Celebrate?

I was so going to leave music chat for Tuesdays, but really, this is Madonna music chat, and that can go down any day!

I need to talk about her lead single off her latest and last greatest hits package with Warner Music “Celebration”. The single is also called “Celebration” and is it a corker?

Well……not really.

It is so much better than most of the crap that was on the “Hard Candy” album, but it still does not live up to the Madonna that is great.
She has never been a great lyricist and so we forgive her for that. My biggest gripe with the single is her need to be Britney Spears. The lazy robotic vocal stylings need to stop. You trained to sing Evita Madge!

Yes it is the vocals I have the biggest problem with. She sounds like a really revved up motorbike. There is no joy or passion. Does she really want us to celebrate? If so she sounds extremely indifferent at the thought of it.

Remember those gems like “Into the Groove”, “Holiday”, “Express Yourself”, “Ray of Light” and “Music” where she had this urgency in her voice.
It seems that has gone for the moment.

The only time she sounds like herself is in the speaking interlude where she says:

“I guess I just don’t recognize you with your clothes on”

There is a laughter in her voice, she gets the joke for it harks back to the days where Madonna freely talked about sex.

However producer and DJ Extraordinaire, Paul Oakenfold, really does step up the dance productions which make me believe that the song will soar when it comes to the remixes.

All in all it is music Madonna can do in her sleep. This doesn’t make it bad, but for a ‘Celebration’ I really expected to celebrate.

B-