Madame X

As I briskly approach the ripe old age of 39 I can more or less consider myself a lifelong fan of Madonna, with the tattoo to prove it. Her music and messages have inspired me through good times and bad, personally and professionally, and even at a very young age I idolized her as the untouchable embodiment of everything I knew I was on the inside but could never be on the outside. However, lest you think I’m just another one of those sad sycophants who giddily eats up everything their “queen” does at face value, I’ve actually come to view her with a much more objective and critical eye in recent years. Hard Candy was an embarrassing mess on nearly every level, and MDNA was a mixed bag to say the least. Rebel Heart, while far from perfect, was her overall best effort in several years and it gave me a little faith that she still has something left to say. Truth be told I’m still trying to make sense of Madame X; it is by far her strangest, boldest, most bizarre and self-indulgent record yet, but whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing I’m not sure. I realize this review isn’t supposed to be an essay about myself, but here’s the thing. After the dreadfully uncomfortable Hard Candy era I really had to adjust my expectations as far as what I could and/or should expect from Madonna in the landscape of modern pop culture. She hasn’t struck me as particularly innovative, or even interesting, for the better part of a decade, but I give her props for resurfacing every few years to remind us who’s boss. She does this best through live performances and concert tours, which in spite of her waning pop culture accessibility, are unmatched even after all these years, and I don’t see how even her biggest critics can deny Madonna’s live theatrical shows are anything less than epic. Unfortunately most people will choose to concentrate on her age, her face, her silly (but harmless) social media posts or some out of context thing she said or did thirty years ago over what she’s actually trying to say. But that’s the question we now face – DOES “Madame X” have anything left to say? If you ask me, I believe the Madame X record does a fine job translating into a stage show. (Remember, I’m reviewing just the live album and not the actual show itself. Truth be told I haven’t even see the full concert, and probably won’t until it comes out on bluray – if it ever does – as I have no streaming services.) Also remember that the Madame X tour was designed for smaller, intimate venues over the usual stadiums, which is a first for Madonna. I won’t give a tedious track by track review, but the setlist is, obviously, comprised heavily of songs from the Madame X album. As someone who even now remains lukewarm about the record, I will say that hearing some of the songs sung live made me look at them in a whole new way, such as “Come Alive” and “I Don’t Search, I Find” which I always considered filler, so fans who aren’t completely sold on this current era may still find something to like. On the opposite side of the coin, however, there’s no saving “Dark Ballet”, which is garbage through and through, and “Batuka” and “Killers Who Are Partying” are total bathroom break songs. Plus, even as a fairly left-leaning person myself, having the “we are here to save the world” message constantly and angrily beaten over my head gets a little tiresome. Luckily the setlist is peppered with lighter fare and some oldies but goodies, such as the ever-glamourous “Vogue” and one of the most beautiful versions of “La Isla Bonita” I have heard to date, even if only a snippet. Honestly I could probably go the rest of my life never hearing “Human Nature” or “Like a Prayer” again and be just fine, but at least they fit the theme of the show while also satisfying longtime fans. I was glad to see her pull out “Frozen” for the first time in a while, and – don’t tell anybody this – but I even got a little excited over “American Life.” All in all I think the setlist is a good, if occasionally bleak, blend of new songs and old favorites. Though often aided by pre-recorded backing tracks, Madonna’s natural singing voice is still fantastic, when she wants it to be, and it’s especially interesting to hear some of the newer Madame X era songs performed raw, as opposed to their album counterparts which were mostly autotuned to death. (I have no idea why “Crave” was cut completely. I can give or take it, personally, but it was a minor hit and probably one of the very few Madame X songs more casual listeners might have heard of.) Recorded in Portugal in January of 2020, the audio quality of the recording is decent, if a bit low – I burned this digital album to a CD and have to turn the volume up a bit to hear it – but at least it’s clear. One minor complaint, if I had to make one, is that the transition between tracks is quite abrupt. Again, I haven’t seen the show in person, but I’m assuming they cut out some banter or audience noise here and there, but the editing is pretty sloppy at times which is unfortunate. Otherwise it’s a release any Madonna fan should be happy to have and, at twenty tracks, worth the money. Most of all it just goes to show that Madonna, regardless of what you think of her music, is still in command of the stage and absolutely unmatched as a mesmerizing live performer.

High quality pressing of Madame X concert! Thank god they removed the reverberation of her singing over a voice track. No shade on the queen, I wish she would just SING and trust that her voice is perfect on its own. I was worried this recording would reflect the echo sound at the concert but it in fact was simply the raw audio captured on the mic, which was a smart move. Very impressed - I am glad to own this on vinyl!

The album sounds very good, the quality is very good. Also the photos and graphic design are very elegant.

great live album

Amazing album!

This iteration of Madonna's career may not necessarily be every fan's most desirable or favorable in, but it speaks to the versatility of this enduring artist as a force in popular music. "Madame X" is not your typical project from the Queen of Pop, the world music approach and seismically controversial themes are not exactly built for the club scene, but it is Madonna's reaction to the state of the world. The Live Xperience is undeniably pure and pours new energy into these distinct tracks, the live format is truly the best way to experience "Madame X" and this full-length vinyl package with "bonus tracks" doesn't disappoint.

This clearly was one of her best passion projects it gives you otherwise unknown recording artists that she chose to record with hence Maluma,Annitta, Crave,Batuka and etc. I after listening to this album I find myself listening to the music of the other artists as well he did a great job promoting these fine artists in this passion project called Madame X

This is one of the better packaged vinyl release for Madonna. It captures the essence of the show and more importantly it sounds incredible. Highly recommend especially for fans!!