3) Madonna, “Hard Candy”
Finally, the ex-Mrs. Ritchie stopped trying to educate the world with songs about starving children, world politics and spiritual growth and relented to make the disk fans wanted all along — one packed with pure, catchy dance-pop — the best of its kind since her debut, in fact. Facing 50, Madonna threw herself a kind of party record that doubled as the best present fans could hope for.
Sticky & Sweet
Sticky & Sweet 
Tom Munro 
Revolver
Revolver
Revolver 
Hope For Haiti 
Sticky & Sweet 
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration 
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration 
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration 
I Am Because We Are 
Filth and Wisdom 
I Am Because We Are 
Miles Away
Miles Away
Miles Away 
Sticky & Sweet 
Madonna Confessions 
Madonna 2009 
Give It 2 Me
Give It 2 Me
Give It 2 Me 
Give It 2 Me 
Hard Candy 
Hard Candy
Hard Candy
Hard Candy 
4 Minutes
4 Minutes 
4 Minutes
4 Minutes 
considering Madonna is 50 years old, she doesn’t look that bad at all
album’s not too bad either
Madonna doesn’t just blindly adhere to English vocabulary, she deconstructs and exposes it. She plays with it. In England, some like to label the lyrics from their home-grown bands as pop literary. While in fact, Madonna’s songs are testament to her extraordinary song writing talent which have made her songs far more popular as well as subject of discussions for well over a quarter of a century.
Hard Candy is a Diamond of an album with great unashamed, unapologetic sexy dance songs.
This Album Kicks Butt! Its great to work out too also, like confessions. Thou sadly Warners pulled promotion after “Miles Away”, so that will be the final release from Hard Candy, thou I wouldve chosen wisely: 1. 4 Minutes, 2. The Devil Wouldn’t Recognize you, 3. She’s Not Me, 4. The Beat Goes On… So lets hope 4 new music by years end!!! A little birdie tells me their should be a new album by then.
Madonna’s voice on Hard Candy is exquisite. The lyrics are very close to her heart and state of mind now. She gives her some the same campy aura, playfulness and energy as her very first album and the same kind of unashamedness as like a virgin, even though it is less blunt than erotica. God save the Goddess, although sometimes I think It is really the goddess that saves the gods. 5 stars out of 5, were rightfully give to this album by NY times and NY daily news.
There is something naughty and unashamed about this album. I just love it. It is pure joy to listen and dance to. Like all Madonna albums it has some spiritual aspects to it, but this time the spirituality celebrity has the under tone and the funk on the dance floor has the upper tone. You have to seek it in order to find the spirituality. It is there though for those who want to get it. Very much like her first record which was packed with dance tracks and at the same time delivered plenty of education and spirituality: “all across the world in every nation, let love shine and you will find a way to come together and make things better”; “music makes the world go around, it can turn your troubles upside down”; “Over the Borderline”,,
Madonna delivered her messages and expressed herself on many things since day one.
She was one of the handful of artist in 2003 who dared to talk against the dodgy Iraq war. It was only later that other artists jumped on the anti war and protest bandwagon. At a time when the world is full of pessimism, at a time when everyone talks himself herself and the rest of the world down to hell, at a time when wall street as well as the main street have gone bankrupt, there is nothing like sweating the sorrow out at the gym and on the dance floor.
Hard Candy is great album because it is full of great rhythms, fun, innuendos and ambiguousness messages. It is sexy and hot, without overstating things. Yet at the same time it manages to say everything it is meant to say. This album= one of the best albums by any artist in years. Enjoy yourself, indulge yourself and enjoy yourself
My favourite albums of all time at this time(until the next Madonna album comes out):
1- True Blue & Ray Of light,
2- Hard Candy, Madonna, Like a Virgin.
3- Like a prayer and American Life.
4- Erotica and Confession on the Dance floor.
5- Bedtime story, Music.
Yeah, I LOVE THIS ALBUM so much!!! Much more than Confessions! I enjoyed Confessions, but HC just really is more fun for me. Madonna didn’t try to sound too spiritual or something, she just wanted to have fun. That’s what I love HC, it is just FUN. That’s the Madonna I wanted to hear again: FUN. Like the Like a Virgin album or her first album.
I know a lot fans won’t agree with me, but I think this is the best album she’s put out in the 2000s since Music, and probably the best she’s put out in the 2000s. I can only listen to a couple of songs of COAD.
Whether a “spiritual” musical arrangement or orientation is there or not, her records have hardly been just “party records.” Hidden deep in between her lyrics, Madonna has always addressed questions about self-empowerment and growth with simple vocabulary and killer pop hooks.
Maybe Hard Candy succeeded in delivering these messages with a more current, radio-friendly, urban sound, but I don’t think her message is any different in HC than in previous records.
All in all, we are all aware that one critic’s opinion will not make Madonna change the route she thinks is the best for her. And that’s why we admire her work.
I love Hard Candy, and I love Confessions – they are two CD’s that I can listen to over and over again. I have complete confidence in what she chooses as an artist to make for her fans, and if she wants to be spiritual whether a little or a lot, is her choice. It doesn’t make me wish she did more of this, or more of that, or anything of the sort. I respect what she presents to me to listen to – always have – always will.
HC is an okay album, but sorry I don’t think it’s one of the best albums of the year. I don’t agree with the writer. I like spritiual deeper more artistic Madonna more. I want more from her than fun dance songs. She is deeper and more intelligent than that.
i can’t disagree more…confessions on the dancefloor was a spiritual album?one interviewer said the album was ‘frothy’ she answered “ebullient”…
Hard candy is a good album,don’t get me wrong…Less danceable than confessions and it contains the song ‘voices’…is it kaballah/spiritual or what?
“Hard Candy” is the best record of 2008. I cannot stop to hear it.
I agree 100% with this article. Spirituality begins by appreciating the things that we sometimes take for granted. A great beat and a beautiful DANCE voice can take you to another universe and back. It is great to have Madonna back to her true roots. Who needs the dodgy London lad.
Madonna = New York Dance Clubs/ Diversity/ Ritzy/ Street Cool
Every song on Hard Candy is funky and light and high spirited and qualifies for status dance classic.
I also like J. Farber’s tone and sense of humour in his articles.