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#LachlanREVIEWS - Ray of Light (1998)

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Time to get amongst Madonna's best album.

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1. DROWNED WORLD / SUBSTITUTE FOR LOVE (5/5)
A gorgeous and calming introduction to this song; not that the rest of the album doesn't serve beautiful instrumental breaks. The lyrical content really matches the tempo of this track which is something I admire. I really love the balance between the electronic elements and the guitars throughout this record. The song climaxes with the bridge and for the rest of the song I feel like I'm gliding over the Pacific Ocean! Amazing.

2. SWIM (5/5)
I absolutely adore this song. It has a really nice groove to it and the melodies in the 'carry these sins on my back' hook is irresistible. I would say this is a highlight for me but almost all of the album is a highlight. If Drowned World had me gliding over the water, I'm now lying on the ocean's floor.

3. RAY OF LIGHT (5/5)
This is one of the few 90s songs I actually knew before diving into her catalogue and it only got better with each listen. I would've been content had this album not had a moment of complete techno-euphoria, but I'm very thankful for it. Her voice does things in this track that it hadn't done before, for once she's actually serving vocals. That chorus is just so fucking good y'all. Time to do some caps to this song. And how could you give a song that gave us that iconic Oprah gif anything less than a 5?

4. CANDY PERFUME GIRL (5/5)
For the first few listens, this song was hanging around a 4/5 score. However, my brain finally came to recognise talent in the end. The guitars are more prominent in this song than any other, and it gives the song a semi-grunge, unique sound. In fact, it has that post-modern kind of sounds that reminds me of something Björk could've put her on album Post. The outro , while short is really quite effective and just adds one more element to an already amazing song.

5. SKIN (5/5)
This is my favourite song on the album after Frozen. 6 minutes and 22 seconds of euphoria and bliss. 0:25 to 0:50 is one of my favourite parts of a song like... ever. The best part about this song is how some of those beats manage to actually sound like strings, or part of an orchestra. 3:00 to 3:40 is also fucking amazing. Truly one of her best.

6. NOTHING REALLY MATTERS (5/5)
I love when Madonna writes about her family, and this song is no exception. The climax of this second begins before the final chorus and let me tell you... what a fucking climax. It really shouldn't work but it does, and sounds like someone's banging against a piano while Orbit fiddled around with an instrumental. It's just so fucking good wow.

7. SKY FITS HEAVEN (5/5)
Really love the lyrics in this song, and I feel as though it kind of embodies the album's lyrical content as a whole in terms of how existential and spiritual it is. I dig the chorus to this track, but what I dig more are the parts immediately after the chorus, which are different everytime and each are just as good as each other. 3:40 onwards leaves me without a hair on my head everytime.

8. SHANTI / ASHTANGI (4/5)
By itself, while this song is still pretty great, it doesn't quite work. However, in the context of the album it almost feels like a long interlude of sorts, and definitely adds to the atmosphere. If this track was instrumental it probably would've scored a 4.5. Does that make me ignorant? Probably.

9. FROZEN (5/5)
Madonna's best song. Period. It's stunning, and so haunting. Every single second of this song was so carefully put together. I get chills every single time it starts. Those industrial drum excerpts are brilliant. Those "mmmm's" in the chorus sound almost hymn-like which again is... brilliant! This song is just such a brilliant balance of fragility and strength in every manner.

10. THE POWER OF GOODBYE (4.5/5)
If the chorus had just been that touch more interesting, this could've joined the 5s club. It's just a little bit underwhelming after those really strong verses. However, the lyrics are some of my favourite on the record. I wish she had repeated that 'do you wanna go higher?' line a couple more times cause it's so pleasing.

11. TO HAVE AND NOT TO HOLD (4.5/5)
While the track starts off very similar to the rest of the album in regards to the electronic instrumentation, it moves into new territory with a beat that's almost a little more tribal, or Latin. I don't know, I'm not a music expert! I'm really not sure what it is that doesn't make this track a perfect score, I guess it's lacking that one thing that makes it really special. Is this the Secret of Ray of Light?

12. LITTLE STAR (5/5)
I've seen a lot of people comment on how cheesy the lyrics are, but it doesn't really phase me and I don't quite agree anyway. The producer of this track did a really fantastic job, and it's one of my favourite instrumentals of the entire album. That's probably one of the things that keeps this song at a perfect score. There's so many little details and layers throughout the production that are just so good. It kind of reminds me of Frozen if it flipped into a song of positivity and love.

13. MER GIRL (5/5)
What a gorgeous and chilling way to end the album. When she writes about her parents, it's always so fucking good. The production of this track is really brilliant, as it's quite sparse, taking a backseat to let the pretty amazing lyrics shine. Those last few lines... wow.

 

OVERALL - 97 on Lachlancritic

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ALBUM RANKING SO FAR
Ray of Light - 97
Bedtime Stories / Erotica - 90
Like a Prayer - 88
True Blue - 79
Madonna - 75
Like a Virgin - 74

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Just now, Lachlan said:

Don't be disrespecting Candy Perfect Girl on my watch.

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It's my least favorite from this masterpiece but it's still good tbh.

I thought this album was meh when I first listened to it but now it's one of my favorite albums ever. I really hope @John Wayne recognizes talent soon like I did!

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Just now, Diamond said:

It's my least favorite from this masterpiece but it's still good tbh.

I thought this album was meh when I first listened to it but now it's one of my favorite albums ever. I really hope @John Wayne recognizes talent soon like I did!

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Tbh I don't even understand how anyone could not stan this masterpiece. It's so fuckin good. John Wayne needs to get ha act together.

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Just now, PhCh said:

I can't at all the tea spilled in this review oprah10 Skin is my absolute favorite Madonna's song and Candy Perfume Girl is really underrated alex1 

STAN HER MAGNUM OPUS

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I love talented users stanning talented albums and songs.

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PUT YOUR HANDS ON MY SKIN.

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TOUCH ME I'M DYING.

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Time to get amongst Madonna's best album. OVERALL - 97 on Lachlancritic --- ALBUM RANKING SO FAR Ray of Light - 97 Bedtime Stories / Erotica - 90 Like a Prayer - 88 True

Not all those songs getting perfect score.    


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