We have been here before, on the cusp of discovery, the crux of delight, the crucible where true artistry and mass appeal entwine.
We know what to do, close our eyes, shake loose our expectations, relax and let it happen. It's time again to listen, to trust and believe, to follow wherever the music may lead.
We know how it happens, the hush of anticipation before the first note, then, suddenly, the voice, the songs, that old black magic. It's like the first time, every time, all over again.
Yes, we have been here before....at the arrival of a new Madonna album.
Bedtime Stories is Madonna's seventh album of new material and, like all that have come before it, its familiarity lies in its complete surprise. To say that Madonna is an artist who defies expectation is to repeat one of the great cliches of our time. What is singular and special about her is that unique ability to stay true to herself through all the astonishing transformations. It's that essence that we return to time and again, the soul and spirit, passionate, provocative, playful, that we have come to call our own. And with the eleven tracks of Bedtime Stories, including the out-of-the-box smash single and video "Secret", that luminous essence has never shined brighter. As with each of its predecessors, Bedtime Stories is the Madonna album we've all been waiting for our whole lives.
And while it's true that this artist never looks back, there is the potent presence of the classic Madonna persona pervading these brilliant tracks. The bold musical confessionals that comprised her last offering, 1992's Erotica, have come full circle, back to the lush, unabashed expressions of romantic love that form the heart of her art. "This is a very, very romantic record," Madonna remarks, going on to explain, "I'm very proud of the Erotica album, which I think was ahead of its time and reflected a darker side of my personality. Bedtime Stories brings out the other side."
It does indeed. Even while the wry, witty commentary of "Human Nature" reveals Madonna's mixed feelings about the controversy that so often surrounds her, songs like "Forbidden Love," "Inside Of Me" and "Love Tried To Welcome Me" once again confirm her place as our preeminent practitioner of the romantic ballad. And while the evocative imagery of "Sanctuary" and urgent undercurrents of "Bedtime Story" underscore her undisputed mastery of pop music's expressive potential, so, too, do "I'd Rather Be Your Lover" and "Survival" serve as fresh reminders of a dance music dynasty uneclipsed by any other artist.
But, as usual, the substance of Madonna's music reaches far beyond convenient categories, revealing the deeply personal, deeply held beliefs of this renaissance woman. "'Secret', the first single, may sound like a love song," she explains, "but it's really about spirituality. It's about God being in us all and not on a pedestal. It's a self-empowering song that talks about happiness lying in our own hands, about being kind to yourself and to other people."
While Madonna's willingness to reveal herself has always been the linchpin of her artistry, it is her penchant for pushing into new stylistic realms that has consistently put her way ahead of the musical curve. Bedtime Stories is no exception. Indeed, this album sets a new standard for performance, songwriting and studio craft.
"I wanted a lot more of an R&B feel to this record," she explains. "The idea going in was to juxtapose my singing style with a hard core hip-hop sensibility and have the finished product still sound like a Madonna record. I began the process by meeting with the hip-hop producers whose work I most admired. It was important, if I were to use a variety of collaborators, that the end product sound cohesive and thematically whole. I wasn't interested in the variety pack approach."
Among those who met Madonna's demanding standards was ace tunesmith and studio wizard Babyface. It was a choice that paid off in spectacular fashion on tracks such as "Forbidden Love" and the exquisite "Take A Bow," both co-written by Madonna and Babyface. The world-class producer also contributed synthesizers, drum programming and occasional backing vocals to the work-in-progress.
"It was Babyface who suggested that I give Dallas Austin a try," Madonna continues. Austin, best known for his work with TLC, Boys II Men and Joy (a personal Madonna favorite), produced and co-wrote such cuts as "Survival," "Secret" and "Don't Stop," and stayed around for some standout drumming and keyboard work.
Another MVP on the Bedtime Stories team was composer/producer Dave Hall, who came to Madonna's attention though his hit-making work for Mariah Carey and Mary K. Blige. Hall contributed to a number of key songs, including "Human Nature," "Inside of Me" and "I'd Rather Be Your Lover."
"Nellee Hooper had written and produced for Bjork, Massive Attack and Soul 2 Soul, three of my favorites," says Madonna about the fourth member of the Bedtime Stories inner circle. "He has a very European sensibility which I appreciate. It was Nellee who brought me a song he had written with Bjork called 'Bedtime Story.' It was astonishing. I knew I had to record it and it eventually inspired the album's title."
With her creative cohorts in place (including Maverick labelmate Me'Shell NdegOcello on backing vocals and bass on "Id Rather Be Your Lover"), Madonna began the painstaking process of pulling her precise musical vision out of her heart and head and into the here-and-now, working throughout most of 1994 in New York City, Atlanta and Los Angeles. "I wanted to make sure the album flowed from one track to the next," she explains. "It was important that there be unity, a musical totality that fully expressed what I was after without going off on a lot of tangents. It was a difficult process. For example, I started working with Nellee later in the project, but because he was so innovative and creative, I went back with him to rework some of the earlier songs. I took the string arranger I used for Nellees songs and put him on the material Dallas had produced. Everyone was influencing everyone else."
But, of course, at the center of this creative whirlwind was Madonna herself, expertly orchestrating every aspect of this complex and creatively challenging tour de force. And, in the end, making it all seem effortless.
If the sound of Bedtime Stories seems at once familiar and strange, brand new and tried-and-true, it is perhaps because Madonna has mastered the art of putting herself in the center of her music.
We know her. We love her. And we will follow her anywhere.