Madonna’s Worst Albums and Many Musical Flops

Madonna turned 60 on August 16, 2018, and has been in the music business since the 1980s, releasing 13 studio albums. Not all of them were best sellers or even good. Presenting are some of the pop singer’s “worse of the worse.”

Hard Candy (2008)

Mixing R&B flavor which was popular on the charts and Madonna‘s pop artist sensibility should have worked, but for Madonna, it did not.

“4 Minutes” the first single released which featured Timbaland and Justin Timberlake was the only hit on the album, reaching number 1. However, the song was dominated by Timberlake and reviewers noted that the song should have been a song that featured Madonna with Timberlake as the star.

The signature bass and brass of producers Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, and Pharell Williams are so dominating over the entire album, and Madonna appears to be a guest artist. Throughout the album, Timbaland repeats her name “Mah-dahhh-nah!” to keep reminding those younger listeners who the pop star was.

The album was panned for its over-production, with some commenting Madonna may have left much of the work to producers Timbaland and Pharell Williams. Others thought it was possible that the singer just was not interested in recording the album.

This was probably Madonna’s worse album and did nothing to add to her career.

MDNA (2012)

The twelfth studio album by Madonna tried something different by incorporating EDM into her music, with the help of Benny and Alle Benassi. However, the album does not work.

Critics received it with lukewarm reviews at best, despite William Orbit and Martin Solveig’s production. Madonna’s lyrics were weaker than usual. MIA and Nikki Minaj also contributed.

Orbit later said the album failed because Madonna was not interested in the music, being focused on her other business commitments.

He also said the best songs which were intended for “MDNA” were given to Chris Brown for his album “Fortune.”

American Life (2003)

Madonna wrote this album after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. This was the same time the singer ended with Maverick Records her record deal of eleven years. She also used this album to write and sing about her time as a performer for the past 20 years.

This album was created while Madonna, in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks, was thinking profoundly about the world she was living in as an American celebrity.

Given the politically charged nature of the entire country at the time, Madonna started to question the ideals of the American Dream and the society she found herself a spokesperson for.

“Die Another” Day does well as a Bond movie theme. Tracks like “Hollywood” and “American Life” discuss Madonna’s feelings and thoughts about her position in the music business and the nation, and the entire album has a bleak mood.

Weak rap and boring vocoder gargles do not help Madonna’s philosophizing and the musically thin sound.

Rebel Heart (2015)

Madonna collaborated with the late, great Avicii and Kanye West on the album. Despite having such talent, she is unable to keep the album in a creative and cohesive direction.

The album’s theme returns to aspects one is familiar with regarding the career of Madonna, such as her rebellious and romantic sides. However, the different genre mixtures do not permit the album from playing well as it should have.

Mixing in trap, house, and reggae shows there are lots of variation and experimentation on the album. One would think the variety of sounds is impressive. Instead, it makes the album sound disjointed.

The album features Chance the Rapper and Nicki Minaj on the single “B**tch I’m Madonna” and “Living For Love.” “Iconic” has a message which Madonna fans would agree with suits her, but the backing beat on the song hinders the vocal performance.

The album is nearer to the Madonna who made hits but still is filled with many flaws.

I’m Breathless (1990)

In Dick Tracey, Madonna played opposite Warren Beatty as Breathless Mahoney. Madonna began to smoke while filming the movie to obtain a breathless sounding voice for the film’s jazzy soundtrack.

Despite the fact Madonna and Beatty were dating, there is no chemistry in the song they sang as a duet.

The single was not in the movie but was inspired by it.

Music (2000)

“Music” moves Madonna into a more dance/pop and electronic production. She also took influences from country music and rock, which is shown on the album cover having Madonna dressed as a cowgirl.

While the album did well commercially and received positive reviews, the album is not as strong as her others and feels as if she recorded it to be on trend with the time.

The single “Music” demonstrates this not only in the musical sound but also with the video which featured the Ali G character played by Sacha Baron Cohen.

Despite the beats and inspired production which is used for the tracks, Madonna herself is downplayed and is almost lost amongst all the noise.

Written by Barbara Sobel

Sources:

What Culture: Ranking All 13 Madonna Studio Albums From Worst To Best
Telegraph: Madonna’s 15 albums: ranked from worst to best

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Fiona Hodge’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License