Madonna Takes Us To Medellín
Our first taste of her upcoming album ‘Madame X’, ‘Medellín’ sees Madonna teaming up with Colombian artist Maluma for a pretty understated return to the pop scene. Whilst ‘Living for Love’, her last lead single, boasted dramatic gospel tinges and later single ‘Bitch I’m Madonna’ was campy fun but a little too try-hard, ‘Medellín’ feels less of an obvious choice for single and it’s all the stronger for it. Madonna is at her best when unpredictable and forging her way through new styles and sounds – whilst we’ve seen this side of her scattered throughout recent releases, it’s not been front and centre like this since her iconic Confessions era.
More of an earworm than an instant bop, it touches on current trends without sounding like Madonna is desperately chasing another reinvention. It certainly doesn’t suggest that ‘Madame X’ will be a re-tread of ‘Rebel Heart’ but rather an album that logically sits beside it – still relevant, still artistically liberated and still completely unbothered as to whether or not you think she’s too old. Long live the Queen.