|
|
 |
RAY OF LIGHT won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Pop Album and for Best Recording Package, and was nominated for Album Of The Year. "Ray Of Light" won the 1999 Grammy for Best Dance Recording and Best Short Form Music Video, and was nominated for Record Of The Year.
Relentlessly contemporary, RAY OF LIGHT pairs Madonna with producer William Orbit, an electronics wizard who has worked with major R&B acts and even such modern rockers as Blur and Depeche Mode. Reportedly, Madonna tried to snare Liam Howlett of high-strung techno-rockers the Prodigy into the project--Howlett claims to have turned her down. But the more dextrous, less in-your-face Orbit was probably a better choice anyway. He provides a dizzying array of soundscapes, incorporating everything from psychedelic-rock guitar to dub-reggae echo and cold, cutting techno beats for what critics are calling Madonna's most committed performance in years.
From the slow chill of the album's first single, "Frozen," to the disco-like title track, RAY OF LIGHT finds Madonna embracing the club beats that are her roots while still teetering on the edge of dance-club vogue. It also finds the singer, who has become a mother since her last studio album, in a long-untapped spiritual mode. When the inevitable comparisons are made to Madonna's previous standard-bearer, 1989's LIKE A PRAYER, that may well be the reason.
Recorded at Larrabee Studios North, Universal City, California.
Personnel: Madonna (vocals); William Orbit (guitar, electronics); Mark Moreau (guitar); Pablo Cook (flute); Marius De Vries (keyboards, programming); Fergus Gerrand (drums, percussion); Steve Sidelnyk (programming); Donna DeLory, Niki Harris (background vocals).
Producers: Madonna, William Orbit, Patrick Leonard, Marius De Vries.
Rolling Stone (5/13/99, p.82) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's."
Rolling Stone (4/2/98, pp.70-71) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...RAY OF LIGHT is her maternity album as well as her avant-dance album....Our Lady hasn't assembled this many songs worth her time since 1989's LIKE A PRAYER....all her desperately chic decor can't hide her rock & roll heart..."
Entertainment Weekly (3/6/98, pp.77-78) - "...RAY OF LIGHT is some of the most alluring and captivating music she's ever crafted....Madonna looks for--and finds--a middle ground between her now-old-school approach and the new club music. She dresses her music up with her electronic love..."
- Rating: A-
Q (10/01, p.45) - Ranked #46 in Q's "Best 50 Albums of Q's Lifetime" - "...Madonna was influential and interested again..."
Q (12/99, p.100) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s."
Vibe (4/98, p.139) - "...with RAY OF LIGHT's futuristic music and ancient ideals, she's crafted something danceable but decidedly less commercial. Something more cerebral than usual, both sonically and lyrically..."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.64) - Ranked #29 in Mojo's "100 Modern Classics" -- "RAY OF LIGHT's radio-friendly grandeur was unmistakably Ciccone."
NME (Magazine) (2/28/98, p.43) - 8 (out of 10) - "...RAY OF LIGHT is her most accomplished set for years. It offers a lightness of touch and a depth of feeling unmatched since the glory days of LIKE A PRAYER....here we're drawn into the depths by subtler means..."
Madonna - Ray Of Light Songs
Ray Of Light Music Review
Average Rating: (4.5 out of 5 stars)    List All 20 Reviews Ray of Delight!
this fast beat cd will get you up and moving with her powerful almost kaotic ray of light! the songs move in such a flowing pace. it's almost hypnotic with the beautiful power of goodbye and frozen. it's like you are taking a journey from start to finish. you'll be chanting with the song shanti hours after you've listened. enough said-madonnas ray of light is a rock'in!
Submitted by dradelbug (houston,texas,USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 4 of 5 found this helpful.
rays of life
A fine work, full of smart pop and sizzle and the occasional calm wave o silence. The brilliance would not have worked out if not for William Orbit's genius vision and honing of Madonna's less than extraordinary voice with instrumental craft. A cross-over album which shows Madonna's knack for finding an incredible environment to work in.
Submitted by brave (encino)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 2 found this helpful.  fabolous, wonderful, the best!!
it's the best album of Madonna and in 1998. I ADORE EVERY SONG. "drowned world /my substitute for love" , "ray of light" "frozen "the power of good bye" "nothing really matters" "skin" "sky fits heaven" "little star" "to have and not to hold" "candy perfume girl" are worth listening to so many times. I've been listenin to these songs since august 2004. i'm not gettin bored of listenin to them:)
Submitted by Love_of_madonna (turkey)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 2 found this helpful.
A First-Class Album
This is a first-class album in every way...Madonna takes electronic music to a whole new level with great songs and lyrics..."The Power of Goodbye" and "Nothing Really Matters" are my favorites....An essential album of the late '90s.
Submitted by Steve (Marion, Kansas)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 2 found this helpful. RAY OF LIGHT - LOVE IT!!
I have always been a Madonna fan, and this is my favorite CD. I listen to this CD everyday when I get home from work. I knows it sounds crazy, but this CD helps me relax after a stressful day at work. I listen to "Frozen", "To Have And Not to Hold" and "Swim", and the stress of the day just go away. In fact, I hum some of the songs from this CD while I am at work.
Submitted by slimblkgeek (Atlanta, GA, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No List All Reviews | Have you heard this album? |  |
|
|
|
|
|
Share this Product