Having only heard “4 Minutes” before tonight, I wasn’t amazingly optimistic about this project. While the Madonna/Justin/Timbaland collaboration might be intensely popular at the moment (it’s stubbornly held the top spot on iTunes for multiple weeks now), to my ears it sounds a little tired. Doesn’t Timbaland have any new beats he could give the Queen of Pop for this – what has been marketed as her most hip and commercial album since “Frozen”?
To my pleasure, he does. “Hard Candy” is a tremendous success for both Madonna and her super-producer, because they decided to meet each other in the middle. The album plays like classic 80s-90s Madonna that has been remixed and reimagined by Timbaland (with a little of Justin Timberlake’s flair as well – he too helped produce and write). While some tracks are vaguely reminiscent of Timbaland’s other work (Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake), they are still much more indentifiable as Madonna. Some of the songs (Candy Shop, Give it 2 Me) even sound as if they are already included in her Greatest Hits collection.
There is no filler. Each track has an identity of its own, is catchy, and is commercial. At this point in a review I typically name the songs that will be the most likely single choices, but that is impossible to do here – there are too many options. I will say, though, that my personal favorites are “Heartbeat,” which feels like a slightly more uptempo take on Furtado’s “Say it Right,” the super-sexy “Spanish Lesson,” “The Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You” (this one sounds more Justin/Timbo than the rest, but is still fresh), and “Candy Shop” (sounds like it has already been one of her biggest hits).
“Hard Candy” will not be merely an artistic success. The Timbo collaboration will undoubtedly open a lot of doors for Madonna on urban and rhythmic radio, and also attract some new fans – teenagers. The Millenium generation, up until this point, has been only marginally interested in Madonna and her work. If I have any credible forsight at all, this album will launch her once more into the penthouse of US popularity. Sales will boom, and radio will follow suit. I expect at least four hit singles from this era.
My Rating: A
Other reviews: Chris Willman, EW (B+), Caryn Ganz, Rolling Stone (4 Stars)
Filed under: Album Review | Tagged: 4 Minutes, Album Review, Candy Shop, Give it 2 Me, Hard Candy, Heartbeat, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, review, Timbaland
