{"id":39653,"date":"2006-02-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-02-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/ray-of-light-3\/"},"modified":"2006-02-20T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-02-20T00:00:00","slug":"ray-of-light-3","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/ray-of-light-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Ray Of Light"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

There comes a point of realization in certain
\npeople’s lives, when the being is simplified to a whit, and the
\nvisceral things that seemed to matter so much cease to do so; least
\nof all the pleasures and vices that make living so attractive. This
\nmoment of clarity came into the life of Madonna, a heroine of the
\npop culture, when she gave birth to her daughter Lourdes in 1996. A
\ncouple of years later, she released Ray Of Light<\/i>, an album
\nof sincere confessions of her realization and of her new discovery
\nof life through the eyes of a mother, and not a pop-icon.<\/p>\n

Ray Of Light<\/i> is Madonna’s most down-to-earth
\neffort to date. This pop-diva’s newfound humbleness, mixed with the
\ngratitude and love for her daughter, sets a flagrantly redemptive
\ntone to this album.<\/p>\n

On the opening track “Drowned World\/Substitute For
\nLove,” as an ode to the birth of her daughter and her own rebirth,
\nshe sings “I traded fame for love \/ Without a second thought \/ It
\nall became a silly game \/ Some things cannot be bought” in the
\nsoftest and most genuine tone. On “Swim,” the following cut, this
\nqueen of pop sings, “I can’t carry these sins on my back \/ Don’t
\nwanna carry anymore \/ I’m gonna carry this train off the track \/
\nI’m gonna swim to the ocean floor,” as she seeks an escape from her
\nlife of glamour that she has been so far leading.<\/p>\n

Possibly the most obvious proof Madonna’s new outlook
\ninto life is the spiritual “Shanti\/Ashtangi,” which is sung in the
\nancient Indian language of Sanskrit. Madonna’s attraction for the
\nunworldly shows in the traditional Indian devotional lyrics of this
\nsong, which even though composed in a foreign language, is sung
\neffortlessly, and in fact quite beautifully.<\/p>\n

It seems that everything fell in the right place with
\nMadonna on Ray Of Light<\/i>. This is especially true with the
\nchoice of William Orbit at the production helm. Set in 90’s Euro
\ndance-music style, the album is decked up in classy ambiences,
\ncutting edge beats, and sparse kisses of guitar chords — like the
\nintro on the title track that is as good a kicker as a perfect cup
\nof morning coffee — just to give the extra added magic touch.<\/p>\n

Unlike Bedtime Stories<\/i> (Ray Of Light<\/i>‘s
\npredecessor), which had different sounds (thanks to the presence of
\na fleet of producers, coming from diverse musical backgrounds),
\nRay Of Light<\/i> is consistent in its mood; it is Madonna’s
\nconcept-album of absolution, through and through. Orbit’s masterful
\nproduction turns this album of effusive expression of motherly
\naffection and of sappy confessions of enlightenment into an
\ninspiring work of pure musical genius.<\/p>\n

Madonna’s albums have always been scandalous; driven
\nby naughtiness, angst, and mischievousness. It is ironic that in
\nher catalog of great albums the best one had to be the one that’s
\nuncharacteristically non-indulgent, moral, and pious. Redemption is
\na strange, strange thing.<\/p>\n

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