"A good friend of mine is giving me the almost world exclusive of the new Madonna record. I copy and paste what he said:
Today I have been one of the first persons in Spain to listen to CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR, the new Madonna record. First of all, I warn you not to try to download it from internet, because it is imposible due to the bunch of security measures that you have to go trought to listen to it. My first impression has been very good, and I can confirm the mayority of the rumours: no balads, no space between tracks, and even if it doesnt deliver anything we havent heard before, it makes you danced like if you were possessed. It's a total of 12 songs, and the record is 56:32 mins long, which seems short. It doesnt have as much as guitars as in ‘American Life’ but sometimes it has some country guitar sounds. Very few, but strong ones. I'd like to say more of each song, but my musical knowledge is a bit poor, but even that I'll write some of the things I wrote down:
Song 1. HUNG UP (05:36). You can already listen to this one on her official web. Its ABBA sample is very evident, but it doesn't bother at all. Sometimes, it reminded me of Gwen's ‘What You Waiting For’, most of all because of the clock sounding that you can hear on the background and because you can hear "tick tack tick tack" from time to time. Very good single, but not the best one.
Song 2. GET TOGETHER (05:24). It reminds me a bit to Roger Sánchez or to the song ‘Call On Me’ (the one with the video filmed on a gym). Basically we can listen to questions to a lover. The chorus says: "Can we be together? Can we change the world? I really want to be with you. I hope you want to be with me too. Can I make you feel better?" I trasnlated it, so it may not be exact. The lyrics are not the strong part of the record. But it's a dance record, so who cares?
Song 3. SORRY (04:43). It starts saying "I'm Sorry" in different languages: french, spanish, italian, german and others I couldnt identify. Composed based on repetitions, it could be a second single. What you can listen to the most is "I dont want to hear it, I dont want to know it, please dont tell me you're sorry cause I've heard that before".
Song 4. FUTURE LOVERS (04:50). It reminds me a lot to ‘Paradise (it´s not for me)’ mixed with ‘Ray Of Light’. An almost spoken song and whispered that seems perfect for the video transitions during her concerts.
Song 5. I LOVE NEW YORK (04:11). Another of the songs which tittle has been leaked a long time ago, that, surprisingly, isnt a stupid ode to the Big Apple. It starts comparing it with Los Angeles (city for those who like to sleep) but not making it so obvious as in ‘Hollywood’, and it continues with Paris and London. The chorus goes something like: “All the cities make me mad, all the places make me mad, but i love New York". I insist this isnt exact. It ends with police sirens and city sounds.
Song 6. LET IT WILL BE (04:18). It will sound funny, but the beginning reminds me of Ozone's ‘Dragostea Din Tei’. It's another possible single and if you don't notice the track change, it seems to be a continuation of the previous song.
Song 7. FORBIDDEN LOVE (04:18). Without being it, it's the slowest song of them all. Two voices are singing, a male one, and Madonna. Very "Im in love" song.
Song 8. JUMP (03:47). Another possible single with very 80's disco sounds. It reminds me to early Madonna for moments, and it has very "Erotica" moments with a very whispering and sensual voice. The lyrics goes something like: "Im ready to jump, dont be afraid, take my hand and jump with me".
Song 9. HOW HIGH (04:40). Very robotic, it starts with vocoder voices like Glamour To Kill's ‘In Your Eyes’. The song is a thought about fame, on the style of ‘Drowned World’ but less cheesy. It looks like another good single, but third or fourth.
Song 10. ISAAC (06:05). Kaballah has to surface somewhere, and it does in the longest song of the record. It starts as a ballad to continue with a jewish chant, some kind of masculine pray. At the beginning, one can think that you're listening to ‘Naba, Nagila Jaba, Nagila Jaba’, I dont know if I'm being clear,but you change your mind a second later. Very mystic lyrics that talks about angels and God calls (it's the jew "Like a Prayer") and there's a lot of violins and lots of guitars similar to the ‘Dont tell Me’ ones. it ends with a prayer. It's way better than it seems.
Song 11. PUSH (03:58) In this song, Madonna sticks to the "Bollywood fashion" amd, with an indian structure, it's full of percusion. It's veery good, another single, the only bad thing is its lenght. It's one of the songs that sticks more to your head after you listen to the record, and it makes you get up and dance (that's why I have so little notes on this song)
Song 12. LIKE IT OR NOT (04:33). I insist that they are personal notes, but it reminded me a bit to the musical "Chicago". Very gangster, you imagine her with a hat as C. Zeta Jones at the beginning of the movie. It is the conclusion of everything and a principle declaration: “This is what I am, you can like it or not, do what you want cause Im not going to stop". Of course not. There's some bliblical reference, but you dont even notice.
Overall: 8,3 (over 10)
The record goes beyond our expectations and it never bores. To say more, Im already wishing for it to be released to buy it and listen to it over and over again, because when it gets in your head, you can't get rid of it anymore. We're going to have Madonna for long this winter, but im wishing listening to it live because I dont know what she can do with this material. It's not the best of Madonna, but it leaves ‘American Life’ naked (and I love American Life). I wish I could do better, but with just one listening you can't ask for more.
Nothing takes the past away like the future!