The album provokes associations with the ecstasy drug known as MDMA and is a selection of trance-evoking vibes and dance floor tunes combined with the soft and effortless vocal that Madonna has. Some of the tracks are filled with anger and eroticism, others seem to be rather light-hearted and carefree.
During the making of the album, Madonna collaborated with Alle and Beny Benassi, William Orbit and Martin Solveig. Nicki Minaj and M.I.A teamed up with the queen of music for a couple of songs too, including the two singles – Girl Gone Wild and Give Me All Your Luvin’.
Among the beating dance floor tunes there are two, somewhat oddly enmeshed, more lyrical tracks – Masterpiece and Falling Free. Even though Masterpiece has won a Golden Globe for best original song, and Falling Free is clearly marking Madonna’s step forward from her current works, they fall somewhat out of place, making a listen of the album slightly confusing.
Critics are not in agreement on the album. Some praise it for being brutally honest and tailored to be in step with contemporary dance music. This criticism can sound an awful lot like a friendly pat on a shoulder; she is a recently divorced, 53 year old mother of four, yet is a fabulous looking and inspiring women, ready to break taboos – you go girl!
Others accuse her of a lack of originality, trusting ‘passing trends over her talent’, desperately trying to look and sound like a teenager. But then again, wasn’t she the one to set those trends in the first place?
Metacritic.com gave the MDNA album a score of 66 (on a scale of 0 - 100), meaning it is good, but not great. Although, at the end of the day, these are other people’s opinions and it only takes a listen to have one of your own.