The producers are back! Producers have always been a key piece in the music manufacturing puzzle, but in my opinion the producers haven\u2019t shone like stars, like they do now, since disco\u2019s heyday. Again, in my opinion, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s entirely a coincidence. During the time of disco, large portions of the population wanted an escape, and the high energy light content music of disco filled that desire. Although many of the disco performers were talented vocalists in their own right, it was the music those vocals were over that people cared about, and soon the producers became viewed as the artist. It even reached the point were producers started cutting out the middle man and released their work with them as the performers.<\/p>\n
I think it\u2019s safe to say that again, large portions of our population would like to forget about all the crap going on and just dance, dance, dance. And again, as notable and talented as the artists may be, it\u2019s the producers who are gaining the notoriety. Despite working with such talented, or questionably talented, women as Gwen Stefani, Nelly Furtado, and Britney Spears, the credit for their recent successes seems to be falling squarely on such producers as The Neptunes, Timbaland, and Justin Timberlake. All of whom worked with Madonna on her new album \u201cHard Candy\u201d.<\/p>\n
This album received a lot of hype from industry folks saying that Madonna is trying to capture the urban market. Long time fans, such as myself, will remember that when Madonna first came on the scene, in a time when radio airplay came first and music videos came second, many people thought that Madonna was a Black artist. There was genuine shock when they saw the videos for \u201cBorderline\u201d and \u201cLucky Star\u201d that featured a spunky, slightly pudgy, and absolutely Caucasian woman dancing about. Madonna isn\u2019t trying to capture the urban market; she\u2019s trying to recapture it.<\/p>\n
\u201cHard Candy\u201d wants you to dance so much that what you hear is the absolutely most danceable options available. No real risks were taken (since I wasn\u2019t shocked, annoyed, or concerned about her collaborations with hip hop producers) and no real intimacy was provided (like in her equally danceable, but decidedly electronic, offerings of \u201cRay of Light\u201d and \u201cMusic\u201d). Take the R&B\/hip hop of top 100 radio, mix in some disco, add a dash of techno, and you have \u201cHard Candy\u201d. That said, \u201cHard Candy\u201d commands you to dance, and makes you want to obey.<\/p>\n
The first single \u201c4 Minutes\u201d is the real stand out on the album. Not only is it one of the tracks that really captures the R&B sound of the moment, but it has a marching band loop in it! Let me state for the record that what R&B needs is MORE marching band! It was the reason I liked JC Chasez\u2019s song “Blowin’ Me Up (With Her Love)”, and I love it here now. The other song I really like on \u201cHard Candy\u201d is \u201cHeartbeat\u201d. It really takes the old school Madonna and rubs a little funk on it. It\u2019s got the thump, it\u2019s got a catchy melody, and it\u2019s got Pharell\u2019s patented heys in it. The rest of the album is an exercise in mainstream danceability. Not that it\u2019s bad per say, it\u2019s just not inspiring. Occasionally it strays a little too far into disco territory like on the song \u201cShe\u2019s Not Me\u201d, which is okay with me, but it\u2019s probably a touch too disco for today\u2019s top 100 listeners.<\/p>\n
Madonna wants you to dance, even if it means sacrificing herself on the altar of the producer. Honor her noble sacrifice and shake that thang!<\/p>\n
Enjoy \u201c4 Minutes\u201d below. I have to say, that yes, I know she has trainers, and stylists, and all that jazz, but this 50 year old woman is holding her own with a spry young Justin Timberlake. When they do a little undressing of each other at the end, it\u2019s not creepy, just kind of hot. Not many 50 year olds can pull that off!<\/p>\n