Madonna stakes continued claim in pop world with album

Madonna is pop music’s matriarch. Since her explosion into music in the ’80s and her “Like a Virgin” era, she has continually reinvented herself to last through wave after wave of music. Her newest release, Rebel Heart, has the veteran unapologetically asserting dominance in her genre.

To start, Madonna managed to get some of the best modern talent in pop music onto this album. Nicki Minaj, Chance the Rapper and Nas are all featured on the album. Additionally, Kanye West, Diplo and Avicii produced tracks — giving Madonna’s 13th studio album the shine of one of a younger artist. Much of the album concerns Madonna realizing her stardom and iconic nature, as evidenced by the tracks “Iconic” and “Bitch I’m Madonna.” She is far more than an artist these days.

The ’80s sex idol left her mark on pop music, and there are few artists in the industry today who cannot attribute at least some portion of their sound to Madonna. She is iconic and she knows it, as she references her status in several tracks.

“I can, Icon, two letters apart/ One step, away, of being lost in the dark/ Just shine your light like a beautiful star/ Show the world who you are/ Who you are” sings the artist on “Iconic” featuring Chance the Rapper. The track received attention when it was released, as people were intrigued by a collaboration between the queen of pop and an up-and-coming rapper; though ths song it is a little cheesy and a little too upbeat, it has hit qualities.

Though all the pre-released tracks are pop and EDM tracks, there are plenty of slower ballads on the album, with almost as much emotional instrumentation as there is radio fodder. One beautiful track, “Wash All Over Me,” — though it is classic Madonna — is still fresh and somewhat heartbreaking. If the EDM hits appeal to her icon image, these ballads are the real Madonna. She sings about how hard it is to be constantly in the spotlight, about love and about herself as more than just a sex symbol. Many critics consider this personal touch to be the album’s best quality, and rightfully so as Madonna bears all for this record.

“Wash All Over Me,” like many tracks on Rebel Heart, uses unique sounds to achieve its aims. In this case, it’s the sound of a drumline distorted to sound like a syncopated heartbeat, giving the whole song its texture. It sounds like an upbeat, hopeful version of “House of the Rising Sun” by Animals, and it truly shines as one of the most underrated songs on the album.

Though Madonna is now 56, she is still unafraid to confront the topic that made her famous: sex. A majority of the tracks on Rebel Heart are about sex — there is one blatantly titled “S.E.X.” — and one employing a pretty poorly thought out metaphor to religion entitled “Holy Water.” She’s a sex icon, and though she is of the age of most moms, Madonna is still making music that would make mothers uncomfortable. In “S.E.X.,” Madonna describes in great depth her sexual knowledge, references many intense sexual positions and practices such as using handcuffs and whips; the lyrics make pretty much anyone listening squirm a little. In the ’80s, all it took was comparing herself to a virgin to spark controversy, but now, it seems it takes much, much more. With 19 tracks on Rebel Heart, her 13th album, they can’t all be good. When you’ve been making music for 30 years you’re allowed a few duds here and there.

Closing out the album is the title track “Rebel Heart,” a fun, hopeful song about Madonna’s rebellious nature and how she made a name for herself as such. If this album tells the story of her career, this song is the retrospective. Her album focuses on her past, her music, her sexual persona and her personal life, all culminating in this song about how good it is to be a rebel.

Madonna is one of the most recognizable names to ever come out of the music industry, and she opened the door for artists to be comfortable with exploring sexual material while making herself into a pop icon. This album is good. It may not be the Madonna you expect from the ’80s, nor is it a fine tuned pop album made for the radio today, but it is certainly worth a listen, if only to hear the likes of Nicki Minaj and Chance the Rapper working with one of the most relevant pop artists of all time.

Matt Burke is a sophomore majoring in film production. His column, “Notes on Notes,” runs Wednesdays.