Madonna “MDNA World Tour” Interscope
Early on in Madonna’s new live concert DVD, she says, “Don’t fuck with the queen. ”
Message received.
As much as we bitch and moan about Madonna (ticket prices too damn high, new albums are meh at best, not enough hits performed, is she lip-syncing? etc.), we have to admit, she can still put on one hell of a show. We couldn’t afford a ticket to the live show, but the DVD is the next best thing to being there.
At this stage in the game, Madonna could be forgiven for coasting, even with artists like Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Katy Perry vying for her crown. But on “MDNA,” Madonna comes out guns blazing, literally. Even those accustomed to Madonna’s over-the-top stage productions will marvel at the complexity of the show. The stage itself does everything short of turning into a robot and fighting Megatron for the audience’s entertainment. The visuals and choreography are eye-popping and crazy.
Yeah, we could complain about some things, but for every part of the concert that feels tame and unnecessary (Madonna’s perfunctory guitar playing, the whole drum major/cheerleader motif), there are aspects that are mind-blowing (the entire gunplay segment of the show). But please, Madonna, could you stop re-imagining and reinterpreting our favorite hits in some stripped-down style indicative of whatever old-world country you bought a castle in the year before? Hearing an acoustic gypsy-polka rendition of “Open Your Heart” is worse than not hearing the song live at all. And are you ever going to do a faithful rendition of “Like A Virgin” again?
Sorry, old preferences die hard.
But all of our pissy little complaints pale in light of the impressive spectacle of “MDNA.” Madonna is still the reigning queen of pop and a total badass in the live arena.
AlunaGeorge “Body Music” Island Records Group
The debut album by English electropop duo AlunaGeorge (aka singer Aluna Francis and producer George Reid) blends bass-heavy British grooves with American R&B vocals to create a vibe that is simultaneously danceable and laidback.
That might work to their advantage. While other pop-leaning acts lean heavily on bombast, spectacle and overkill, the chill-by-comparison approach of this duo can be refreshing.
The crisp and airy production and the playful vocals echo the pop crossover leanings of the synthesized R&B of the mid- to late 1980s and early ’90s. Think Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam or Samantha Fox with a fresh wash and a coat of Europop wax.
At best, the throwback-synth sounds and restrained beats lend well to distinction tracks like “Kaleidoscope Love” and “Bad Idea.” But other times, they come across as super-dated, such as on the spastic and quirky “Lost & Found.” Oh, and then there’s the cover of Montell Jordan’s “This is How We Do It,” which wasn’t a complicated song to begin with but, in AlunaGeorge’s hands, feels even more dumbed-down and sterile.
Francis’ vocals are decent on this project but nothing in her performance on “Body Music” distinguishes her voice or lyrics from the thousands of other singers out there, giving the feeling that if she and Reid ever have a falling-out, it would be easy to find a replacement.
“Body Music” is solid enough as a dance-pop moment, but we’re going to need to see some artistic growth from this duo if they are going to keep our attention.
Goldfrapp “Tales of Us” Mute
Goldfrapp strays even further from the dance floor they’ve normally called home with “Tales of Us.” Fans of their 2008 album “Seventh Tree” will understand, as this new album dives deeper into the dreamy and folksy landscapes that influenced that album. While that album still held on to a band feel, “Tales of Us” is a more subdued affair.
Not to say it doesn’t righteously thump in some places. The sole overtly energetic track on the album, “Thea,” has a sexy beat and bass groove going for it.
But overall, silky vocals, strings, acoustic guitars and sparse synths dominate the record for a feel that splits the difference between acoustic Eastern-influenced Led Zeppelin and the most ambient moments of Abba, especially on tracks like classical-sounding and lushly orchestrated “Ulla” and “Stranger” and spacey atmospheric tracks like “Simone” and “Alvar.” It doesn’t hurt that singer Alison Goldfrapp has a voice that could make the grinding drone of a jackhammer sound as soft as a baby’s butt feels. Even with such classic influences, it still sounds ultra-modern and vital.
Fans of Goldfrapp’s electropop-dance sound may be a bit disappointed with their latest effort at first, but the latest batch of songs ends up being satisfying once you let them sink in.
Natalia Kills “Trouble” Interscope/Cherry Tree
Somewhere, some record executive and his marketing team are scratching their collective heads wondering why Natalia Kills isn’t huge right now. P!nk is huge, Lady Gaga is huge. Fergie and Gwen Stefani moved records like hotcakes at some point. Kills is an amalgam of all those successful artists. Why the hell isn’t she moving a ton of units?
To be fair, Kills has a voice and image on par with some of the best pop starlets of the day — but she is also following their sonic blueprints a little too closely and shamelessly. Songs like “Stop Me” and “Daddy’s Girl,” from the stylized vocals to the eclectic electro orchestration, in every way, shape and form sound too much like a Gaga song to be anything more than a blatant rip-off. The same with “Boys Don’t Cry,” except this time it’s Stefani. “Television” and “Problem” clone the same exact defiant punkish-pop swagger as P!nk. And the title track feels like it was stolen out from under Rihanna.
Still, there are some worthwhile clones to be enjoyed. “Controversy” is probably the finest, filthiest moment on the record, with whispered vocals and an infectious beat, but even that might as well be a Britney Spears song. The piano ballad “Marlboro Lights” owes another nod to Gaga but has enough earnest energy and heart to stand out.
Admittedly, we should be mad that Ke$ha sells way more records than Natalia Kills, but the latter seems to have more going for her than to resort to such intricate levels of copycat songwriting.