Madonnas Disco Groove Thumps On, McCartney Sends Nostalgic Valentine: CDs
"Give Me All Your Luvin'"
The cover of the CD "Give Me All Your Luvin'" by Madonna. The U.S. star's football-themed single has a cheerleader chorus and raps by Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.
The cover of the CD "Give Me All Your Luvin'" by Madonna. The U.S. star's football-themed single has a cheerleader chorus and raps by Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. Source: Interscope via Bloomberg
"Kisses on the Bottom"
The cover of the CD "Kisses on the Bottom" by Paul McCartney. The former Beatle has produced an album of pop standards liked by his family when he was growing up in Liverpool, U.K.
The cover of the CD "Kisses on the Bottom" by Paul McCartney. The former Beatle has produced an album of pop standards liked by his family when he was growing up in Liverpool, U.K. Source: Hear Music via Bloomberg
Strip away Madonnas relentless publicity machine, Givenchy costumes and Super Bowl appearance and whats left is a single, Give Me All Your Luvin, her latest reprise of the 1980s dance music that has made her career one long dance party.
Her! latest 3-minute-22-second pop number is pumped up with football-style chants and raps by Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., who departed from script at the Feb. 5 Halftime Show in Indianapolis by making a finger gesture: Doesnt she know that hell hath no fury like a Madonna upstaged?
Give Me All Your Luvin is no better or worse than Madonnas last singles -- she has released more than 70 and has been on a whirlwind of television and magazine interviews to also promote her movie W.E.
Many people are already Madonna-ed out, even before she orders, as she has done for decades, give me all your love, lets forget about time and dance the night away.
This banal lyric is on a par with hey Mister DJ, put a record on, I wanna dance with my baby, though that unremarkable line at least kick-starts her insidiously sexy anthem Music.
Perhaps we should savor the ever-more unseemly spectacle of Madonna getting raunchy in the hilarious video -- shes sending herself up in a clinch with hunky sportsmen -- because its not an act she can keep up forever.
Pop Crown
The headlines are bound to say that, at 53, shes back to recapture her Queen of Pop crown. Young pretender Lady Gaga was born in 1986, at which time Madonna had already enjoyed No. 1 hits such as Crazy for You and Like a Virgin. Still, Madonna has never really been away, because her influence looms large over many divas who have followed, from Britney Spears to Rihanna.
She deserves credit for her strong-willed perseverance. Not that its enough of a reason to add this slight yet fun download to the 300 million records she already has sold. It puts down the template for the album, set for release on March 26, thats titled MDNA, an abbreviation for Madonna.
By the time she starts her biggest-ever world tour in Is! rael in May, Madonna probably will be back at No. 1 in many countries. You have been warned. Rating: ***.
McCartneys Inspiration
Paul McCartneys latest album is a collection of pop standards that inspired him from his earliest days.
Revealingly, this is no homage to uptempo 1950s music like John Lennons Rock N Roll. Instead, it has the sort of gently swinging jazzy numbers listened to by McCartneys family when he was growing up in the 1940s. The result is closer to Ringo Starrs Sentimental Journey from 1970, which also covered the Dixon-Henderson composition Bye Bye Blackbird and other sappy ballads liked by the drummers mom.
McCartneys choices are brave, considering the criticism he has faced for sentimentality and Silly Love Songs. Perhaps the most daring thing is the albums eyebrow-raising title, Kisses on the Bottom, which comes from a line in the first track, Im Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter, once a hit for Fats Waller.
The recently remarried ex-Beatles cover of Ac-Cent-Tchu- Ate the Positive shows him further lightening up after the jaunty Memory Almost Full in 2007. This may be Pauls year as he joins Shirley Bassey andElton John to play at the Queens London Diamond Jubilee concert in June.
Fortunately, one of the worlds most accomplished songwriters offers two originals that fit in with the older works. Only Our Hearts has a harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder. My Valentine, with Eric Clapton on guitar, will endure for longer. It inspires a red heart Feb. 14 gift sticker on some copies of the CD. If you are looking for an easy listening Valentines Day gift, youve found it.
Rating: ***.
What the Stars Mean:***** Exceptional**** Excellent*** Good** Average* Poor(No stars) WorthlessDownload fees for Madonnas single, on Interscope, and McCartneys album, on Hear Music, vary across services. Kisses on the Bottom was released yesterday, priced from about $10 in the U.S. and 9 pounds in the U.K. There is a deluxe edition priced at about $12 or 11 pounds, adding two tracks and with an added digital download. Information: http://www.madonna.com and http://store.paulmccartney.com/kissesonthebottom/usd.php
(Mark Beech writes for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)
To contact the writer on the story: Mark Beech in London at mbeech@bloomberg.net or http://twitter.com/Mark_Beech.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.