{"id":39647,"date":"2006-02-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-02-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/something-to-remember\/"},"modified":"2006-02-16T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-02-16T00:00:00","slug":"something-to-remember","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/something-to-remember\/","title":{"rendered":"Something To Remember"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Something To Remember<\/i> is a collection of
\nballads that was released after the success of Bedtime
\nStories<\/i>, also an entire album nearly full of ballads. Cynics
\nsnickered that Madonna was simply capitalizing on her new
\nwhite-and-eggshell ballad image, trying to compensate for the
\ncommercial fallout from the edgy Erotica<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Cynics are right.<\/p>\n

But that doesn’t mean Something To Remember<\/i> is
\na bad album. In fact, as a greatest hits package, it feels more
\ncohesive and high-end than The Immaculate Collection<\/i> and
\nmore complete than GHV2<\/i>, the latter released in 2001. (For
\none thing, The Immaculate Collection<\/i> has the worst album
\ncover in the history of recorded music, and Something To
\nRemember<\/i> is still the best of her career. And SPARE ME THE
\nFUNKY COWGIRLS!)<\/p>\n

For one thing, it’s terrific to have the two
\nsoundtrack songs “I’ll Remember” and “This Used To Be My
\nPlayground” on a Madonna album; these two tracks alone justify
\nbuying the CD if you’re a fan, although the two mixes of “I Want
\nYou,” a collaboration with Massive Attack, and the understated
\ndrama of “You’ll See” don’t seem like too much of a waste, either.
\nThe remaining new track, “One More Chance,” is Madonna with an
\nacoustic guitar and some barely-there synths – very clear, very
\nwinning, some might say very boring but I’ve always had a soft spot
\nfor Madonna’s voice, which isn’t afraid to be vulnerable. Witness
\nher pleading delivery in “Crazy For You,” an old song that still
\nsounds fresh and poignant, and completely at home in this very
\nslick, high-fashion feel packaging; it’s not just her that refuses
\nto age.<\/p>\n

In fact her older songs take on a very up to date,
\nvery modern feel in this new context: I never thought “Oh Father”
\nwas particularly interesting on Like A Prayer<\/i>, but put here,
\nI’m beginning to see that it was a pretty complex and attuned
\narrangement. “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” is hated even by the
\nfans but, remixed for this collection, it puts some much-needed
\ndrama into the mix.<\/p>\n

“Live To Tell” still drags, “Forbidden Love” is still
\nforgettable, and to be honest, the only thing I like about “Take a
\nBow” is the intro. It’s still worth getting Bedtime Stories after
\nthis because “Survival,” “Secret,” “Love Tried to Welcome Me,” etc.
\nare on that album.<\/p>\n

Ten years down the road and the album hasn’t changed
\nmuch; the cover still looks like a page out of today’s
\nVogue<\/i>, the songs are still radio-ready, and frankly this
\nalbum is more relevant now than American Life<\/i> is. But that’s
\njust the world catching up to Madonna. I was going to end this
\nreview with a suggestion that she release another album of ballads
\nsoon, but then I realized she’s not one to go back. And I’ll
\nprobably review American Life<\/i> in ten years’ time and sing a
\ncompletely different song.<\/p>\n

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