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There’s no denying Madonna’s credentials; she’s sold over 200 million of her 11 studio albums, is the world’s most successful female musician and has amassed a spending power capable of adopting the whole of Malawi several times over with enough loose change left to finance several below average films. At the grand old age of 49, she’s reigned supreme over her empire for the past 25 years, largely justifying her tag as the Queen of Pop. Rather than reinvent, she defines her genre and going by ‘Hard Candy’ this is all too plain to see.
The sleeve art speaks volumes in itself; Madonna dressed questionably as a provocative heavyweight, complete with knuckleduster ring emblazoned with ‘Mdolla’ re-emphasises her lucrative standing at the top of the industry food chain and also underlines the point that Madonna, as much as anything, is an extremely commercially viable brand. But she’s not the only bankable heavyweight on the album with the cluttered production duties split between The Neptunes, Timberland, Justin Timberlake and Danja who as expected, send the album in an urban direction (very much like their work with Nelly Furtado, Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani) while still clinging onto Madonna’s core dance-pop style.
Lyrically the album is also as expected, delving lightly into the un-engaging yet staple themes of sex and music that contribute to so much of her work; it’s a wonder that after a quarter of a century, she can still repackage the same old standards and get away with it, rather than using her music as a forum for social commentary. Sadly, to the hardcore Madonna fan, this will matter little if at all, despite the albums uninspiring complacency.
‘Hard Candy’ plays it safe from start to finish ticking all the right boxes in all the right places in a prescribed and detached manner that will instantly placate the needs of the mass market. It’s an enviable quality to possess but one that is as equally dull when coming from such an established artist such as Madonna and one that is reflected in the number one hit single ‘4 Minutes’ featuring Justin Timberlake. ‘She’s Not Me’ (which acts as a pre-determined retort to the critical listeners not content with the musical similarities to that of other female artists) ‘Incredible’, ‘Beat Goes On’ featuring Kanye West and ‘Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You’ go a long way in best describing the entire structure and sound of the album; shallow (in foresight), lacking (in tunes) and unjustifiably drawn out (full stop).
‘Hard Candy’ it might be, but it can leave a disappointing taste in your mouth and is more like a well wrapped selection box with too many coffee creams.
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