Ray of Light

DROWNED WORLD / SUBSTITUTE FOR LOVE - An initially subdued, heartfelt opener, which morphs into an angry melange of guitar and electronica, to stunning effect. 5/5

SWIM - Another guitar-driven track, Swim's ethereal qualities resurface later on in the album. 4/5

RAY OF LIGHT - The title track builds on a simple guitar line, eventually mixing rock, pop and dance resulting in a full-on rave anthem. 5/5

CANDY PERFUME GIRL - Grunge meets sex on this mellow rock-based track. 2.5/5

SKIN - Ray Of Light's deepest dance cut, Swim mixes dub, Asian and pop to form a potent concoction. 4/5

NOTHING REALLY MATTERS - Undoubtedly the most commercial offering, Nothing Really Matters, lyrically follows on from Drowned World. 4/5

SKY FITS HEAVEN - Twisted drum beats, and bizarre production alters this tune from a simple pop song into something altogether different. 4.5/5

SHANTI / ASTANGI - Despite being written totally in Sanskrit, Shanti strangely manages to remain both interesting and catchy. 3/5

FROZEN - A beautiful mixture of strings and electronica create an atmospheric, ethereal soundscape, reminscant of Portishead's Roads. 5/5

THE POWER OF GOODBYE - The simplest song of the set, The Power Of Goodbye utilises an acoustic guitar, strings and Madonna's mournful vocals to full effect. 5/5

TO HAVE & NOT TO HOLD - Perhaps the saddest song on Ray Of Light, To Have & Not To Hold is not melodically as strong as it's to preceeding tracks, but is thematically moreso. 5/5

LITTLE STAR - Charming tune dedicated to daughter Lourdes, Madonna's maternal vocals come to the forefront on Ray Of Light's penultimate track. 3.5/5

MER GIRL - Simply the most bizarre track Madonna has ever recorded; over a sparse soundscape, she tells of her nightmare, in which she is haunted by her dead mother. Disturbingly wonderful. 5/5

This album is one of two utterly enexpected and exquisite examples of 80*s females offering doubtless proof of worth in the 90*s; the other being Sade's sublime 1992 'Love Deluxe". In both cases, the artist successfully adapted her persona to an unexpected and well-delivered soundscape.

"Frozen" was reportedly chosen by M's rabbi to spearhead the album's single releases. I wish i had that Rabbi to pick my lotto numbers! I honestly think this one would have flopped without that not-so-enigmatic statement to disarm her audience and critics. "Frozen", like many Madonna singles, posseses a singular and evocative introduction (think "Vogue") which transports the listener into M's "parlour" before she sings a single note. Upon repeated listenings, the "intro" makes one salivate in anticipation. Ever savvy (and coy...), M knows this is the stuff classic singles are made of.

"The Power of Goodbye" is my all-time fave, and the only time M's voice has ever given me chills! "To Have and Not to Hold" is utterly sublime, evoking Spanish as well as "ambient" music , while seeing M deliver a world-class understatement (and I mean "deliberate" on that) in her vocal. "Swim" is ambrosia for audiophiles, and sounds amazing on all systems!

I'm a strong proponent for 5.1 mixes on classic releases, hopefully Mr. Orbit will oblige on this release, which is surely deserving of the treatment. Please ignore all references made to Orbit's "blips and beeps" in other reviews of this project (there are some trademark Orbit atmospherics, incidental in nature). Such narrow minded focus is unbelievable in the face of his skilled guitarmanship and visionary arranging.

When I first heard "Frozen" in '97, I said "Yes! Finally!". There's a reason Madonna got Grammy nods in spite of much sentiment against her persona. Truly breathtaking and possesing great artistic merit, this one deserves to be heard!