New This Week: Madonna, Mirel Wagner, Billy Hart & More
By J. Edward Keyes, Editor-in-ChiefMadonna decided to wreak a little havoc by releasing her 12th album, MDNA, yesterday instead of today, which caused a host of other acts to do the same thing. To which I say: NICE WORK, SHEEP. We'll forgive you this time. Here's what I found. Tell me what I missed in the comments. Madonna, MDNA: Madonna's 12th album finds her reuniting with producer William Orbit on several tracks, teaming with M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj on another and, in general, being Madonna. eMusic's Barry Walters lets you know what that means: Like most chart-conscious discs, MDNA front-loads its singles: The substandard pop of “Girl Gone Wild” and the brutal but empty “Gang Bang” suggest that Madonna's heart is more invested in the more personal — and musically substantial — tracks that occupy the album's final third. All of them are co-produced, and mostly co-written, by William Orbit, the U.K. electronics whiz who helmed… more »
