After three decades in the music business, a splashy Super Bowl halftime performance, and months of endless hype, Madonna's 12th studio album, MDNA, hit shelves on Monday. It's Madge's first new album since 2008's Hard Candy, which was pilloried by critics and largely ignored by consumers. But now, some tastemakers are hailing MDNA as the superstar's "best album since Ray of Light," which was released all the way back in 1998. Is the Queen of Pop poised for yet another musical comeback?
Yes. It's that good: Competing against a growing crop of pop-diva upstarts, Madonna is blatantly "throwing down the gauntlet" on MDNA, says Eric Diaz at Geekscape. With bitter, gritty songs like the vengeful "Gang Bang" — which addresses her divorce from Guy Ritchie — and the euphoric dance track "I'm Addicted," Madonna "sounds more creatively fresh and new" than anyone who's been in the business for three decades "really has any right to." MDNA is "one of her best albums yet."
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