MADONNA - EROTICA

I actually own a couple discs by Madonna, though mostly for other reasons. I own one because Prince worked on it and the rest are singles. It's not that I don't like Madonna... I like her quite a bit. Just never really got into her musically or as a performer. Sadly, she kinda typifies the things I usually dislike about artists.

'Erotica' was a breakthrough album of sorts. Since her debut in the early 80's, Madonna's been linked to sexuality as securely as Captain's been linked to Crunch. Although her image was sexualized and seductive, she was hardly pornographic and her music wasn't really controversial as her publicists wanted you to think. Madonna was threatening because she portrayed feminine sexuality from a position of power. She was confident, secure and unphased by an industry known for objectifying women. I'd give her credit for taking popular music in an entirely new direction. She made it possible for Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, Britney Spears and others to step up to the plate and be taken seriously as artists. Whether or not that's all been for the good remains to be seen.

So along comes 'Erotica'... And for mothers across the country who feared their daughters turning out like Madonna, their worst fears were confirmed. Blatantly sexually suggestive lyrics, foul language and aggressive rhythms more dance oriented than previous efforts pushed her from pop icon to massive superstar. Her fans were growing up and so was Madonna.

To call this disc a masterpiece would be overdoing it. There's still a lot of lackluster Madonna filler music. But there are more great tunes versus ho-hum tunes here for you to sink your ears into. The first half of the disc, tracks 1-6 are all brilliantly written, produced and performed. The stand out numbers are easily the faster more dance oriented tracks. Madonna's released a number of ballads in her day, in fact one of the singles from this record was a ballad, but she falls in the same trap as most ballad singers... boring, uninspired throwaway tunes targeted towards the more cliche listener. Not a great place for her to spend lots of time. As a vocalist, I've always thought she was limited in range and somewhat weak. Her strength has always been in faster paced dance material.

My favorite tracks are 'Erotica', 'Bye Bye Baby', 'Thief Of Hearts' and 'Words'. But her smoldering cover of 'Fever' is also fantastic. 'Bad Girl' is another track I find amusing and then there's her tribute to oral sex, 'Where Life Begins'. An amazing group of songs from an exciting performer.

My final words are: ENJOYABLE AND FUN. Certainly worth your time and effort even if you're not a die-hard fan.

MADONNA - EROTICA
01. Erotica
02. Fever
03. Bye Bye Baby
04. Deeper And Deeper
05. Where Life Begins
06. Bad Girl
07. Waiting
08. Thief Of Hearts
09. Words
10. Rain
11. Why's It So Hard
12. In This Life
13. Secret Garden