Saluting the 2010's: Madonna's three albums ranked.

Welcome back on Blogger!
Today we continue with our celebration of Madonna's work from this decade.
I recently revealed my ten favorite songs and today I'm going to discuss and rank her three albums MDNA, Rebel Heart and Madame X. 
Without further ado, let's get into this article!

3) Madame X (2019)

I already know some of you are going to be surprised but remember, this is my list, not yours.

What can we say about this album? Well, while I appreciate Madonna's creativity and message, I have to be honest and tell you that this album never truly did it for me. 

There are some amazing gems here like Crazy, Come Alive, Killers Who Are Partying, Dark Ballet and God Control but the rest of the album offers things that Madonna has done so much better before. Vocally it is not one of her best but I understand her if she chose autotune for artistic reasons. The songwriting is the thing that places this album at the bottom of this list. Like I said, the message is there but it isn't well conveyed. Most of the lyrics sound like concepts to develop rather than actual lyrics. Of course, there are exceptions like the beautiful Looking For Mercy or the already cited Crazy. 

The production, like I wrote in my review for the album back in June, is the star of the show. So clear, experimental and majestic. 

Madame X is definitely a production-driven album but that is no excuse for offering such vocals and lyrics. Confessions On a Dance Floor was production-driven as well but it had great lyrics, vocals and melodies.

The melodies. That is another thing I have always loved about Madonna. They, along with visuals and concepts, are her biggest talent. Unfortunately this album has almost no choruses or linear melodies. Crazy is the only exception. 

All of this makes Madame X a very difficult listen and perhaps the reason why I almost stopped paying attention to it just one month after its release. This was actually a first for me, as I usually play new Madonna albums for years before getting tired of them. 

Maybe this record will grow on me over the years but for now I just hope she comes back with a better album next time. 

2) MDNA (2012)

Oh, MDNA!

This is an album that I have always enjoyed. It is a reflection of Madonna's busy post-divorce life. It is an album led by anger, pain and irony and our Diva finds salvation in electronic music and most of all on the dance floor. 

She starts with an act of contrition and then she ironically goes wild (pun intended), musically and lyrically. Gang Bang was one of the craziest and best songs of 2012 with its experimental and cinematic production and controversial lyrics. I'm Addicted is still to this day one of Madonna's greatest dance efforts. In general, the initial 1-2-3 punch is a blaze of adrenaline and energy.

The middle section of the album is where things get a little weaker according to many. Well not for me. While I don't think songs like Superstar and Give Me All Your Luvin' are some of Madonna's best works, I love the irony that they exude. The former is our Diva mocking her ex-husband Guy Ritchie for three minutes straight while the latter is a message for the female popstars who had emerged during her 2009-2011 hiatus. Not really a diss track, just a fun and catchy "I see you" song. I especially love the chorus of it. The fact that it was chosen as the lead single (or a single in general) is another story though. Let's not go there, not today at least.

The rest of the album is pretty great. I Don't Give A is interesting with its rap-pop-dance-orchestral nature, Falling Free, Masterpiece and Love Spent are the finest moments lyrically (and also sonically). Beautiful Killer is the synthpop smash that she never released in the 1980's. I'm a Sinner shines with its signature Madonna-Orbit production.

One thing I like about this album is how it effortlessly flows. It is not cohesive but the tracklist is not flawed. I can play it from Girl Gone Wild to Best Friend easily and without skipping a track.

MDNA is a rollercoaster, a really fun one. 

1) Rebel Heart (2015)

Rebel Heart easily takes the top spot. It is one of Madonna's best records and it is even more impressive if we think she released it 33 years into her career.
Madonna has poured her heart and soul into this project and it shows. The songwriting, the melodies, the vocals and the themes are unequivocally classic/old school.
On Rebel Heart there is everything that makes a great album by Madonna: Dance/upbeat songs (Living for Love, Hold Tight, Iconic, Beautiful Scars), sonic and lyrical experiments (Illuminati, Veni Vidi Vici, Devil Pray, Body Shop), controversial moments (S.E.X., Holy Water) and the best ballads in the business (Ghosttown, Messiah, Wash All Over Me, HeartbreakCity, Inside Out, Best Night, Joan of Arc). Thematically, this record is a trip inside Madonna's mind, as she expresses her feelings about life, her career, sexuality, love, mortality, strength and vulnerability, social and political issues like drug abuse, religion, self-love, conspiracy theories and equality. Everything that Madonna is about is reflected on this album.
Vocally, this work was also her best one since the 1990's. She was in top form during this era, as the multiple live performances and the tour prove.
Rebel Heart is the Madonna of the 1980's/1990's making music in 2015. I feel like this album was a reunion and at the same time a good-bye between the Madonna of the present and the one of the past. There is something nostalgic and melancholic about this album and era as a whole, something that an artist can only produce when he/she reaches a certain point in his/her career. A moment to remember the past, look at the present and hope for the future. This was Rebel Heart.
The album of my life.

Let your body move to the music