Madonna

Just got a chance to hear the song "Four Minutes", off Madonna's forthcoming Hard Candy. Didn't like it much at all.

Not because I don't usually listen to this kind of Top 40 dance stuff, although you wouldn't necessarily guess that from the material I've talked about so far. So if it's not my usual cuppa, why did I bother, you might ask?

Well, two reasons. I sort started listening to music heavily just prior to Madonna becoming a known star. Whether I tried to or not, I ended up hearing a lot of Madonna. And second, I rather like her vocals. Her 'not as bassy as you think' style intrigues me.

Which points to the problem with "Four Minutes". For a Madonna song, there is precious little Madonna not buried in the mix. The production does not do her any favors. Rather the near-frantic rhythm is the centerpiece. Maybe this is what producer Timbaland is known for. I dunno. Again, not my cuppa. Don't know that I've ever heard anything he produced before.

If I'm listening to a Madonna song I want to hear Madonna, not a drum machine. I'll be sticking to the 'classics' (roughly pre-1990).