Confessions on a Dancefloor [Import]

I have never been a huge fan of Madonna, take her or leave her to be honest. OK so Vogue & Like a prayer re-kindle fond memories from my childhood but that is about it. As for her recent albums, Ray of Light and American Life almost missed my radar completely!

But Confessions on a Dancefloor has left me a little gobsmacked. Madonna has returned to what she always did best (even if I hadn't noticed until now!), disco. And not just your bog standard "down the local club on a friday night" kinda stuff, but original & catchy songs that keep on coming. Forbidden Love is not to dissimilar to some of Air's songs, hints of the Petshop Boys can be heard in "Jump", and is that a Donna Summer sample in "Future Lovers"?

Highly Reccomended.

Beware you might not get this album off your cd player for a few weeks and will find yourself dancing when you really should be doing other stuff. Absolutely loving this album, every single track, gets better and better with each listen, great dance/trance beats and its only lost a star because there are a few dodgy lyrics which make me cringe but that doesn't stop it being brilliant.

...that's the best word I can find to describe Madonna's futuristic techno-dance effort. It's one of those albums that I live for discovering. Confessions on a Dance Floor is its own little musical universe, where the music flows through you like fire and each song connects so seamlessly to the other that I forget that I'm listening to songs at all. With tempestuous melodies, sounds and beats, this high-charged, all-enveloping musical experience is in my opinion one of Madonna's most recognisable and breathtaking works; an unforgettable sonic journey. Were fire made into music, it would sound something like this.

Madonna and Stuart Price made something truly magical come to life here. Listening to this album for the first time challenged my notion to what an album is supposed to be. Confessions on a Dance Floor is as close as I have dared hope for an album to become something truly spectacular as a whole. Just try to separate the song order, or to insert a silence - you can't do it. The whole album would fall apart. It's all produced as a whole, and this gives the album added character. The sleeve is the perfect hint at the beauty and passion of the music it adorns. The art direction was great.

The music is fantastic. It's electrical and riveting, full of energy and zest, and I don't just mean in the catchy department. This is thoughtful and moving music in its own right; it's music you actually would like to hear pop up on a dance playlist, something you look forward to hearing. The album's hits need no introduction. Check out Stuart Price's version of Cornershop's "Sleep on the Left Side" to see what he's capable of doing with already existing material. "Hung Up" will make even more sense then, and the extended version on the album is far better than the truncated radio edit. "Get Together" is the first real taste of the album's sound.

I wasn't even aware that "Sorry" was a Madonna track, just that I loved the song on the radio. I was intrigued, and lo, it led me to the album and a one-way ticket to Madonna fandom. "Sorry" is dynamite (I just wish the video hadn't been so corny - generally, great as this album is, it was cursed with bad videos). "Future Lovers" is, wow, fabulous; co-produced by Madonna's trusty associate Mirwais Ahmadzai, the stark and overpowering sound draw out the meat of this goosebump-inducing track.

This album actually is nothing but winners. There is not a dud track on the entire list. The exquisite "Forbidden Love" strolls so effortlessly into "Jump" that you'll be surprised to find that a new track has started, without you even realising it. "Isaac" is another sensual number, beautiful music.

Need I go on? Confessions on a Dance Floor is an extraordinary piece of music. While I love many works by many artists, I can still say that this is one of my favourite albums of all time. The reason? This album works so strongly, it sounds like perfection and reminds you that dance music can be fabulous and engaging. Confessions has my utmost recommendations. I confess that I think it's stupendous.

Now you know why I think "Fire" is the perfect description?