Album Review: Madonna - Hard Candy

By: Ama Scriver

Madonna
Hard Candy

(Maverick Records/Warner Brothers)

SOUNDS LIKE: Madonna takes on hip-hop and doesn't exactly deliver.

WHY/WHY NOT: I'm not going to sugarcoat it: when I first heard "4 Minutes" I hated it.  Granted, it did eventually grow on me. But it made me scared to hear the rest of Madonna's eleventh studio album, Hard Candy; was this what the rest of the album would be? A bunch of subpar material that only grows on you after countless listens? 

 Madonna's inspiration for this album was hip-hop, thus she teamed up with hot producers Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, and Nate "Danja" Hills to create the best beats. After the first listen, some tracks stand out - like "Give It 2 Me," which stays true to her dance roots. Another notable song is "She's Not Me," which speaks to her marriage troubles and wills av eyou having to log on to PerezHilton.com. No album would be complete without Kanye West, This time lending his vocals to a disco, hip-hop-infused track entitled "Beat Goes On."

 Overall, this album is alright, but as a true Madonna fan I'm not overly impressed. It's got some okay songs that I'll listen to, but she's had better albums. I still give Madonna credit for always being willing to push boundaries, try new things and for working with artists she's not worked with before, but ultimately Hard Candy doesn't exactly deliver.