Author: Michael
Madonna – True Blue (1986)
The third Madonna album released in June 1986 cemented her as an 80s superstar, right up there with Prince and Michael Jackson. True Blue contained 5 hit singles and went to number one across the world. A staggering achievement for the still 27-year-old who was fresh into a marriage to actor Sean Penn. Even with all the tabloid headlines and endless distractions, the determined popstar co-wrote and produced every track on the album along with Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard.
True Blue opens with the unmistakable string arrangement of “Papa Don’t Preach”. The controversial song about a woman opening up to her dad and deciding what she wants to do with an unplanned pregnancy regardless of what others think. The tumbling drums of “Open Your Heart” open up the infectious dance pop track. Ballad “Live to Tell” from the Sean Penn movie At Close Range was the album’s opening single and went to #1 in several countries. A touching vocal performance is most effective in the bridge when the music fades and Madonna’s voice comes back in.
The title track is an upbeat 50sish pop track is a lighthearted romp that sees Madonna happily sing, “I searched the whole world for someone like you”. The #3 US single was sadly left off the Immaculate Collection hits collection released a few years later. Final single, “La Isla Bonita” started as an instrumental for Michael Jackson that was turned down before Madonna turned it into a Latin flavoured, slightly melancholic track that recalls time spent on the tropical paradise of San Pedro.
What makes True Blue a step up from Like a Virgin is the quality of its album tracks. Songs like “Where’s the Party” and “Jimmy Jimmy” are not such a drastic departure from the more famous singles. These songs are as good as pop music gets in the 1980s and continued Madonna’s successful run of singles.
9.5/10
…these foolish dreams…
Suede – Autofiction (2022)
In the 1990s, Suede brought much glamour to the Britpop scene. The band eschewed the lad culture of some of their contemporaries and often times made sweeping grand gestures. After 2002’s A New Morning, the band went on hiatus before releasing Bloodsports 11 years later. Since then, Suede Mach II has released three further albums including the latest Autofiction which by singer Brett Anderson’s accounts, is the band’s punk rock album.
The album starts with single, “She Still Leads Me On” and a scratchy guitar riff courtesy of Richard Oakes. Anderson manages to make a song about his mother anthemic with the line, “But I loved her with my last breath…” “15 Again” blisters like a much younger band. A couple of songs adopt a talk/singing style such as “Personality Disorder” and “Shadow Self”. Bass and drums powers “Black Ice” that is a bit more ramshackle than the band typically sounds as Anderson sings, “we’re on the black ice with no headlights”.
In typical Suede fashion, the word “petrol” appears a few times in the lyrics, but Anderson often paints beautiful images such as the “brief pale light on the bedroom walls” on “Personality Disorder”. A couple of songs such as “It’s Always the Quiet Ones” gets darker and takes on a bit of a goth feel but still bangs out a skyward reaching chorus. Produced by longtime associate Ed Buller, Autofiction is another fine addition to the Suede catalogue on an album that rocks harder than most other 30-year-old bands can muster.
8/10
The Light Appears 