American Life (studio album) by Madonna

From HoldenM 06/09/2023 17:17

God, this comment section is tough. No one likes anyone's opinions on this album.

But uh... this album is bad! I thought I'm Breathless was weird and goofy, but at least it's a lot of fun and has multiple highlights on it. I don't even know what to make of this. Madonna has always had a self-important streak to her, but at least it was couched in catchier songs, or at least more compelling music. Between the paper thin commentary and bland songwriting, Madonna has fully lost the plot. The stark production is kind of interesting and still feels contemporary 20 years on. The rest is easily the worst work of her career.

From VictorVale 07/30/2021 13:23

Partes boas, mas não é excelente. Alguns sonzinhos irritantes também.

bad

This is Madonna her best album! I just love it. 80s electronic music with awesome songs.
Love Profusion is Madonna’s best song ever recorded. No wonder it was a number one hit in Spain.
I just love this album!

Very personal, as evidenced by tracks like "Mother & Father" (possibly the most revealing out of her entire career) - there are also messy tracks like "I'm So Stupid" and "Nobody Knows Me" that spill out self-truths and further contribute to the fact that it's her most personal statement. Elsewhere we have electroclash influenced bangers like the excellent title track "American Life" along with "Die Another Day" (secretly one of the greatest james bond theme songs just for obliterating the trite british traditionalism of the whole franchise) that pack a punch whilst remaining very catchy.

Thanks to Mirwais, the whole record sounds very innovative and yet stripped back when it needs to be; I'd go as far to say that at times the record sounds more futuristic than electropop songs released ten years after. I love the blend of folk music and electropop, it's like a reunion of Madonna's past with the present day, americana coming face to face with the 21st century.

As well as being her best album it's probably her most underrated and her last great piece of work. Since this record commercially unsatisfied, along with Madonna being mired in post 9/11 controversy with the daring and incredible "American Life" music video (it was shelved and subsequently replaced last minute, but you can find it on youtube though !), she never took risks again in her career. It's a shame, but hey.

For the most part, "American Life" is a pretty good electropop record with dashes of electroclash and generous helpings of folk pop. By finding a reconciliation between the folky parts and the electronics provided by the excellent Mirwais, Madonna has put out a selection of interesting and innovative pop tracks. Overall it's an underrated and forgotten album that frequently, such as throughout "Mother and Father", comes across as disarmingly personal thanks to her frank lyricism. One of her best.

From Tamthebam 07/02/2016 13:29

A better than average album, listened to as a whole piece this is a good album. No tracks stand out from the others except maybe Hollywood, Love Profusion & Nothing Fails.

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From Eastwood 02/14/2015 21:44

Very good electronica/pop/folk album. Best 10 songs average is 88,2/100 and the album can get very good 90/100. Best songs are "American life", "Hollywood", "Love profusion" and "Nothing fails" all 90/100. All other songs good 80-85/100, except "Mother and father" average 75/100 only. Favourite!

The first three tracks (two of which were singles) are quite weak but the album quickly picks up with Love Profusion and becomes one of the most underrated album of Madonna's career.