Madonna's Misfiring Post-9/11 Commentary

American Life (2003)

1. "American Life"
In this politically charged, electronically powered title track has Madonna singing about this demented and twisted society that America was at the time of it's release.  The song has a very timeless production to it that after 16 years, doesn't feel dated or out of the loop when it comes to today's mechanized assisted pop music which definitely works in it's favor.  Of course, infamously controversial "American Life" is Madonna's unabashed take of this country's unrealistic expectations and gross visionary propaganda that they force on Americans everyday.  And I get it!  ....But! What I always don't understand is Madonna's need to delivery that infamous rap portion of the song that feels poorly tacked on and tacky beyond comprehension.  Going on and on about her rich, mundane daily life of drinking double shots, doing yoga, the cars she drives; pretty much gloating about how fabulous her life is between her enormous staff at her disposal.  I mean I get what Madonna is trying to say by destructing the American Dream as a lie and an unfulfilling goal ultimately but by the end of the song, it feels more like a parody of itself than a powerful statement about the state of the country's societal norms and horrible views of what the "American Life" should be.  I commend Madonna for once again taking a HUGE risk as even the music video for said lead single had to be banned and re-shot to be more visually friendly than the chaotic and graphic War on Terrorism clip that completely outraged casual viewers/listeners at the time.  Honestly, "American Life" is misguided in how to execute such a pivotal message at the time and comes off rather more satirical of Madonna herself than I think she wanted it to be. *Shrug*
(D+)


2.  "Hollywood"
Oh, only Madonna could make a song like this and make it sound so authentic; especially given that she had lived the supposed glamorous life style of superstar for 20 years up to that point in her career.  I gotta say the song is effortlessly catchy as Madonna sings about the advantages as well as surprisingly dangerous disadvantages of the almost mythic land of fame and fortune that "Hollywood" has been perceived as on the surface.  Honestly, deeper is a very unnatural environment beneath the fashion and wonderfully successful facade that it puts off....which I can definitely attest to considering I lived in East Hollywood (The worst area of the quote/unquote "neighborhood" Madonna sings with an almost melancholy melody during that part of the song O_O....hmmmmm) ....Well, I honestly don't mind as "Hollywood" stands out with a rather stunningly standard pop-rock production and who can forget this song being performed during the infamous 2003 MTV VMA lip-lock between her and her chosen successor in Pop phenom herself, Britney Spears.  I feel like the song rightfully captures the sleaze and struggle of such a part of the country that has more secrets and slander than most people realize.  It maybe sunny and fun, but you will lose yourself to the good and bad as Madonna almost sings with a cautionary glee.  Pretty solid all around! :)
(C+)


3. "I'm So Stupid"
Ummmmmm....sigh.....You know, I just don't understand how this album has such a following in the fan base as well as some critics praising it as this is one of the most ear drum shattering pieces of melodic trash I have ever heard....ever!  I'm sorry, I get the emotional sentiment of the song's message but my goodness, this is one of my biggest problems with the album.  While Madonna gives (tries to!) a solid vocal performance throughout, I can't help but rush to lower my volume at the immensely irritating, jarring mixing of this song.  I mean that one part at the beginning of the song STILL to this day (TO THIS DAY!!! -_-) sounds like the CD got scratch up and now the song is ruined because of it by having no choice but to skip to the next song.  Yes Madonna, you were stupid for living in a bubble and being so naive of this beautiful, perfect successful life you dream about because of all the magazines or pictures you saw as a child.  But you know what the bigger mistake was....this....damn....track! This isn't even a tune; sounding like some went terrible wrong in the studio and the producers decided to laughably leave it on the album. Great! NOT!
(D-)


4. "Love Profusion"
Well, this is certainly significantly more pleasant than the last track!  Becoming the second single released from the album, "Love Profusion" is an acoustic laced pop tune that feels more organic and lush than what we've heard before this one.  I enjoy it; while it's not one of Madonna's most well known or iconic singles, it has a nice groove to it that makes it A LOT easier on the ears and much more of an entertaining ride as we see into the romanticized vision that Madonna illustrates with such lyrics as "In the love profusion/You make me feel/ You make me know" and "I got you/Under my skin".  It's a pretty easy going track that just flows naturally and doesn't try to hard; although there was one area of the song I felt the production was about to sound like someone taking a hammer to a record player. 0_0
(C+)


5. "Nobody Knows Me"
....Ok! O_o  So...I'm trying really hard to give this album a chance on my second official listen/critic of it but honestly, I'm finding even more things wrong with it the go around #2 than the first time I did nearly 4 years ago.  The thing is, the album is definitely trying to be unique in sound and production but I just can't help but get annoyed and frankly uncomfortable by the almost obnoxious way these songs are composed. O_o "Nobody Knows Me" tries to be this hypnotic, techno beat driven song that has those serious electronic influences jammed into it...and yes, I literally mean jammed into it because of how utterly silly the thumping beat included in the song sounds like some head throbbing banging over time. Honestly, Madonna is trying to sing about some cautionary tale of identity and being weary of those around you but honestly, I just want the song to stop because it feels like someone stomping on my ears at times.
(D-)


6. "Nothing Fails"
Awwww, I love this track! It's very gentle and sincere in its acoustic glory! :)  Madonna just feels so genuine here as she sins of a lover who makes her feel incredibly grounded and brings her to a place of serenity.  Of course, she has to add her own analogies; comparing this experience to a religious practice like praying.  I really enjoy the wonderful inclusion of the gospel choir toward the end; giving me those "Like A Prayer" vibes that just sends chills down by soul. <3<3<3 "Nothing fails/No more fears/Nothing fails/I washed away my tears" she sings as the song moves toward a very climatic and moving finish. Now honestly, was that soooooo hard!?
(A-)


7. "Intervention"
Well, it seems like "American Life" has some actual "life" to it than the relentless banging and clanking of genre colliding beats that don't sound coherent, let alone listenable.  "Intervention" is another heartwarming acoustic ballad that is just solid without needing such overly produced garbage to stand out.  If I am understanding something about this album (so far) is when Madonna as well as the production itself is understated and subdued, the music truly soars and feels like a low key but natural reinvention for the multi decade dominating diva.  Let's hope the album can keep up with the subtle instrumentation, solid (sometimes!) singing and acoustic grooves. *Thumbs up!*
(A-)


8. "X-Static Process"
WOW!!! O_O Yet another remarkable and quite moving ballad here! I honestly can't believe I'm rediscovering that this album actually has some substance beyond the superficially and hectic productions earlier on the album.  "X-Static Process" just has this subtle yet beautiful, soulful melody to it as a guitar melody plays while Madonna questions herself in the face of something as powerful as the presence of our Lord and Savior in her mist.  Just the way Madonna sings this is with such nuance in her vocals that it's genuinely emotional as well as heartwarming.  She questions her identity when she's alone....she questions herself when she's with "him"....and it's all so thought provoking as there's a vulnerability here that is quite masterful for the usual over the top, high octane styled diva.  Superb from start to finish! Nothing more needs to be said! :)
(A-)


9. "Mother and Father"
....welp!!! It was nice while it lasted!!! Okay, so "Mother and Father" has a lot of substance in it's lyricism; exploring Madonna's mother's death and her religious faith that she quickly questioned but the production isn't something I am a fan of.  It isn't terrible by any means, it is just sequenced in such a bizarre way that certain parts of the song feel SOOOOO out of place and sadly.....sigh...-_-....Madonna feels the need to try her hand at rapping again and the song quickly goes downhill from there in terms of production and delivery.  Beats literally melt into each other until they become borderline irritating noises and Madonna herself begins to sing...or rather speak in such a manner that is both laughable and almost painful. O_O  Like I said, no need for this type of overly produced studio theatrics when the album was so much more rewarding with its basic acoustic run of subdue but stellar tracks. Oh well...on to the next song unfortunately! Damn....maybe this truly is as atrocious as I originally thought! :(
(D-)


10. "Die Another Day"
Taken from the 2002 iteration of the James Bond franchise, "Die Another Day" is an adventurous electronic song that feels much better produced than the one's we've gotten so far from the album.  I love that the producers find the time to include some natural instrumentation on the track like the stunning violins that pop in and out of the song just at the right time.  It definitely a song that will rightfully get your blood pumping for either a full night of dancefloor movement or a possible fight with a not to friendly club goer.  Now I see why this track was chosen for the long running spy espionage films!!! You'll find this one infectious, intoxicating, even as deadly as it's corresponding darkly action packed music video of the same name. ;)
(A-)


11. "Easy Ride"
As we wrap up this mostly mediocre album, we end things off with this very somber; even foreboding final track as Madonna seems to be in a state of soul searching and wishful fulfillment as she pleads as she sings for things she truly wants to be a reality.  It's a song that transitions into a more electronic track but manages to keep it's acoustic; even classical inspired instrumentation that keeps the song from going off on a needlessly tangent of musical messiness that some tracks on this album have done unfortunately.  It's not bad at all; just not something that riveting or standing out from the best of the album.  I'm just glad the album managed to end on a pretty solid note instead of reminding me of what was so weak about it at certain parts.  Oh well....
(B-)


You know, you got to give Madonna credit! There has been no greater risk taker when it comes to female pop artists in the modern music era than her. Of course, this was before the days of Lady Gaga and the little monsters that would follow, lol. "American Life" was her first album after September 11th, 2001 aka a day that will live forever in infamy in history. Now, I understand Madonna as an artist, using this national tragedy and unbearable country changing event to fuel inspiration for her next album but let's be real here, "American Life" is barely the sum of it's parts. Collaborating with a then relatively unpopular Mirwais Ahmadzaï, Madonna aimed for yet another conceptual album; centered around themes of American culture and the devastating consequences of such a self-serving life. I mean the title track honestly encapsulates those themes; poking fun at the ironically detrimental ideals that the USA has forced onto it's people through convenience, alienation and materialistic practices. But that's the thing, the album kinda fails at what it's trying to be: social commentary on what is wrong with America and the issues that now plague it. Instead, we get a an album mostly, if not, entirely about Madonna...again! O_o It's kind of hilariously self-absorbed and self-centered, even with a run of such excellent acoustic guitar tunes such as "X-Static Process" and "Nothing Fails". While the production that Mirwais and Madonna herself come up with is a mix of folk and electronica; called folktronica, the album bounces back and forth more between the electronica and folk more than combining the two. Not to mention, often times when said musical genres are combined...the results are not exactly pleasing to the ears. For example, "I'm So Stupid"...-_-....just quickly erupts into a sequence of noises that feels like someone messed up in the studio by pressing to many buttons all at once instead of organically making a song of both style and substance. Also, this doesn't help that this Madonna's third time in a row exploring the electronica genre; a genre she help breakout into the mainstream with her magnum opus, "Ray of Light" only 5 years prior to this. But even "Music" couldn't sustain the immense momentum that album started and "American Life" just stumbles more than it succeeds unfortunately. If you're trying to hear what Madonna is trying to say vocally, it certainly gets lost in translation with production that strain your ability to listen to the max. Sure, the album was a moderate success but definitely not the hitmaker that Madonna is known for producing. "American Life", the single, was panned by most critics and said to be one of worst songs of ALL. TIME! Damn be! O_o Singles like "Love Profusion" and "Nothing Fails" fizzled; even becoming non-existent on the charts for the former. While the album went on to sell over 5 million copies worldwide and managed to hit #1 in 14 countries, including on the Billboard 2000, I feel like the era was more recognized by her fandom for the incredible "Re-Invention Tour" that promoted it in 2004 that became the highest grossing concert tour that year. Not to mention, that kiss between her and her pop queen successors in Christina Aguleria and especially Britney Spears that year at the MTV VMAs. Sigh...it's a shame because the overall weak execution of the album is what holds it back from being truly what Madonna wanted it to be. It's a rare occasion where the Material Girl's actual material was seriously lacking and the outcome led to possible the worst of anything she has release throughout her career! Yikes! O_O

"Using the country's devastating politics and shocking metamorphosis during the Bush Administration to fuel an record inspired by the fallout of conforming American living, we got "American Life", Madonna's thematically fumbling 9th album that seems more like a meandering mess of amazing acoustic confessions and boisterous productions that hammer in the conceptual amalgamation of folk music and the growing popularity of the electronica genre. By the end of its rather short run of 11 tracks overall, you're left wondering what could have been if the themes were fully explored and not forced through barely a handful of songs that scream at you more than enlightening listeners to Madonna's usual daringly bold point of view."
(D+)