INSTEP Magzine


jammin Hit the candy shop with Madonna After years of European club culture, Madonna teams up with American charts royalty Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams for her eleventh record Hard Candy. Not surprisingly, it is an album that is edgy, steamy and ultimately just Madonna! By Maheen Sabeeh Artist: Madonna Album: Hard Candy****



After her European stints with ambiguous producers like Mirwais Ahmadzaï, Shep Pettibone and William Orbit, Madonna has come home. And she is back to what she does best: making music that is edgy, somewhat crazy and ultimately a milestone. Now in her fifth decade, it makes sense that the best in pop teams up with the very best in urban as she travels down the hip-hop road. The men who run the show under Madonna's watchful eye are Justin Timberlake and Timbaland who have produced five songs and Pharell Williams who has seven songs to his credit as well as rapper par excellence Kanye West who is present on one tune. But in spite these hip-hop moguls, at heart Hard Candy is still very much a pop-dance record. The sound board of course is as inspired and interesting as Timbaland's Shock Value and Justin Timberlake's Future Sex/Love Sounds combined. A lot is happening on the entire album. There is the already-released, mouth watering '4 Minutes' that had fans hanging in anticipation and was a teaser of the sweet confection that this record is.

Marking the first ever collaboration with pop's wonder boy Justin Timberlake and mighty Timbaland, '4 Minutes' has chants of 'tick-tock' from Madonna, chants of "Madonna, Madonna" from Justin, cowbell sounds, recurring clanging beat as well a bhangra beat and all the while Madonna also makes a point about the distraught state of the world. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions, yeah/Time is waiting/We only got 4 minutes to save the world/No hesitating/Grab a boy/Grab a girl". Timbaland and Justin Timberlake also hold the production forte for 'Devil Wouldn't Recognise You', 'Miles Away', 'Dance 2Night' and 'Voices'.

Of the lot, the best number is 'Devil Wouldn't Recognise You'. It capture Madonna on her most vulnerable as she sings, "It's like over and over you're pushing me/Right down to the floor/I should just walk away/Over and over I keep on coming back for more/I play into your fantasy/Now that it's over/You can ride on me right through your smile/I've seen behind your eyes/Now it's over, the more intoxicating my mind" while the music matches the wordplay. And for some odd reason, one can't help but be reminded of Justin's own groundbreaking 'What Goes Around Comes Around' with the ending coming to Justin as he sings to a singular beat 'Ho Ooo Hoo' and the lightning strike sound, a little marching band sound just in the background, it's very impressive. The trio cranks it up a notch with 'Voices', a song about master and people being slaves to egos. It's ironic considering what a mighty ego Madonna has. "Who is the Master/Who is the Slave?" sings Justin as a very haunted, slightly creepy music begins, with essentially keyboards, a little robotic sound and a disillusioned Madonna singing, "Voices start to ring in your head/Tell me what do they say/Distant echoes from another time/Start to creep in your brain/So you're playing 'round, it's like it's a rewind/You blew it so often that you start to believe it/You have demons so nobody can blame you/But who is the master and who is the slave?. Musically it may not be the hottest tune but it's definitely a step up on the lyrical front. 'Miles Away' sees Justin and Timbaland return to the thumping, clanging beats with guitars to boot and again the song finds a vulnerable Madonna as she sings, "You'll always love me more/Miles Away/I hear it in your voice when you're/Miles Away/You're not afraid to tell me/Miles Away/I guess we're at our best when we're Miles Away". She may have given production control to Justin and Timbaland but as far as lyrics go, it's Madonna's show. What reflects on this number is perhaps a hint of her relationship with husband since 2000, Guy Ritchie. And it is definitely an emotional engagement that works for the song. And finally there is 'Dance 2Night' where Justin says, "Hey Madonna, I'm taking you to the club" – it's a very sexy opening but in the middle the song falls. It's like Justin and Timbaland throw everything at the sound wall and whatever sticks, sticks. It sounds too ambitious. Skip it. And then there is the Pharell Williams. He is the real surprise on Hard Candy. Who would've thought that Pharrell would give Timbaland a run for his money… and here he has done just that. Starting from the flirtatious, tinkling 'Give It 2 Me' with its throbbing bass, with Pharell chanting "left, left, right, right' and drum machines programmed to perfection (as perfect as machines can be) and Madonna's love for life-ending, sex metaphors that goes, "Don't stop me now, don't need to catch my breath/I can go on and on" makes it all the more pleasing. There is the techno and drummy 'Heartbeat' that opens literally with the sound of a heart beating. It continues with the magnificent 'She's Not Me' with the thumping bass and retro sound as Madonna goes, "She's not me/She doesn't have my name/She'll never have what I have" and finally we have 'Beat Goes On' that is striking. It features Kanye West and with crunching beats, studio props, chime sounds, it is a song that is more towards the urban, RnB genre. Midway, Kanye arrives rapping with Madonna chanting in the background "Hey, Hey". Extremely stylish and slightly flashy ditty. On 'Incredible', a slight bhangra beat crops up in waves while the overall sound is down-tempo with piano and two pounding beats at work with Madonna singing on a tripped down note, "I can't wrap my head around it/I need to think about it". It isn't surprising that Hard Candy has picked up decent reviews from most critics. Some, however, are not impressed. It is the exact same thing that happened with Nelly Furtado when she became promiscuous with Loose and teamed up with Timbaland. Critics slashed her in half but Loose put her on the international music map. With Madonna, it is different. She made incredible music with European producers. But American fans were not impressed as was the case with her last record, Confessions on a Dance floor. Hence, going with chart-makers Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Pharell Williams was a smart move on her part. Hard Candy is a celebration and submission to the genre that is pop-dance to a woman who finds salvation in this element of art. Hard Candy remains original because it experiments to its core. Now hitting 50, Hard Candy is proof that Madonna is nowhere near relinquishing her crown. And that is a really good thing. YUCK WHATEVER GOOD SUPER ***CLASSIC