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CRITIC REVIEWS
91
Throbbing yet meditative, Ray of Light is an adult’s version of dance music, with the dark timbres of Madonna’s nearing-40 voice its resolute center.
90
Her most mature and restrained album, which is an easy achievement to admire, yet not necessarily an easy one to love.
80
Ray of Light sums up the best we can expect from Madonna at this late date: overly arty, occasionally catchy, confused, secondhand, infuriating and great fun in spite of herself.
80
Orbit's cycles of analog synths and electric guitar licks perfectly supplement the elasticity of Madonna's then-newly-trained vocal chords.
80
This is quite clearly a record with something to prove.
Ray of Light is Madonna's near-masterpiece and one of my favorite albums of all time. Beyond having some of my favorite Madonna singles ('Frozen,' 'Nothing Really Matters,' the title track), the album is a wonderful reflection on pop's spiritual potential. Time collapses as Madonna considers her past and her future through the sounds of the present; she transforms the dance floor into an asylum from trauma. It is Madonna's most ambitious and personal record, a sparkling jewel at the top of the ... read more
[Genre: Dance]
So to answer my question on whether the "dance" music was square dancing or break dancing... I guess it's neither?
Well I can't say I expected that! On Ray Of Light, Madonna incorporates elements of drum and bass and trip hop, and most of the time it sounds great! The combination works surprisingly well with her voice, and while sometimes it can feel dated (and also a tad bit long) it doesn't really matter a lot since I enjoyed this album quite a lot.
favourite ... read more
So to answer my question on whether the "dance" music was square dancing or break dancing... I guess it's neither?
Well I can't say I expected that! On Ray Of Light, Madonna incorporates elements of drum and bass and trip hop, and most of the time it sounds great! The combination works surprisingly well with her voice, and while sometimes it can feel dated (and also a tad bit long) it doesn't really matter a lot since I enjoyed this album quite a lot.
favourite ... read more
Madonna travelled al around the world looking for different sounds and ended up recording her best album so far, mixing cultures, guitars, keyboards and deep words that can summarize her life and some hidden desires. From fragile but strong songs like Drowned World and The Power Of Good-Bye to you-could-never-have-imagined-Madonna-singing-it songs like Swim and Frozen, you delight yourself getting involved with this discovery of maturity album and rethinking some concepts you use to have them ... read more
The pop queen flirts closely with 90s electronica, trip-hop and even drum n bass on her most celebrated release, Ray of Light. The whole thing is very well produced and breathes with the same kind of peace and comfort that she preached after discovering kabbalah, leading to a very zen-like overall sound. The problem, though, is how the vocals are layered in the mix, not rarely buried inside the bright instrumentals and performed in such monochromatic, comfortable way it gets difficult to ... read more
stereogum.com
Video: Madonna – “Dark Ballet” 
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Year End Lists
| #19 | / | Pitchfork |
Track List
- Drowned World/Substitute for Love
- Swim
- Ray of Light
- Candy Perfume Girl
- Skin
- Nothing Really Matters
- Sky Fits Heaven
- Shanti/Ashtangi
- Frozen
- The Power of Good-Bye
- To Have and Not to Hold
- Little Star
- Mer Girl
Added on: July 7, 2013