A Bold Return for Madonna

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Posted March 3, 2015 by J Matthew Cobb in Features
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Madonna is jumping back into the mainstream with new album, tour and lots more

A Rolling Stone cover story. A full week stint on Ellen. A newly announced tour.

And that is only the half that will be a part of Madonna’s promotional campaign for her forthcoming 13th solo album Rebel Heart, which drops on March 6.

Since a few demos of new music leaked in late December, the pop music icon pushed up the release date for a new album. That album became Rebel Heart. ”Living for Love,” the album’s first single, comes with a disco-meets-gospel throwback vibe, something akin to her classic pop roots. It’s not a masterpiece, but a decent return to familiarity. After serving up sass on the song’s build-up and playing with her familiar religious-sexual innuendo (“Made me feel like I was born again”), a booming looped thump and bold piano chords then enters into the mix. Add in the fervent gospel chorus on the backing vocals and the song feels like it was partially inspired by “Express Yourself” and C+C Music Factory.

Since the single surfaced, Madonna has been hard at work promoting the hell out of the album’s arrival. Live performances of “Living for Love” at the Grammy Awards and her first return in over 20 years to the BRIT Awards (where she suffered an onstage slip-up) magically appeared.

Madonna has also been making headlines lately for attacking ageism as she laments at the vicious social media scolding she endures for being a 56 year old female. ”It’s still the one area where you can totally discriminate against somebody, and talk shit,” she told Rolling Stone. “Because of their age. Only females, though. Not males.”

She went on to compare ageism with homophobia. ”No one would dare to say a degrading remark about being black or dare to say a degrading remark on Instagram about someone being gay,” she said.

Apparently Madge doesn’t know that racism and homophobia is just as rampant as ageism, but we forgive her. She probably isn’t as hip to social media as we think.

Madonna kicks off her 35-city Rebel Heart tour in the US and Europe on August 29 and will include a host of American cities like Miami, New York City, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

For more information on tour dates and ticket availability, click here.


About the Author

J Matthew Cobb

Managing editor of HiFi Magazine

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