Madonna - Girl Gone Wild - My Review

There was a lot of criticism over Madonnas first single from MDNA "Gimme All Your Luv", I was very critical because I felt it wasnt really original enough for someone of Madonnas caliber. When I go back and listen to the progression of Madonna from the 80s and beyond one thing she never did was play it safe, she was very much like Rihanna is now, fearless and avant garde. Over the last decade she has had hits and misses with her music, some of them critically acclaimed, some fan acclaimed, others dismissed by both, some praised by everyone. I was a huge fan of "Confessions" and was on the fence with "Hard Candy".. I hated "American Life" just want to forget that altogether LOL. I do however feel that this second single from MDNA is very strong and actually shows a bit more of her pushing into a direction that is not as safe but very familiar.

The second single, "Girl Gone Wild" was produced by Benny Benassi and I think this shows the true difference in the level of EDM quality when it comes to artist pairing. I really felt that Martin Solveig was the wrong producer for Madonna. His music to me is campy and fun but predictable, almost too easily recognizable. It almost felt as if Madonna was the guest artist on one of his songs instead of vice versa, that stirred my lack of interest in that track, I didnt need a "Hello" part 2 vs "Hollaback Girl". However "Girl Gone Wild" is a true blend of artist and producer, although you can clearly hear Benny's influence Madonna and her influence and energy come through on this track full force. Its a fun, dance/pop record with heavy electro elements that I think work well with todays crossover market. This is very similar to the work with Calvin Harris and Rihanna, where the producer and the artist blend and combine to push out some of their best work as a collaboration and celebration of the individual instead of fighting against each other.

Take a listen and see what you think, I will start putting this record into rotation in the coming weeks and testing some remixes, bootlegs, mashups and maybe one of my own versions. Catch you on the dancefloor!





-dj Airrick
-voted by DJ in Hampton Roads 2011-12
-follow him on his official twitter @djairrick