Madonna
Rebel Heart
(Polydor)
"We get freaky if you want" promises the Material Girl, hanging out with Nicki Minaj like a favourite auntie allowed to join the hen party. I'm not saying you're ever too old for this sort of thing, particularly if you're the one who blazed a brave trail back in the day, but perhaps there comes a time when it's better to pass the risqué music over to the next generation. Especially if it's grinding electro hip hop and you've called the song Bitch I'm Madonna to get it noticed.
There's more shock-for-shock's-sake on Holy Water, its background soundtrack of moans and groans taking Ms Ciccone's trademark religious imagery and turning it into 50 shades of filth. Elsewhere Joan Of Arc's comparison of paparazzi intrusion to burning at the stake ("I'm not Joan of Arc... not yet") hints at ego over art while Heartbreak City is a post-breakup rant that drips with venom (you wouldn't want to be in Guy or Brahim's shoes).
For all that, Rebel Heart is Madonna's best album in a decade. Unlike the dance-beat battering ram of MDNA, production work by the likes of Diplo and Avicii actually serves the old-school pop songs rather than overwhelming them. It boasts a more balanced running order, with proper singing, a bit of stylistic variety and a few stadium-sized naturals to fit into the set list.
Alan Morrison
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