Hype por las nubes tras leer esta reseña canción por canción del usuario STVN de Infinity. Es la edición de 12, pistas.
Confessions II 12 MASSIVE SPOILER Track-By-Track Review! Read at your own risk...
First, I feel this album is in two halves/two stories…well, the vinyl dictates this anyway…but Side 1 feels like the more commercial half, I can see why these were all included in the film. Side 2 feels more experimental in sound/vibe and is my favourite half of the album. I’ll skip reviewing the released singles and concentrate on the rest of the album.
I’m by no means a reviewer and will probably describe tracks as emotions or mentions sounds.
I Feel So Free…the released version and still unfolds for me after all these months, I adore this introduction to Confessions II. The only difference is the ending is similar to the film, Good For The Soul begins as it fades.
Good For The Soul…you already know the beginning, but after the first chorus some nice stabs of synths kick in for a second leading into the next verse. There are more layers to the track and it keeps building to some cool cut up processed vocals repeating there word ‘soul’, its really euphoric and blisses out into the next track.
One Step Away…again, you may think you know this already…similar start to the film version, but some gorgeous strings and a sampled voice leads into the track and a different verse to the one in the film. The strings build and some actual percussion carries the track into a beautiful break down…the strings are beautiful, feels very Ray Of Light era as it calms down into the beginning of Bring Your Love
Bring Your Love…not sure what it is, but this sounds beefier than the released version, not remixed, but sounds more at home on the album that I thought it would. It doesn’t jar and fits in with the vibe of a club night, ends similar to the film with ‘talk about, talk about…”
Danceteria…I love this track so much and has to be a single. You know (most of) the track by now, but feels a fun breather within the listening experience. The rap in the middle really comes to life with lots of references to old skool NYC scenes, both in her lyrics but also in the cute little musical nods dropped in…especially when she mentions Fab Five Freddy and Rock Steady Crew…but my favourite is how she delivered the line, “Everyone came from Shafrazi…Sha-fra-zi!” She phonically spells it out for a second time, so cool. The outro is a banger…stabs of beat as she states, “Everyone here is a work of art”, each time a new musical reference, new turn…it’s so much fun and funky!
Read My Lips…now I didn’t gel with this during the film, it felt ‘done before’ and the FIFA edit left me cold (and concerned). BUT the album version is completely different…it starts with icy cool beats, people at a party in the distance, then the guitar and beats kick in. It’s mainly Madonna to begin with and has a gorgeous break before the chorus where the music softens for a second, “You are not my friend and you never were…” Then the song bounces back to life again. I love her solo chorus and the song becomes more dancey. Feid is actually only in the song in the bits you’ve seen in the film…except for some distorted backing vocals and the occasional response (And I really love his kind of annoying delivery as it fits with the theme of the song)…but it is mainly a Madonna track and its slowly becoming a huge ear worm for me! I thought this would be the skip track, but it’s cool way to end side A.
Now, this is where I flip the disc and wasn’t prepared for the second half of the album…
Everything…opens with a beautifully clear vocal from Madonna, nice sky-filled airiness to the vibe, “When I close my eyes, everything is crystallised” But then it turns! Goes all squelchy, builds to…Madonna (More mannered Act Of Contrition voice), “It’s not ok, I don’t fuck with it!” And the track kicks off in a squelchy trance vibe…it really ebbs and flows, rises and lowers the vibe. Her vocals are really different for her…either beautiful or early pre-fame raw. It builds to a jumping up and down in a club. Madonna now narrates each between track, which leads to…
Love Without Words…one of my favourites. A very Confessions vocal and vibe…really crystal clear vocals, I also love her breathy Erotica mantra delivered throughout, “Call it Trance, call it House, call it love without words”. It s a real banger, all bleeps, cut up robotic vocals…there’s a breakdown in the middle where she pleads, “Please come in…come to the club, club of love…”. Then it bursts back into life…really clubby, I imagine lasers! Ha,ha,ha!
BIzarre…the studio version sounds more like latter half of the original Confessions album, not as club banger as the producer’s DJ set suggested, but it’s still a gorgeous track…sounds very beefy and it really ups the vibe towards the end, really cool production. It really should be a single!
Now things get weird and wonky…
School…my absolute favourite track on the album. Everything suddenly goes out of tune, spooky production, very K hole, like the haunting breakdown in the Erotica single…it’s all haunting and unnerving. But the cold beat kicks in and a modern fucked up Dita returns! There’s loads of processed vocals and a cool old lyric reference repeated. Madonna delivers nursery rhyme-like verses, her voice moves from Dita-like to pitched down delivery, its so cool and blackened darkrooms in tones…very witchy, unlike anything she has done before…think The Beast Within, but a proper nasty pop version…it’s so difficult to explain, but its really odd and brilliant. There’s a bit where some gorgeous close harmonies delivery, “Nobody knows all the rules, you never went to school, baby, here’s a lesson”. You will be suddenly in a trance saying, “School is in session”. It haunts and is brilliant!
Fragile…people have said this is similar to Frozen, but I feel that’s a misdirection. It feels more a modern cousin to the Like A Prayer album, but with a warm slightly drum ’n’ bass beat. Of course the lyrics are gorgeous and heartbreaking, but it’s a surprisingly positive sounding track…her vocals are so clear and centre. There’s strings throughout and a cool sampled kid saying, “No”. This is no ballad, but it is beautiful, it really keeps a dancey beat. “You’ve been hurt before” is delivered in such a Like A Prayer track manner. There is a breakdown with a heartbeat and fuzzy processed vocals, “I hope you found a higher ground” and the song kicks in for the final chorus and I’m sure I hear the family singing in the background…it really is a gorgeous tribute to Christopher, but also to life carrying on despite the clouds.
My Sins Are My Saviour…now, if you had told me that this was an unreleased Erotica track then I would have believed you…seriously, it’s so 1993 coded, there’s so many instruments and sounds that recall that era. She speaks French and the chorus kicks in and is delivered in such a creamy Bedtime Stories era vocal, so beautiful. Stromea only appears at the beginning, his speaking part is so rich, fits the vibe perfectly. She also mentions Ray Of Light in the backing vocals. She sings in a few styles that recall lots of different moments in her career, but mainly Erotica in its vibe. it’s a great way to finish the 12 track version of the album.
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