Madonna – Ray Of Light

I was never a Madonna fan truthfully. Here and there I heard her music and it was never something I bothered to take seriously given the style. A few songs before Ray of Light I enjoyed like La Isla Bonita and Like a Prayer. Her first album had an appeal too, but I never bought it. Back in 1998, I saw Ray of Light title song on TV and was surprised by how much I liked it given it was Madonna of all people. My usual tastes were into prog rock, electronics and meditative, new age music. Today, I am a huge fan of Bollywood composer AR Rahman's film scores and songs given his eclectic genius.

Coming back to Ray of Light, I heard the title song in a store a couple of weeks ago and reminded me of how much I enjoyed it back in 1998. For some reason, which I now regret, I never bought the full album back then. God, what a huge mistake.

I go on YouTube and hear the whole album 21 years later and I am floored. I keep listening again and again and the love for the music keeps growing and growing. It is one of the most beautifully produced and musically satisfying pop albums I have ever heard. No fillers here for me. Every track is rich in sound and melody with the genius of electronic producer William Orbit making all the difference in the world for me. The sound designs that he and Madonna created are simply out of the world and do not sound outdated today in 2019. An album way ahead of its time back in 1998, these songs have literally captured me. My favorites are tracks 9-13, the final 5 of Frozen, Power of Goodbye, To Have not To Hold, Little Star and Mer Girl. Incredible soul, melody, flow and sound production.

The lyrics are very personal, thoughtful and eloquent throughout, sharing a deep understanding of Madonna's personal transformation and new maturity after her daughter was born. There is so much she wants to say in this album and boy does she ever. The music amplifies her messages so powerfully. A couple of tracks like Candy Perfume Girl and Skin have the usual sultry lyrics, but even with those, the music is phenomenal. Guitar work throughout is very crafty and edgy with the electronics. Rhythm tracks are bold and very creatively put together creating a lot of dance friendly tracks in addition to the melody and soul. This album really scores high in all areas of sound, composition, arrangements, melody, rhythm and lyrics. Hardly any weaknesses. To me, it is a masterpiece. This is a must for audiophiles and a must to hear on good headphones. Simply brilliant.

What makes this album even more special are the Indian, Middle Eastern influences throughout the tracks, especially in songs Swim, Skin, Shanti, Frozen, To Have Not To Hold. Being from India and big into the Indian music scene, this album hit home in such a beautiful way that was not obvious or too upfront. The meditative elements of Orbit's electronic programming gives such a beautiful Eastern flavor as well.

Ray of Light is now an all time favorite and I never would have thought Madonna of all artists would be part of my all time favorites.

Such an epic and beautiful album is very rare these days especially. I am going to savor this one for life. Thank you Madonna! Thank you William Orbit! Thank you to the entire team of Ray of Light. I am infinitely grateful.

Wow. Caveat emptor. Anyone else buy the anniversary "Holographic Album Sleeve" from the Madonna store only to realize when it showed up there was no record inside? My bad for not reading the full description, but given the $50 price tag had no reason to think it was going to be empty.

Hiring William Orbit to produce this album was a very clever move by Madonna. He did great work here, making the singer accessible to the 90s 'a bit more spohisticated club culture' crowd.

I'm a Madonna fan, but far from a die hard. I did not buy this album when it was released..In fact, I only listened to it for the first time 4 years ago.
Could not get into it at all. I can tell it's good, just not good for me.

The best album of Madonna, the Queen of Pop !!

Would never have bought anything by Madonna but when I heard that William Orbit was working with her I could not wait to hear the results. His Strange Cargo series of instrumental albums had reached volume 3 by 1993 and the criminally under distributed Beth Orton Superpinkymandy Album (produced by William) and sundry remix work no doubt alerted Madonna to this production genius. He followed that with the sublime Spirit Album by Caroline Lavelle all of which should be listened to by Madonna fans in order to see how much of her career reboot was driven by the musical genius producer. Great collaboration and deserving of the success it generated

This is a great album but Madonna could have sold more copies of this record up to 30 or 35 million copies if more songs had come as good as: Ray Of Light
nothing Really Matters
Sky Fits Heaven
Frozen
for me the best songs are frozen, nothing really matters, and Sky fits Heaven. personally of the disc I like only nothing really matters, Sky fits heaven .. I give 5 points 4 points to the disc.

I suggested Our Madgeness should cover the Eartha Kitt tune 'My Discarded Men'.
As the "...wasn't it clever of her to hire 'fill-in-the-blanks' could be thought of for most [if not all] of her albums.
This [& maybe Erotica] are now two of her Proper Albums the sadly still alive 'N.M.E. Attitude' has deigned OK to like...and say so !
Just as her last two are regularly ripped apart.
Blame Streaming for the maddening choices put up as The Album ?
Back in this era her going more 'V.U' [-ish] than obvious EDM, it had people reassessing her, again.
The Oprah Show wasn't a daft idea either.

groundbreaking and pioneering work of her

dont be fooled by the cheap picture of her. The album is awesome and was groundbreaking at that time. She was clever enough to work with underground producer WILIAM ORBIT who was famous for remixes since the early 90s but he was nobody the great madonna would work with.

Released in early 1998, 'Ray of Light' was greeted with universal critical acclaim, many hailing it as her most adventurous, artistic and accomplished album, which I'd most certainly agree with. Drastically different to anything she'd recorded previously, many would also argue this is the greatest album of her career, something else I'd definitely agree with.

The project opens with the hypnotic sounds of 'Drowned World/Substitute For Love'. The arrangement is mellow and dreamy, shifting tempo midway through the recording. Madonnas vocal delivery is soft, sensual and warm, oozing emotion yet retaining subtlety throughout. Written by Madonna, William Orbit, Rod McKuen, Anita Kerr and David Collins, production came courtesy of Madonna herself and William Orbit. Essentially a lilting pop ballad, there is also a striking infusion of trip hop and electronica, coated with sporadic guitar riffs near the climax. While the song samples the song 'Why I Follow The Tigers' by The San Sebastian Strings, the lyrics aptly describe Madonna's recent spiritual transformation to seek authentic love over superficial dalliances.

The title of the song was inspired by J.G. Ballard's post-apocalyptic science fiction novel The Drowned Love, first published in 1962. Interestingly, Lucy O' Brien, an author on Madonna, stated the song "reflects her compulsive desire for fame, how that burned through relationships and made them shallow and fleeting." Some described her vocal performance on this track as "soulful" - something I wouldn't argue with - and having a "bell-like clarity". Extracted as the third single from 'Ray of Light', 'Drowned Love/Substitute For Love' endured variable success around the world but at least managed to score Madonna yet another top ten hit to her credit.

'Swim' is another tempo-shifting number which is utterly compelling, subtle hints of indie creeping in. Once again a spiritual tone is evident here. She sings: "Swim to the ocean floor/So that we can begin again/Wash away all our sins/Crash to the other shore." Electronic bleeps and synchronized sounds are woven into the mix, while Madonna's vocals are supple and evocative.

Zooming in on a striking, swirling psychedelic vibe is the fantastically upbeat title track, 'Ray Of Light'. Madonna's voice is impeccably strong, delivering this with conviction and passion. Written by Madonna, William Orbit (both of whom produced), Clive Muldoon, Dave Curtiss and Christine Leach, 'Ray Of Light' was based on Curtiss Muldoon's Sepheryn. A stormy electronic dance number which became a monster dance-floor filler, the arrangement incorporates techno, trance, Eurodance and disco influences, the production being awash with sound effects such as bells, whistles, bleeps, electric guitar and underlying synths. This recording remains as startling and as infectious today as it was on its orignal release in 1998. Receiving wide critical acclaim again, the single was a global success, enjoying lengthy runs on international charts including #1 positions on many dance charts.

There is a divine combination of indie/rock/dance on the bizarre 'Candy Perfume Girl'. Though not quite having the immediacy of some of the other recordings on here, it still holds significant musical merit. Opening with a grunge intro, it continues to pair post-modern beats and beeps with more traditional electric guitar flare ups.

More adventurous and immediate are the hypnotic, trance-like effects on the stark, 'Skin'. In a yearning voice, Madonna sings "Do I know you from somewhere?" over the slamming beats of an eerie electronic orchestra. Contains sizzling undertones of pulsating techno and Madonnas performance sounds positively heavenly. 'Skin', like most of the other recordings on here, is hauntingly atmospheric in tone, building in tension as it leads us to the climax.

The album then swerves and steers back into a more commercial sound with the bouncy,upbeat, 'Nothing Really Matters', another utterly contagious and guaranteed dance-floor filler. Written by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, with production via Madonna and William Orbit, this was the fifth and final single lifted from the project. Crossing between dance and house influences, this number includes ambient and non-digestic noises and sounds flowing through its pulsing arrangement, while the lyrical content is about Madonna's first daughter Lourdes Leon, alongside themes that centre on motherhood in general, affection and the selfishness of her lover. While topping the US Billboard Dance Chart and hitting the top ten in may countries, it barely dented the US Hot 100. Critical response was mixed, some describing it as rather lacklustre in comparison to some of the other tracks on the album. This seems unfair as it's as bold, inventive and adventurous as any other track on 'Ray of Light', but of course it's all in the eye of the beholder.

One of the ultimate highlights on this album is served with 'Sky Fits Heaven' which once again holds slamming techno beats has an infinitely more hardcore effect. Here, the lyrics explore Madonna's spiritual side, as well as on her daughter, Lourdes. Some of the lyrics include lines such as: "Sky fits heaven so fly it, that's what the prophet said to me/Child fits mother, so hold your baby tight, that's what my future can see." Complete with thrashing guirtars and bizarre, synchronised effects, the track is one of the most memorable recordings on the album. A far cry from the lighter pop sounds of 'Holiday' and 'Like A Virgin'!
About the inspiration behind 'Sky Fits Heaven', Madonna was once quoted as saying: "I feel that talking about it trivializes it. I've been studying the Cabala, which is the mystical interpretation of the Torah. I've studied Buddhism and Hinduism and I've been practicing yoga and obviously I know a lot about Catholicism. There are indisputable truths that connect all of them, and I find that very comforting and kind. My spiritual journey is to be open to everything. Pay attention to what makes sense, be absorbed. For me, yoga is the closest thing to our real nature."

The remainder of the album careers along at a leisurely pace. Equally outstanding is another mesmerising and haunting, atmospheric tune, 'Frozen' which Madonna delivers compellingly. A mid-tempo electronic ballad, this track also carries ambient qualities, a steady dance rhythm inserted during the chorus with more techno-influenced beats creeping in towards the end. Its lyrics focus on a cold, emotionless man, while Madonna's vocals are emotive yet somehow detached at points. The premier single from the album, this enjoyed significant success globally.

'Shanti/Ashtangi' is a Hindu Sanskrit prayer and somewhat upbeat song with Madonna singing in an Indian accent across a driving and ethereal dance rhythm. 'The Power Of Goodbye' is breathtakingly beautiful, and more poignant, delivered with a sensual vocal. The only real let down of the album is the slightly forgettable 'Little Star', but other than that, 'Ray Of Light' stands as her best album yet and was one of the most important albums of the 1990's. A pure masterpiece!

Ian Phillips