madonna rebel heartThere are several words you can use to describe Madonna’s latest album Rebel Heart. Passionate. Sexual. Self-reflexive. Seeking. No matter what you think of the lady and her huge ego (kind of necessary to be Madonna, no?) you have to admit that pop music is what it is because of artists like her. In other words, who should she be referencing but herself – the Queen of Pop music. It is a quite different body of work than her previous two albums – MDNA and Hard Candy. This time she is less hard edged and has selected to work with some of the more popular people in music along with at least one very odd choice (Mike Tyson? Really?). Hot producers like Diplo and Avicii have helped her construct the sound while artists like Kanye West, Nikki Minaj, Nas and Chance the Rapper have all lent their vocal talents.  Lyrically she seems to have finally worked through her anger issues towards former husband Guy Richie and now seems to be back in the game. Madonna has written some of the best sex songs of the last thirty years but sometimes she goes too far…even for her. “Holy Water” (an ode to oral sex) is a totally skippable track in my books. Some might think it is too much that on several occasions, including the track “Veni Vidi Vici”, she quotes her own songs in the new tracks. Rather than be offended by the lack of humility I felt it rather appropriate for the songs and clever to boot. Though most of the album is strong the best of the lot is the track “HeartBreakCity”. It is a chilling tale of what happens after a relationship ends. Even when it comes to romance the lady has the intelligence and a way with words that adds a depth to her songs that few could achieve. The title of the album is very appropriate. This album proves that time is not going to stop this lady from pushing buttons and the line as to what is appropriate or not. Still plenty of rebellious music to come.