So, about Madonna. As a gay man who grew up in the 1980's and 90's, I am obligated to be a fan. And I am. However, my fandom is not unconditional, and it is much less fervent now than it used to be. I found Erotica phoned-in, Confessions on a Dance Floor paint-by-numbers, and Hard Candy five years too late.
After a couple listens to MDNA, I'm mostly indifferent. Her vocals are still stiff and robotic, the lyrics obvious and often questionable, but there's some good stuff there. I am especially fond of "Gang Bang" and "I'm Addicted".
Slate's "Where Do I Start With Madonna?" inspired me to create a list of my own Madonna best-of. (I'll ramble about my feelings on best-of collections in a later post.) It's mostly essential, with a couple of personal favorites ("Causing a Commotion" and "Nobody's Perfect" – and I almost included "Hanky Panky").
