Madonna
Bedtime Stories

THE REVIEW

I would like to start the review of this album with two phrases from the songs Survival and Human Nature: "I'll never be an angel, I'll never be a saint it's true, I'm too busy surviving"; "I'm not sorry, it's human nature, I'm not your b*ch don't hang your s*t on me".

After the 1992-93 period, known to all as the "Sex phase," Madonna decides to retreat (if we can say so) and reflect on her way of conceiving her music and her art in general. It's true, in those two years, but perhaps even before, Miss Ciccone had, so to speak, "opened" herself a bit too much to the public, applying her hard law of sex and carnal love to her music and personal image, but maybe it was slightly too much even for someone of her caliber. In fact, the album Erotica, although considered the most courageous attempt at evolution and transformation of the appeal (and not just sex) of the Material Girl, had not gone too well by her usual sales standards, and her popularity, on the rise since 1982, had started heading down the "avenue of decline".

"Bedtime Stories" is therefore the trial by fire: Could Madonna succeed in reviving a career on the brink of the precipice? Perhaps, indeed surely, but it was necessary to work on it well and avoid risky moves that would otherwise compromise her work forever.

First, it was necessary to put away the box (at least for now) containing "scandal," "pure eroticism," "well-orchestrated brazenness," but without repressing her feelings and emotions, remaining perfectly consistent with the saying "Express Yourself, don't repress yourself" (perhaps the most known line of the lyrics of Human Nature, contained in the album in question).

Then there was the matter of the new musical direction to take: Madonna had started with disco dance, later embraced a more mature pop, ventured into rock, rap, even jazz. What was still missing from her repertoire? R'n'b and soul music, which in the mid-90s was experiencing a golden moment, thanks especially to the albums of Janet Jackson.

She then decided to bid a fond farewell to Shep Pettibone (the main architect of Erotica) and summon a multitude of producers. For the first time, Madonna decided to collaborate with well-known and respected figures in the music scene: Babyface, Dallas Austin, Bjork, Nellee Hooper, Dave "Jam" Hall.

With Babyface, the splendid ballad "Take a Bow" came to life, one of Miss Ciccone's most intense and profound songs, full of sensuality, pathos, deep and melancholic. Released as the second single, after "Secret", which is also considered among the best tracks of the album, it contributed to restoring her career in the US, which more than anyone had been put off by the scandals of "Erotica".

All the songs, warm, sensual, overwhelming, passionate, show the most romantic and profound side of Madonna who, despite this, stands firm on her past choices: "Human Nature" is the response to all the critics who fiercely criticized her image as a femme fatale and sexual manipulator. And in Survival she promptly states that "she has never been an angel or a saint". Therefore, only partial repentance.

With "Inside Of Me" and "Sanctuary", Madonna explores her intimacy without barriers or obstacles, and the music, extremely relaxing and sensual, aids her aim.

But in one song, things change. "Bedtime Story", written by Bjork, is a track that has little to do with the concept of the album, but is its most successful experiment. The track, representing a fantastic and imaginary journey into her subconscious, already paves the way for the future Madonna, that of "Ray of Light", Frozen, and Music, the techno - trance, electronic, minimalist Madonna. And the video for "Bedtime Story", among the most expensive music shorts ever made, refines the concept, leading the astonished viewer towards the frontier of art.

How to define in general "Bedtime Stories": well, certainly a "sir" album, a confirmation of Madonna's talent, her intention to explore every musical style, her strong will to continue her "game," despite the setbacks that many other artists have not been able to effectively counter.