Like A Prayer

For many 'Like a Prayer' is considered the best work from the Queen of Pop herself, and rightfully so. This album reveals a maturity of expression in pop music that takes away the bitter perception of Pop music as being lame without substance. Madonna once again collaborated with her 'True Blue' (read my review on that album) team , Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray to create yet another masterpiece.Like a Prayer: This probably is one of Madonna's most memorable songs of her career (next to Vogue), definetely her most powerful, not much credit was given to her for her vocal performance on this memoriable track that was a #1 throughout the world, even in Zimbabwe where I was staying at the time. Every body memorised the words. The song is brilliant I love the way it slowly builds up into an explosive ending with the choir, the video, even though played today would not have raised such a storm, was brilliant and cleverly thought out. Indeed a memoriable track by the Queen herself. 5/5Express Yourself: A statement that is Madonna herself, a fearless, explosive track with a video to match, this is Madonna's first steps in ranting her views towards the right of expression, never to hold back who you trully are. A great track. 5/5Love Song: Prince and Madonna what a collaboration, although the track is somewhat perculiar and different and heavily influence by the music of Prince who screams and yelps throughout the track. Its a good track if you looking for something different, quite experimental there is a break down in the song that says 'time goes by so slowly for those who wait', reminiscent of Madonna #1 'Hung Up' smash hit. An okay song but probably the weakest on the album. 3/5Till Death Do Us Part: In my opinion this is her best track that was not released as a single or ever performed, Madonna does something she had never done and thats to reveal the abusive relationship she had with her then ex-hubby Sean Penn "the bruises they will fade away, what hurt so hard are the things you say, I will not stay to watch your hate as it grows, you're not inlove with someone else you don't even love yourself, yet still I wish you ask me not to go", now thats deep. Love the instrumentation, her vocals, a very mature piece of Pop. Absolutely love it. 5/5Promise to Try: Yet another revealing track, this time around she sings solo backed by piano and violin, a story of a little girl trying to find understanding due to loss, in this case Madonna losing her mother Madonna to cancer when she was five. A touching beautifully sung song, which features in 'In Bed with Madonna' documentary as she visits her mothers grave. A true gem to this amazing album. 5/5Cherish: Madonna brings the album back to cheerful hieghts with the beautiful track 'Cherish', a love song with a great pop melody and video, great backing vocals by Donna Delorey and Nikki Harris, this track makes you feel good inside. 5/5Dear Jessie: Madonna reveals a more child like imagination in this gem, "Pink Elephants and lemonade, dear Jessie hear her laughing running through the love parade, candy kisses on a sunny day", very imaginatively written, a colourful song, sung beautiful by Madonna, another feel good track. 4/5Oh Father: Madonna yet again reveals a personal side to her private life, her turbulent relationship with her father one of her deepest song on this album, very touching "Oh father you never wanted to be that way, you never wanted to hurt me, why am I running away" a powerful song with a choir and orcheraster to add on the fuel, Madonna sings hard on this track, another beauty. 4/5Keep it together: Before ending the album she picks it up one more time with the grooviest track on the album, this track talks about her experience being in a large family, sharing all the hand me downs and having to be the clown in order to get attention. Nevertheless even then Madonna knew the importance of having a tight family unit. Great performance of this track on her "Blonde Ambition Tour Finale". Love this track. 4/5Spanish Eyes: A dark, mysterious piece of work, heavily influenced by Spanish instrumentation, beautiful vocals and backing vocals, probably the most maturist song on the album "how many lives do they have to take, how much heartache, how many sons do they have to burn, spanish eyes, when will they ever learn", beautiful if I might say so myself.Act of Contriction (closing Interlude): A rather wierd ending to the album, but fits in perfectly, Like a Prayer choral section is played backwards (which in those days was very controversial, some even saying satanic), but of course Madonna takes that away and puts a touch of humour on it. It seems she waiting to at the gate of heaven, but doesn't have a reservation, the album ends with her screeching, 'what do you mean I am not in the computer'(ha ha ha)only Madonna.Listen if you are a Madonna fan you probably have this album, but if you love pop and are a child of the 90's get this album and hear what mature, entertaining Pop music is all about, forget about Britney, Hanna Montanna and all the other wannabes, Madonna is the sure deal.

La re-edición de este grandioso álbum, viene como la sorpresa perfecta para los fans y coleccionistas de Madonna en todo el mundo."Like a prayer" podría considerarse como el álbum más cercano al arte que haya alcanzado a hacer Madonna en toda su carrera artística, marcando un antes y un después en su trayectoria musical. De aquí en adelante, Madonna tomaría las riendas creativas de los álbumes que le continuaron a este, tomándole el gustillo a componer las canciones con su propia pluma e imaginación, volcando en ellos sus propias versiones de la vida, el hecho de haberse recientemente divorciado de Sean Penn, el hombre de su vida, revisitando las frustraciones que le dejó el hecho de haberse criado bajo un estricto régimen católico que nunca supo darle una explicación convincente de porqué ella debería aceptar haber perdido a su propia madre a tan temparana edad, al mismo tiempo celebrando el sentirse parte de su familia en momentos donde todo parece tan efímero y artificial, celebrándose siendo mujer e independiente, que goza de ser la única al poder y explotando su sexualidad a otros niveles que antes no había conseguido lograr.Aquí se pueden encontrar grandes éxitos como los conocidos "Like a prayer", "Express yourself" y la cándida "Cherish". Pero las joyas verdaderas las pueden encontrar justamente en las canciones menos populares, por así decirlo, como en la extraordinaria e íntima "Promise to try", la primera canción que ella dedica abiertamente a su madre.Madonna se revela contra todo tras el sin sabor que le dejó divorciarse de Sean Penn y prueba que no solo es capaz de re-inventarse sino que también es capaz de tomar algo tan poco inspirador como sentirse abandonado por alguien que fue tu gran amor y rendirlo en una combatiente y pegajosa canción disco-pop como lo es "Till death do us part". También pone sobre la mesa el tema de los latinos que deben luchar a diario por sobrevivir en los barrios: la prodigiosa elegancia de "Spanish eyes".Talvez recuerden la confesional balada "Oh father", una mezcla de varios tipos, donde seguramente incluyó a su propio padre, si bien no queda del todo claro, dando cabida al perdón en su corazón tras su confesión "Talvez algún día, cuando mire hacia atrás, sea capaz de decir que no quisiste ser cruel, es tan solo que alguien te ha herido a ti también".Considero que el momento más débil del álbum es la forzada colaboración con Prince en "Love song", que años de escucharla aun sigo sin entenderla.Este disco es un lujo y tenerlo en edición vinilo, fiel a la original, es lo mejor que se le pudo haber ocurrido al sello hacer. Un muy buen momento. Muy recomendable.The re-edition of this great album comes as a fabulous surprise to fans and Madonna collectors all around the world."Like a prayer" may be the closest to art album Madonna have ever done. From this album on, nothing will be the same for Madonna again since she discovered the pleasure to write her own lyrics, as a testimony of life, having been recentely divorced from Sean Penn, revisiting frustrations from been raised in a very strict catholic family, celebrating independence and the fact of being a woman who enjoys taking power, reinventing herself from pain, exploding her sexuality to a brand new level where only a few women dare to achieve.Such big hits like "Like a prayer", "Express yourself" and "Cherish" may be found on this one. But the real gems you can find them in the less popular tunes like the extraordinary intimacy of "Promise to try". The theme may sound a little familiar to fans. This may be the first song Madonna ever composed about losing her mother being (Madonna) sucha little girl.Madonna proves herself that she can take a devastating personal situation - like her divorce - and turn it into a stunning disco-pop tune, an un-breakable song like "Till death do us part"; or putting on the table the latin struggle in some barrios to survive, with such elegance and devotion: "Spanish eyes".You may remember "Oh father" as well, a confessional ballad witch describes a mix of different kind of fathers, maybe her real dad was included in this one too, although it's not very clear. Madonna opened her heart to the posibility to find relieve in forgiveness declaring "maybe someday when I look back I'll be able to say: you didn't mean to be cruel, somebody hurt you too".Perhaps the weakest moment of the entire album would be the forced collaboration with Prince "Love song".Highly recomendable.

This is such a good album. I have no idea how I had stopped listening to it for, like, two decades. Not gonna make that mistake again.