Hard Candy, the 11th studio album from the Queen of Pop, is a hip-hop-infused dance album and her final album with Warner Bros. We’ve heard these sounds before — think Gwen Stefani and the more recent output from Britney Spears — but, with help from Timbaland, Pharrell Williams, Justin Timberlake and Kanye West, Madonna manages to make these danceable beats her own, for the most part.
She gets freaky on the album’s opening track, “Candy Shop,” which is probably the most hip-hop-influenced track on the album. Pharrell Williams accurately describes Hard Candy as a “sex and workout album,” and the Material Girl doesn’t stop for a beat.
Hard Candy’s first single, the pounding “4 Minutes,” is really the only acknowledgment of Madonna’s attention to social issues. On it she sings, “We’ve only got four minutes to save the world,” while Justin Timberlake and Timbaland offer up their vocals as well.
After a strong start, however, the tracks on Hard Candy do become somewhat repetitive. Although these songs are danceable and fun, the album needs a ballad or some guitar to give listeners a break from the dance party. The exception is “Beat Goes On,” which actually sounds like the Madonna we know and love but with a techno edge. The track also features superstar Kanye West, whose ego does not disappoint even with his guest appearance as he proudly declares, “Mr. West now, can you get anymore fresh now?”
Her Madgesty still manages to work it out and mix it up with the closing tracks “Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You” and “Voices,” two darker, sexy songs with an R&B vibe.
Unfortunately, at times Hard Candy comes across as overproduced. Still, only Madonna could make an album like this and get away with it. Upon first listen, the songs sound simple enough, but listeners will soon realize that these tracks have so many layers that they can become frantic and distracting. It’s as if the heavy-hitting producers on this album wanted to make sure their beats were edgy enough for Madonna.
Madonna turns 50 this year, and Hard Candy shows that she’s ready to get down on the dance floor and celebrate. Fans and critics could complain that this album lacks substance, but its blatant superficiality is part of its charm. Not every album needs to be controversial and thought-provoking — it’s OK for an artist to simply have fun, and Madonna is an icon who can make a crowd-pleasing dance album if she wants to. She has established her image and charisma by constantly reinventing herself, and Hard Candy simply reflects a different aspect of her persona — one that just wants to shake her booty on the dance floor (which she mentions in just about every song).
Hard Candy is not necessarily shocking or controversial, but it’s a step in a dance-influenced direction toward hip-hop, one that is new for Madonna.
Madonna always aims to surprise and also to please, and she’s done it again with Hard Candy.
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Want to hear some of Madonna’s new tracks yourself? Listen to Arts-on-Air, the collaborative music podcast from WSUM and The Badger Herald, at Wsum.net/bh, and hear what the panelists thought about the Material Girl’s newest musical endeavor.
