it recieves. 

[Lord Temptation 11,209]

5 hours ago, Possibly Maybe said:

Well absolutely, Erotica is my favorite album of hers. However, it’s odd you say “early 90s stuff” because her follow up Bedtime Stories was undoubtedly made to pander her critics. Her image was so destroyed from Erotica that Bedtime Stories was her and her team’s effort to clean her image. Meanwhile, I view Ray Of Light as her full realization of her artistry. This was her as a mother, her finding balance in her life and her career, and her peak creativity and songwriting. Even the album leftovers “Gone, Gone, Gone” and “Revenge” have better lyricism than most of her modern tracks.

Like I said before, Ray Of Light isn’t my favorite of hers, but I can definitely argue for it, it deserves the acclaim it recieves. 

Not to compare but I feel like Kylie Minogue’s Impossible Princess (released in ‘97 - one year before ROL) is what Ray of Light tried to be. So as much as I enjoy ROL for it’s own sake, I can’t listen to it and not hear the trance and indie rock influences from Impossible Princess. I hope that doesn’t me too cynical.

However even though I get what you are saying about Bedtime Stories (that it was Mad’s attempt at winning America back after the Erotica backlash) I am not so sure that that’s what it was. “Human Nature” was a massive FU to her fake fans as well as her critics in the media who slammed her during Erotica/Sex (book). The lyrics are so biting they have fangs, and you can sense Mad’s anger at her betrayal by sexually repressed hypocrites.

But then again we hear Mad at her most vulnerable in songs “Inside of Me” and “Forbidden Love”, where she completely subverts her Erotica dominatrix persona Dita and transforms herself into a crying baby, aching to hear a lullaby. It’s very Freudian. She begs us to not judge her because, in a pyschoanalytical sense, we are all still children. Nobody is free from contradiction. 

The title track Bedtime Stories, written by a nascent Bjork, has those trippy, ambient, surrealist vibes that anticipate Ray of Light. 

So basically I love Bedtime Stories!!! It and Erotica are my favourites.

To me Bedtime Stories is pure Madonna, pure dream pop, almost alternative R&B, but with self-meditation, awareness of one’s own traps and a plea for a little less judgement and a little bit more understanding in a world where everyone keeps secrets.

[hELXIG 43,098]

Are you gonna elaborate on all these things she's done because I was unaware   And now I wanna know!

[Bonkiii 585]

I would love to know how the new PR team will be handling headlines like these: Gaga winning Academy Award for Best Actress / Madonna winning Golden Raspberry Award for worst performance by an actress in short film (music video)

[whore 11,447]

5 hours ago, Lord Temptation said:

Not to compare but I feel like Kylie Minogue’s Impossible Princess (released in ‘97 - one year before ROL) is what Ray of Light tried to be. So as much as I enjoy ROL for it’s own sake, I can’t listen to it and not hear the trance and indie rock influences from Impossible Princess. I hope that doesn’t me too cynical.

That’s what people say, though I find it hard to believe. Impossible Princess (although it was a great album) flopped, and I don’t see why Madonna would want to emulate that. And the albums aren’t as similar as people say they are. Kylie’s is definitely more rock and club inspired, while Madonna was more inspired by trance and ambiance. Many of the lyricism and imagery is the same, which I guess draws comparisons. 

5 hours ago, Lord Temptation said:

However even though I get what you are saying about Bedtime Stories (that it was Mad’s attempt at winning America back after the Erotica backlash) I am not so sure that that’s what it was. “Human Nature” was a massive FU to her fake fans as well as her critics in the media who slammed her during Erotica/Sex (book). The lyrics are so biting they have fangs, and you can sense Mad’s anger at her betrayal by sexually repressed hypocrites.

Well, I view this more as addressing the controversy more than continuing it. She knew she would get backlash if she just pretended like Erotica never happened, so this way she addresses the controversy and states that she’s not ashamed of it. 

It reminds me very much of “If U Seek Amy” by Britney. Circus was released not even a year later to clear the controversy that Blackout had started. However, Britney still had that one song on Circus that connected the two eras and showed that she was not afraid of controversy. 

[Lord Temptation 11,209]

1 hour ago, Possibly Maybe said:

That’s what people say, though I find it hard to believe. Impossible Princess (although it was a great album) flopped, and I don’t see why Madonna would want to emulate that. And the albums aren’t as similar as people say they are. Kylie’s is definitely more rock and club inspired, while Madonna was more inspired by trance and ambiance. Many of the lyricism and imagery is the same, which I guess draws comparisons. 

Well, I view this more as addressing the controversy more than continuing it. She knew she would get backlash if she just pretended like Erotica never happened, so this way she addresses the controversy and states that she’s not ashamed of it. 

It reminds me very much of “If U Seek Amy” by Britney. Circus was released not even a year later to clear the controversy that Blackout had started. However, Britney still had that one song on Circus that connected the two eras and showed that she was not afraid of controversy. 

There is nothing Madonna could have done to outdo Erotica. It is her magnum opus. It is complete. It has no equal. Bedtime Stories is perfect because it neither (a) tried to continue Erotica nor (b) pretend Erotica never happened. In an allegorical sense she simply buried all her ideas from Erotica put them to sleep. And in doing so she showed how we (critics) all act like children in all that we desire and like stars in all that we fear. To me it is a brilliant follow up album. It was a kiss off to her late 80s and early 90s hedonistic persona. The way she references “Express Yourself” in “Human Nature” parallels how she quotes “Vogue” within “Deeper and Deeper”, but instead it’s sung in a whisper. Bedtime Stories is THAT sultry, sensual lover we all wish we had.

Thanks for reminding me to listen to Circus! Never got around to doing it I mist admit. “Womaniser” kind of annoyed me, especially after Blackout which i love so much!

[whore 11,447]

9 hours ago, Lord Temptation said:

There is nothing Madonna could have done to outdo Erotica. It is her magnum opus. It is complete. It has no equal. Bedtime Stories is perfect because it neither (a) tried to continue Erotica nor (b) pretend Erotica never happened. In an allegorical sense she simply buried all her ideas from Erotica put them to sleep. And in doing so she showed how we (critics) all act like children in all that we desire and like stars in all that we fear. To me it is a brilliant follow up album. It was a kiss off to her late 80s and early 90s hedonistic persona. The way she references “Express Yourself” in “Human Nature” parallels how she quotes “Vogue” within “Deeper and Deeper”, but instead it’s sung in a whisper. Bedtime Stories is THAT sultry, sensual lover we all wish we had.

Thanks for reminding me to listen to Circus! Never got around to doing it I mist admit. “Womaniser” kind of annoyed me, especially after Blackout which i love so much!

I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree. I remember when she planned on following up Ray Of Light with Music, all eyes were on her to see just what move she would take to follow up the massive success it’s predecessor had. 

(Yeah “Womanizer” is an annoying way to kick off the album, and this is coming from a Britney stan)

[Maleficent 6]

9 hours ago, Possibly Maybe said:

That’s what people say, though I find it hard to believe. Impossible Princess (although it was a great album) flopped, and I don’t see why Madonna would want to emulate that.

I don't think the fact that a Kylie album flopped would affect M's artistic vision. I agree there are many similarities between the albums (especially on the "fluffier" ROL tracks "Skin", "Candy Perfume Girl", and "To Have and Not To Hold") 

I think at the end of the day, perhaps M enjoyed Impossible Princess, and decided to emulate it to an extent--fully knowing that she and her team could pull off that sound with the proper promotion, single choice, and imagery (especially coming off of her pregnancy and new motherhood, which had softened her image). 

[JusKeepBreathin 19,311]

On 12/24/2018 at 6:16 PM, BLACKOUTbritney said:

New PR team: “Ok, first things first, get those f**kin’ grills out of your mouth woman!”

I just want to see her without that jangy diamond choker with all the crosses. It probably smells bad at this point. She always has it on.

But it's a new PR team not a new stylist. So she'll probably keep the grill and the choker. 

[dlioncourt91 765]

Ray of Light was originally sounding too Babyfaceish and some of the demos (previews of them) leaked giving that sentiment confirmation. She later went to Orbit and did the album completely different. It was almost an entirely different vibe originally before it became the record we all know.