Ray of Light

Describing Madonna as a singer doesn't really do her justice for several reasons—I see her more as a style icon who is deeply rooted in the 80s. This makes her change in style and image, which she achieved in the late 90s and which is evident in “Ray of Light,” all the more admirable. However, I don't particularly like the rather dark electro style of the songs, and I don't think it suits Madonna's voice, which is unmistakable but not overly distinctive. It's worth a listen, but it's not much better than I remembered.

The Good: We’re not left in the dark!
The Bad: Turns out it is midday…
The Ugly: This album should have been left in the darkness….

I was never a Madonna fan. However, during her Material Girl period, I, and countless of my fellow teenage morons, all wished our girlfriends would look like her…

We can’t deny the fact that Madonna has been able to adjust her image to stay important, or even trendsetting… Jean-Paul G would not have a live were it not for Vogue. Yet, do I need someone like Madonna to tell me about the importance of spirituality?

The ray of light, in so far as to this 1001 album list, is that we get to read some wiki on a daily basis to see why an album is on a list, or what might be special about the album… and in this case, it seems that Madonna had been using the training she had received for the Evita musical, and it is apparent as hell… no need to have a little ray of light shine on the fact that the voice is annoying, like listening to a musical that one is forced to listen to.

The album did produce several hits, and they are instantly recognizable, as the production on the album is really well… so, just because of that, I will grant Madonna 2*… while crossing my fingers that I don’t have to listen to another album by her… though, I believe that I am missing at least 1...

Truly a great album.

The blend of Madonna and William orbit’s production is pure pop perfection.

I have a tendency to open the day's album on Amazon Music and immediately check the length. Even for an artist I've heard of and like, I'll see an running time of over an hour and my heart will sink a little bit. This is 1 hour 6 minutes long and that's a lot of mystical Madonna.

That being said, I actually enjoyed this in more of a background music kinda way. I knew far more of it than I expected (given I never owned the album) but I guess releasing 6 singles from a 13 track album will have that effect.

I would definitely pick 80s Madonna over this, but that's my inherent uncool rather than any slight on the record.

3/5

Als je rond 1980 geboren bent, kon je niet om deze dame heen. Het was één van de grootste artiesten. Maar na 3 albums mag ik toch wel concluderen dat dat niet door haar zangkunsten kwam. De hits zijn groot geweest, dus ik snap de notering in de lijst wel (in elk geval beter dan het album Music). Maar verder is er toch weinig onderscheidend aan deze schijf? Het is vooral niet vervelend om naar te luisteren.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5.

One of two present on the list, this is my first full Madonna album, and really, my first proper dive into hearing anything she made after the 1980s (I guess “Vogue” came out in 1990, but shh). Granted, I’ve never been that big into Madonna, but I know her place in music history, and just how damn brightly her star was shining at her peak. For my first Madonna album, I have to imagine this is a bit of a style shift, but it’s a style shift that certainly works for 1998. It’s a bit dated to the era, sure, but it’s dated to the era in the best way. Sort of like how “Jagged Little Pill” is a quintessential example of 1995 production, this feels like the electronica trends of the late 90s finally being thrown into a high-profile situation and nailing it across the board. A lot of these tracks must’ve felt even cooler to listen to in 1998, and it’s no surprise to my ears why this had the acclaim it did.

Once again, I feel justified in saying that “Walking Wounded” by Everything but The Girl just didn’t go far enough in how it integrated electronica into pop, with Madonna’s effort here lapping that album in spades. Her vocals glide on these tracks, and the lyricism is often pretty damn good to match. Excellent production work across the board here, especially on William Orbit’s stuff (Ray of Light is indeed as good as advertised, thanks Weird Al). My only real knock production-wise is the length of the album. A number of these tracks could’ve been trimmed down to avoid some of the repetition, no matter how good the vibes were and how much space a CD had.

So, why the 4.5 then, and not a flat 5? A few tracks just bounced off of me, that’s all. Part of it is fatigue from the length of the album, part of it is that sense of repetition creeping too long, and part of it is just “the beat was too plain”. Realistically, I don’t have any major problems with the album. It’s a really good listen, no matter how “dated” it might feel. If you’re not the type of person to already feel predisposed to electronica like this (I’m avoiding video game music comparisons like the plague on this one), then it may very well just bounce entirely off of you, and I suppose that explains the average on this being less than a 3 on the site. A bit undeserved to my ears, though I guess a 38-year-old who wasn’t as present in the 1990s suddenly coming back into full swing by riding the electronica wave might be a little bit “how do you do, fellow kids” to some.

Ultimately, I just really enjoyed this – smart songwriting with some lovely tributes to her family throughout, great production work, gliding vocals, and if nothing else, 66 minutes of chill enough beats to do whatever the hell you want to, whether that’s studying, driving around, or belting out the chorus to “Ray of Light” on a whim. It didn’t all click, and the album does feel a little long, but it clicked enough where I feel just fine bumping this up from a 4.5 to a 5. Good stuff, Madonna.

Really enjoyed this, feels like a white woman version of Love Deluxe

I’ve never gone out of my way to listen to a Madonna song before today and from what I have heard here and there down the years I’ve never understood her appeal. After listening to this I still don’t get it. The title track and Frozen are good enough songs but nothing special and the album as a whole I found kinda dull.

Top Track - Frozen

This sounded very 90's.

My hopes were up a bit after the last album I got from Madonna on this like (like a prayer) and how critics generally praised this release. Honestly, I found it pretty mundane, and derivative of other artists in the 90s electronic and trip hop space I'd rather be listening to. Some good moments (especially in the beginning) but all around a pretty drab listen. 2/5

It's interesting, but the entire album sounds like a remix album. Like some house DJ made a bunch of songs, and then remixed them with Madonna's vocals. It's not off-putting, but it doesn't sound natural, if that makes sense.

I don't really like Madonna, but I do tend to like - or at least appreciate - things that are weird or unique - and this album is certainly weird/unique. I also tend to like dance music, so I don't hate this.

Ultimately, I think this was a fun one time listen, and I think I understand why it's included. I'm going to give it 3 stars because it's definitely fine, and I wouldn't be mad if I heard the occasional song in the background, but I'd never actually search it out for another listen.

What surprised me here was the production, which absolutely SHINED and complemented Madonna's voice beautifully. Lots of musical details - like the little guitar riffs all throughout Skin - make this a very fun and textured album that will be great to revisit.

Standouts: Skin • Nothing Really Matters • To Have and Not to Hold

This is as much a William Orbit album as it is a Madonna album. Solidly fun electropop. Some of it reminded me a bit of Beth Orton in places, perhaps because of Orbit producing both. The title track is really good IMO.

Ідеальний поп-альбом. Я взагалі не всі періоди Мадонни люблю, але вражений тим як вона змінювала свій стиль і музику протягом кар'єри.

Thank you

Horribly boring. Madonna washed up in the 90's.

Favorite songs: Frozen, Sky Fits Heaven, Swim

Least favorite songs: Candy Perfume Girl, Skin, Shanti/Ashtangi, Little Star, Mer Girl

2/5

I wasn't a fan of William Orbit's album on this list, but I think his work combines really well with Madonna. Interesting electronica that goes nowhere matches really well with Madonna's pop-sensibility. The album is a bit on the long side but its full of nice motivs and weird left turns to keep you engaged. I loved hearing the snippets of Arabian and other world-music on here. Madonna also sounds great on this album. Frozen is also an all time classic.

The first four songs honestly had me floored - I couldn't believe I was enjoying a Madonna album that much! It unfortunately fell off hard for me after that, but perhaps there will be some revisiting value here.

2.5/5

The song "Ray of Light" is ok. The EDM framework is ok, sometimes even danceable. Madonna is not a great singer, though. And if you've heard one semi-naughty boy/girl song you've heard them all. I couldn't finish it, it's an hour-plus, and I know what the rest will be like. Small moments of interest but nothing thoroughly exceptional here.

I used to like Madonna back in the old days but went off her when she started her psychodivabitchslag period and I haven’t listened to a Madonna album since about 1990. 


I think it helped that this album popped up on a chilled Sunday evening. It’s full of great tracks ; exquisite, atmospheric, ambient, trippy, rave electronica . The production is brilliant and her voice sounds great. I’m listening again on a Monday morning and it’s still awesome (Shanti is a dud, but everyone's entitled to one). I need to re-evaluate Madonna perhaps. Nah perhaps not she’s still a batty old fruitcake. 

5*