| Product Summary | | Label: Albany Music | | UPC: 00093624988496 | | Release Date: 4/29/2008 | | Buy.com Sku: 207683797 | | Item#: M447CW | Format:  CD |
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(C) 2008 Warner Bros. Records Inc. for the U.S. and WEA International Inc. for the world outside the U.S.
| Madonna kicks off her eleventh album with the deep funk and electro-pulses of "Candy Shop" -- an innuendo-laden ("my sugar is raw") R&B song that gives the spotlight to Pharrell's incessantly funky backdrops, which set the tone for the album. If Confessions on a Dance Floor was her space disco odyssey, then Hard Candy is her freaked-out R&B album -- rolling deep in production from Pharrell and Timbaland and allowing special guests such as Justin Timberlake and Kanye West to juggle a few verses.
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | HARD CANDY continues in the driving, club-oriented vein of 2005's CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR, proving that Madonna has lost none of her energy and verve with age. In terms of material, in fact, HARD CANDY bests its predecessor, and the artist continues to make herself relevant in the 2000s by adding distinctly hip-hop grooves to her increasingly electronica-driven sound. Remarkably, the result never sounds like a blatant commercial appeal. As with nearly everything she's done, this groove-heavy disc is distinctly Madonna's own. | | The Material Girl sculpted her sound this time out by hiring some of the hottest producers on the scene, including Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, and Pharrell and the Neptunes. Cuts like the lead-off single, "4 minutes" (a duet with Timberlake), and the thumping, sexy title track sparkle with a contemporary club feel, begging listeners to turn it up and shake it. Yet Madonna's classic pop sensibilities are far from lost in the mix. "Beat Goes On" recalls vintage singles like "Holiday"; "Heartbeat" is sleek, singalong Europop; and "Miles Away" is a love song that rides a sweet midtempo groove. Fun, danceable, and infectious, HARD CANDY is another winner from one of pop's all-time icons. |
Musical Guests | | Justin Timberlake | | Pharrell |
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| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 04/29/2008 | | Original Release Date : 2008 | | Label : Warner Bros. Records (Record Label) | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00093624988496 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Rolling Stone (p.80)
- 4 stars out of 5 -- "A songwriting team of American chart royalty helps Madonna revisit her roots as an urban-disco queen....Like CONFESSIONS, HARD CANDY celebrates dance as salvation, but even the euphorically groovy 'Heartbeat' and 'Dance 2night' strike wistful notes."Entertainment Weekly (p.116)
- "[A]n unpretentious, nonstop dance party. In tunes like 'Give It To Me,' she's unabashedly reviving the celebrative spirit of early singles like 'Lucky Star' and 'Holiday'..." -- Grade: B Uncut (p.97)
- 3 stars out of 5 -- "HARD CANDY could be her most unpretentious and consistently enjoyable pop record since LIKE A VIRGIN." Q (Magazine)
(p.134)
- 3 stars out of 5 -- "At its most inspired...HARD CANDY shifts into overdrive to become the kind of record you want from a megastar with nothing to prove: unhinged, over-the-top, no-holds-barred." Mojo (Publisher)
(p.106)
- 3 stars out of 5 -- "With Timbaland's trademark stuttering rhythms and The Neptunes' body-popping mischief, it is a purely visceral affair: a paean to love, sex and dancing." Blender (Magazine)
(p.74)
- 4 stars out of 5 -- "[S]linky, playful music with undercurrents of adorable psychosexual intrigue..." Record Collector (magazine)
(p.91)
- 3 stars out of 5 -- "There's a spark of Madge's old wit on 'She's Not Me'..." |
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| | Bio | | | Madonna After a star reaches a certain point, it's easy to forget what they became famous for and concentrate solely on their persona. Madonna is such a star. She rocketed to stardom so quickly in 1984 that it obscured most of her musical virtues. Appreciating her music became even more difficult as the decade wore on, as discussing her lifestyle became more common than discussing her music. However, one of Madonna's greatest achievements is how she manipulated the media and the public with her music, her videos, her publicity, and her sexuality. Arguably, Madonna was the first female pop star to have complete control of her music and image.
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