Confessions II Review And First Impressions

[Ayesha Erotica 1,910]

2 hours ago, Nenifir said:

 Give Me All Your Luvin def was not a hit? 

By "hit," I mean a song that is powerful yet melodic, danceable or otherwise energetic, or catchy (not necessarily up-tempo) a song that is like a hit like Poker Face, Hung Up, Teenage Dream, Genie In a Bottle, Umbrella, Shake It Off, etc.  like the equivalent of a hit, without necessarily having to be a commercial hit. Something that is on an album and you have a fan voting where fans decide "this should be the (lead) single because it feels hit-worthy" as opposed to "non-single material". Think of it like Abra and Disease, whereas Abra was more successful than the latter, both songs were equally energetic and equally felt like hits and satisfied the "an album should have hits" expectation.

I feel in this sense Give Me All Your Luvin' is a hit, too.

[Magneto 13,536]

My erection for Confessions II is lasting longer then 72 hours. Someone pls call a doctor

[Ziggy 13,890]

On 7/2/2026 at 11:23 AM, Ladle Ghoulash said:

Did we listen to the same album? If anything, I was impressed by the relative variety on the album: pulling from 90s progressive house, reggaeton, trance, techno, synthpop, eurodance, nu disco, ambient electronic jazz/noir, some jungle influence, pop r&b, dream pop…

Right i mean there's BYL and LS that sound the same basically but i think it works and makes sense actually, which i never thought id find myself saying

[Ladle Ghoulash 51,049]

Just now, Ziggy said:

Right i mean there's BYL and LS that sound the same basically but i think it works and makes sense actually, which i never thought id find myself saying

I agree tbh. I feel like they’re two sides of the same coin: one is about tearing down the scrutiny and discourse surrounding her legacy as an artist to connect with her audience, the other is about a more deep seated vulnerability/connection. Makes the similarities feel more like a motif 

[27monster27 15,777]

Bizarre is my favorite song on the album. It's so good. Fragile is incredible too. I've seen people compare it to Miles Away, Time Stood Still, and Masterpiece and I completely agree. I also love Everything because it feels like a journey with the different mix of genres in the song at different points.

Edited 7 hours ago by 27monster27

[Head Empty 26,849]

I listened to the album twice today. I don't listen to Madonna often and the only other album of hers I've ever listened to in full is Ray Of Light, which didn't reallly stick with me. For Confessions II I really just wanted to see what the hype is about.

I really like the second half of the album. The run of Bizarre - School - Fragile - My Sins - Betrayal is AMAZING.

The strongest point of the album is definitely the production and I can only critique one or two tracks on that front. I also love the overal thematic direction, even though it can be a bit one-note. 

My main critique would be the vocals, both in terms of delivery and vocal production. Her voice sounds quite thin throughout the album and it can't quite keep up with the energy of the songs. Especially in the first half of the album. They're also quite overproduced to the point of sounding either muddy or like a different person entirely - and not in a creative/intentional way. It weighs down songs that are otherwise great. But at the same time some songs solve the issue brilliantly by relying on good vocal harmonies or deliberate stylizing. 

As a whole I'd give the album a 7/10.

[Ziggy 13,890]

3 hours ago, Ladle Ghoulash said:

I agree tbh. I feel like they’re two sides of the same coin: one is about tearing down the scrutiny and discourse surrounding her legacy as an artist to connect with her audience, the other is about a more deep seated vulnerability/connection. Makes the similarities feel more like a motif 

I also think, on the idea of motifs, that’s a very common element of dj sets which the album was based on so to that end I don’t mind it. I also think in the context of the album they sound less similar than they did as singles back to back

[Ziggy 13,890]

1 hour ago, Head Empty said:

I listened to the album twice today. I don't listen to Madonna often and the only other album of hers I've ever listened to in full is Ray Of Light, which didn't reallly stick with me. For Confessions II I really just wanted to see what the hype is about.

I really like the second half of the album. The run of Bizarre - School - Fragile - My Sins - Betrayal is AMAZING.

The strongest point of the album is definitely the production and I can only critique one or two tracks on that front. I also love the overal thematic direction, even though it can be a bit one-note. 

My main critique would be the vocals, both in terms of delivery and vocal production. Her voice sounds quite thin throughout the album and it can't quite keep up with the energy of the songs. Especially in the first half of the album. They're also quite overproduced to the point of sounding either muddy or like a different person entirely - and not in a creative/intentional way. It weighs down songs that are otherwise great. But at the same time some songs solve the issue brilliantly by relying on good vocal harmonies or deliberate stylizing. 

As a whole I'd give the album a 7/10.

Slightly different reasons but I agree with this score. I’d probably give it like 7.7-8 just bc the production is *so* good and I think it’s obviously the lead of the album. That and I think it’s more confessional than the first confessions album so points for growth