Album Review: “Rebel Heart” by Madonna

Like mother, like daughter.

Yup, that’s how we’re starting this. I had a difficult time figuring out the right day to publish this, I ultimately deciding to include it to my “femme fatale” theme for Tuesdays, because she is one! I’ve also been trying my hardest to get my mom to listen to it, but she keeps telling me no, because she doesn’t “like the dance-y sound” even though she listens to just as much EDM type of music as I do. I remember the first time I heard “Living For Love” the first single that was released (along with six other tracks) and it did take me a while to finally get myself to stop denying how good it really was, but now I almost know all of the words.

The second song is “Devil Pray” and I like the acoustic guitar at the beginning along with the clapping, but for some reason my favorite part is the chorus. I don’t know why because she’s just listing a lot of bad things and yet that’s still my favorite part. It’s very chill and you can sway back and forth to it. “Ghosttown” is the next song and it’s another slower tempo song, but then it picks up around the first chorus starts up. I love Madonna’s slower songs, You get to hear the emotion in her voice I just really love her voice a lot now than I used to when I was a kid. Next up is another favorite of mine, I love, love, love the sound of this one. It’s called “Unapologetic Bitch” and it’s got very Caribbean feel to it, it’s different and if you know me, you know I thrive on different sounds. I’m sure in a few more listens I’ll be figuring out the words to this song!

The fifth song starts off a little interesting, it sounds like a normal Madonna song, as far as the sound of her voice goes. Very low and then changes to a softer tone. This song is called, “Illuminati” and it sort confuses me a bit, because of the different frequencies of her voice, from low to high.  it’s a bit difficult to understand the words she’s saying. So it’s not one of my favorites off the album, but out of the 14 songs, I only disliked like three of them, which isn’t bad. The next one isn’t on that list. It’s called “Bitch I’m Madonna” and it’s very different. Nothing should really shock you if it’s anything Madonna related honestly, but this one did for me but I quickly got over it. I love this weird and awesome sound, and the fact that Nicki Minaj is featured on it makes it that much better! My favorite part is the last bit, I’m still trying to figure out how to describe that sound! The next is back on the softer side again, it’s called “Hold Tight” and this was another one that I was unsure about, I mean everything about it sounds great, it’s totally me, but it’s too dull. Give me a few more weeks though I’m sure it’ll become a favorite!

The next song is probably my favorite track of the whole damn thing, it’s called “Joan of Arc” and it’s so gorgeous, from the tone of her voice to the slow beat… There’s also not many times were I truly listen for the lyrics on the first listen, but they are really beautiful too! I can hum to it, which means I’ll be singing it out loud soon! Yay! The next song has some guests on the track, firstly it’s called “Iconic” and Mike Tyson is on it. He starts it off and then once the beat starts, Madonna does her part. It’s very dance-y, almost pumps you up in a way. Perfect morning workout type of song to me! The other featured artist on the track is Chance The Rapper and I could have done without him on it honestly. There are a lot of slower songs than I realized, the next one is called “HeartBreakCity” and the only difference I like with this one, is the soft drums at the beginning. This was another one that I didn’t like on the album. The next one is “Body Shop” and it sounds a bit different, but not in a bad way. It’s got different elements to it, but it’s really good!

In the last three songs, “Holy Water” is another favorite of mine. I swear I pick the most weirdest songs as my favorites, if its beat or lyrics related. This one is a favorite for the lyrics on the chorus. I’ve got to say though, a part I wasn’t expecting is using a section of a song we all know and love “Vogue” in this exact track, that completely took me by surprise, but I’m not going to lie, it worked for this song too! The next one is called, “Inside Out” and it’s got this mysterious vibe at the start of it and it changes before the chorus begins. This is another song that screams as something that I’d like, but I find it very plain again. The last song on the standard issue is called “Wash All Over Me” and this song starts off with a piano, already a good start in my book! I really like the sound of this song and it’s very chill.  It’s actually the perfect song for the ending of an album honestly, not all albums have songs like that. Trust me, sometimes I wish they did!

It’s been a long time since I’ve done an album review on here. Quite frankly I think I missed it more than I thought I would so there’s that! For my first ever Madonna review and since I’ve listened to it all the way through about three times now, I think I’d rate it a seven out of ten. Don’t worry though, I will be still trying to convert my mother back on the Madonna train whether or not, it kills me! Have you listened to it yet? What are your favorites?