Madonna Ray of Light Album Review, Songs, Rating

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Madonna
Ray of Light
Release Date: 1998 03 03
Running Time: 66:45
Label: WEA
Rating:

Returning to pop after a four-year hiatus, Madonna enlisted respected techno producer William Orbit as her collaborator for Ray of Light, a self-conscious effort to stay abreast of contemporary trends. Unlike other veteran artists who attempted to come to terms with electronica, Madonna was always a dance artist, so it's no real shock to hear her sing over breakbeats, pulsating electronics, and blunted trip-hop beats. Still, it's mildly surprising that it works as well as it does, largely due to Madonna and Orbit's subtle attack. They've reigned in the beats, tamed electronica's eccentricities, and retained her flair for pop melodies, creating the first mainstream pop album that successfully embraces techno. Sonically, it's the most adventurous record she has made, but it's far from inaccessible, since the textures are alluring and the songs have a strong melodic foundation, whether it's the swirling title track, the meditative opener, "Substitute for Love," or the ballad "Frozen." For all of its attributes, there's a certain distance to Ray of Light, born of the carefully constructed productions and Madonna's newly mannered, technically precise singing. It all results in her most mature and restrained album, which is an easy achievement to admire, yet not necessarily an easy one to love. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks:

	Title	Composer	Time
1	Drowned World/Substitute for Love	Kerr, McKuen, Orbit, Collins, Madonna [1]	5:09
2	Swim	Orbit, Madonna [1]	5:00
3	Ray of Light	Madonna [1], Curtis, Muldoon, Orbit, Leach	5:21
4	Candy Perfume Girl	Orbit, Melvoin, Madonna [1]	4:34
5	Skin	Leonard, Madonna [1]	6:22
6	Nothing Really Matters	Leonard, Madonna [1]	4:27
7	Sky Fits Heaven	Madonna [1], Leonard	4:48
8	Shanti/Ashtangi	Madonna [1], Orbit	4:29
9	Frozen	Madonna [1], Leonard	6:12
10	Power of Goodbye	Madonna [1], Nowels	4:10
11	To Have and Not to Hold	Madonna [1], Nowels	5:23
12	Little Star	Nowels, Madonna [1]	5:18
13	Mer Girl	Orbit, Madonna [1]	5:32