Hard Candy (CD)

• Category:  Music  »  Rock & Pop  »  General Rock & Pop
• Format: CD   Learn more about the CD format using Tower WIKI.
• Release Date: April 29, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros. Records
• UPC: 093624988496
• WAPI (Tower ID): 111971310
• Average Customer Review:    (4 customer reviews)
• Tower.com Sales Rank: #100 in Music (See Top 100 Music Bestsellers)
• #59 in Rock & Pop (See Top 100 Rock & Pop Bestsellers)
• #48 in General Rock & Pop (See Top 100 General Rock & Pop Bestsellers)

•  [Madonna - Official Sitethis link opens a new window] 
  
•  [Madonna - Myspacethis link opens a new window] 
  
•  [Madonna - Wikipedia Entrythis link opens a new window] 
  
•  [Madonna - Music at Last.fmthis link opens a new window] 
  

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..."

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.

Madonna - Hard Candy

I am going to take a guess that Madge's lucky number is 11. After a three-year hiatus filled with tabloid rumors, baby adoptions and a recent induction into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, Madonna continues to dominate the music world with her eleventh and final studio album for Warner Bros. Records, the same label that broke her back in 1983. For fans of her last album, 2005's Confessions of a Dance Floor, which sold over 8 million copies, April 29th is going to be a release date you should play close attention to!

Hard Candy, an album that is as aggressive, suggestive and back-slap sweet as its title suggests, is an impressive example of Madonna's brilliant business sense. By surrounding herself with the top performers and producers in the business, she has created a record so stylistically in-tune that one would have no idea that the voice behind the songs is not a fresh young starlet. At the rate she is going in her musical career, this queen of pop will be putting out chart topping dance hits from the retirement home!

Each track is consistently and brilliantly uptempo, thanks largely to collaborations with hitmakers Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Pharelll Williams and Nate Danja Hills. Her lead single, 4 Minutes to Save the World, featuring Timberlake, is already tearing up the charts on Tower Records, itunes and Billboard.

Favorite Tracks - "4 Minutes", "She's Not Me", and "Dance 2Night."

- Sabrina, Tower Pulse - 04/03/2008

• Great Deals on CDs under $9.99
  
  New Releases, Bestsellers and Classic Albums all for under $10! Great Music for Everyone's Tastes!
• Great Deals on DVDs under $12.99
  
  New Releases, Bestsellers and Classic DVDs all for under $13! Great Movies, TV and DVD Specials for Everyone's Tastes!
• Great Deals on Books under $14.99
  
  New Releases, Bestsellers and Classic Books all for under $15! Great Reads for Everyone's Tastes!