Word: raying
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...kinky fantasies, her forays into exasperating bubble-gum pop and her saturation of every media channel available. Suddenly, we must accept that our whining, petulant Material Girl has evolved once more. Call the new Madonna "Ethereal Girl." Yes, all the rumors are more than true. Her new album, Ray of Light, pulls off the seemingly impossible. Madonna--our symbol of superficiality, our icon of cheesy urban culture--has gone spiritual...
This time, there's no fanfare, no ridiculous media blitz over her new live-in lover, no distractions from the music. After listening to Ray of Light, it's easy to see why Madonna is such a celebrated icon. Even though she's made questionable choices and reinvented herself a tad too many times, there is no denying her superb talent. Her new album features the most captivating, energetic, innovative music that Madonna has produced. In her quest to mix spirituality and trendy electronica, she has discovered a musical realm that will revitalize her career...
...Ray of Light is in itself an exploration, a journey into groundbreaking musical textures. Over the years, Madonna's old-school music has become obsolete: cheap bubble-gum pop, throwaway dance numbers--it all seemed the same. Moreover, she never had the voice to truly be a respected presence in the music world--the early '90s saw Madonna confined to the DJ racks at '80s dances. And of course, she realized this--and promptly took action. After her Evita lessons, Madonna's voice has become confident, rich, and boldly unique. On the title track, she dives into a campy, exhilarating...
Electronica is Madonna's ideal realm. Her shallow pop seemed to float without foundation in her previous albums. Every time she tried to be "innovative" or "groundbreaking," it all turned into another exercise in pleasing the Top 40 crowd. The songs on Ray of Light are built around producer William Orbit's spectacular backgrounds: synthesizers illuminate the music with pseudo-stars, comets, flowing rivers, and gurgling heavenly blips. "Sky Fits Heaven," for instance, would be a dismally boring song without the lightly pulsating background that perfectly matches the song's lyrics...
Water is a prevalent them on Ray of Light. Indeed, Madonna equates water with redemptive healing, using it as a symbol for her spiritual awakening. Every once in a while, the results are strained. "Swim" has the singer escaping to the bottom of the ocean floor, but the lyrics seem immature against the brilliantly sophisticated melody. "Mer Girl," on the other hand, closes the album with a soft, edgy song that is certainly her most personal--the album ends on the painful note "And up to the hill / I ran and I ran / I'm looking there still...