Ray of Light

by Madonna

Overview

Returning to pop after a four-year hiatus, Madonna enlisted respected techno producer William Orbit as her collaborator for Ray of Light, a self-conscious effort to stay abreast of contemporary trends. Unlike other veteran artists who attempted to come to terms with electronica, Madonna was always a dance artist, so it's no real shock to hear her sing over breakbeats, pulsating electronics, and blunted trip-hop beats. Still, it's mildly surprising that it works as well as it does, largely due to Madonna and Orbit's subtle attack. They've reined in the beats, tamed electronica's eccentricities, and retained her flair for pop melodies, creating the first mainstream pop album that successfully embraces techno. Sonically, it's the most adventurous record she has made, but it's far from inaccessible, since the textures are alluring and the songs have a strong melodic foundation, whether it's the swirling title track, the meditative opener, "Substitute for Love," or the ballad "Frozen." For all of its attributes, there's a certain distance to Ray of Light, born of the carefully constructed productions and Madonna's newly mannered, technically precise singing. It all results in her most mature and restrained album, which is an easy achievement to admire, yet not necessarily an easy one to love. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	03/02/1998
Label:	Warner Bros.
UPC:	0093624684725

Tracks

1. Drowned World/Substitute for Love
2. Swim
3. Ray of Light
4. Candy Perfume Girl
5. Skin
6. Nothing Really Matters
7. Sky Fits Heaven
8. Shanti/Ashtangi
9. Frozen
10. The Power of Good-Bye
11. To Have and Not to Hold
12. Little Star
13. Mer Girl

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Madonna   Primary Artist,Vocals
Marius de Vries   Guest Artist,Keyboards
William Orbit   Guest Artist,Sound Effects
Marc Moreau   Guitar
Steve Sidelnyk   Drum Machine
Donna De Lory   Vocals (Background)
Suzie Katayama   Vocals,Conductor
Nikki Harris   Vocals (Background)
Pablo Cook   Flute
Fergus Gerrand   Drums,Percussion

Technical Credits

Madonna   Composer,Producer
Rod McKuen   Composer
Jon Ingoldsby   Engineer
Mark Endert   Engineer
Rick Nowels   Composer
Anita Kerr   Composer
William Orbit   Composer,Producer
Steve Sidelnyk   Drum Programming
Marius de Vries   Producer,Programming
Mike Bradford   Programming
Jon Englesby   Engineer
Dave Curtis   Composer
Curtiss Maldoon   Composer
Dave Curtiss   Composer
Mario Testino   Photography
Susannah Melvoin   Composer
Eddie Stern   Translation
Christine Leach   Composer
Matt Silva   Engineer
Kerosene Halo   Design
Clive Maldoon   Composer
William Wainwright   Composer
Madonna Ciccone   Composer
Kevin Reagan   Design,Art Direction
Vyass Houston   Translation
David Collins   Composer
Patrick Leonard   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Patrick McCarthy   Engineer
Ted Jensen   Engineer,Mastering
Craig Armstrong   String Arrangements
Pat McCarthy   Engineer
Gabor Szabo   Composer
Dave Reitzas   Engineer

Editorial Reviews

Madonna, the ultimate disco diva, goes back to her roots with Ray of Light, her most booty-shaking album since Erotica (1992). While the record does offer a few mild, melodic songs, most of the tracks are high-voltage affairs, powered by so much electronica that the vibe pulses like a strobe-lit dance floor. On "Shanti/Ashtangi" the Material Mom even brings a bit of Bhangra -- Punjabi dance music -- to the musical mainstream. Release date: March 1998.

barnesandnoble.com

Ray of Light is the first self-conscious album in Madonna's catalog, the first time that she genuinely seems worried about keeping up with the times. In some ways, she had good reason to worry. At the time she released Ray of Light, she hadn't released an album of new material in four years; during that time, she revamped her image, scoring her first successful movie role in Evita and becoming a mother. All of these superficially indicated that she was out of touch with contemporary dance culture, but Madonna decided to hit back at those suspicions hard, enlisting respected techno producer William Orbit to helm Ray of Light. Unlike other veteran artists who tried to come to terms with "electronica" (U2, Robbie Robertson), Madonna was always a dance artist, so it's no real shock to hear her sing over breakbeats, pulsating electronics and blunted trip-hop beats. What is a shock is that it works. Part of the reason behind the album's success is that Madonna and Orbit haven't gone for full-out techno. They've reigned in the beats, tamed electronica's eccentricities and retained her flair for pop melodies, creating the first mainstream pop album that comes to terms with techno. Sonically, it's the most adventurous record she has made, but it's far from inaccessible, since many of the songs have strong melodic hooks, whether it's the swirling title track, the meditative opener "Substitute for Love" or the ballad "Frozen." However, there's a certain distance to the music. Madonna had singing lessons for Evita, and the lessons stuck -- her performance on Ray of Light is her most mannered, technically precise singing on record. Combined with the stylish, detached electronic music and self-consciously mature lyrics, the singing helps make Ray of Light the most mature and restrained album in Madonna's catalog. And while that's an easy achievement to admire, it's not necessarily an easy one to love. -- All-Music Guide

Stephen Thomas Erlewine