Madonna’s retro reverie and 5 more new songs you should hear6 songs, 21 min 55 sec
Dear listeners,I confess that I did not have particularly high hopes for the new Madonna album. With a few exceptions, the material on Madge’s last few releases mostly has been a cornucopia of cringe, leaning too much on empty provocation and trend-hopping collaborations with the hitmakers of the moment (the phrase “featuring Chance the Rapper and Mike Tyson,” which appeared in the credits of her 2015 album “Rebel Heart,” tells you just about all you need to know). So I am delightfully surprised to report that Madonna’s new album, “Confessions II” — the sequel to her last great album, “Confessions on a Dance Floor” — is actually quite good. Structured as a kind of continuous mix, “Confessions II” is a welcoming invitation to get into the groove and stay there for its entire hourlong run-time, which serves up euphoria, camp and just the right amount of nostalgia. Yes, I did say “nostalgia”: The queen of pop reinvention is, for once, looking back, recreating the sound, spirit and settings of the underground New York clubs where she got her start in the late 1970s and early 1980s. But somewhat paradoxically, staring her past in the eyes makes her sound fresher and more alive than she has in at least 15 years. One of my favorite “Confessions II” tracks kicks off this quick mix of notable songs released in the last week or two, which also features some atmospheric indie rock from the young British upstarts Mary in the Junkyard, fleet-fingered shredding from the bluegrass wizard Billy Strings, and lighter-than-air alt-pop courtesy of Empress Of. In just 22 minutes — roughly the time between World Cup hydration breaks — you’ll be caught up on new music. Get on the elevator, I run into Debi Mazar, Lindsay
Listen along while you read.1. Madonna: “Danceteria”Call it “Vogue 2026,” or perhaps “Vogue 1982.” Proudly quoting the whisper-cool delivery of one of her biggest smashes and vamping across a track that shape-shifts like an especially kinetic D.J. set, Madonna vividly recreates what it must have felt like to strut through the doors of the legendary Midtown nightclub Danceteria, where she hobnobbed with all the iconic scenesters she name drops here: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Debi Mazar, Nile Rodgers and Keith Haring, among others. It’s a New York history lesson disguised as a dance-floor anthem — and the freest I’ve heard Madonna sound in years. ▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
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The Amplifier Playlist
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“Madonna’s Retro Reverie and 5 More New Songs You Should Hear” track list
Track 1: Madonna, “Danceteria”
Track 2: Mary in the Junkyard, “Blood”
Track 3: Ciara, “Yes”
Track 4: Billy Strings, “Burn the Other End”
Track 5: Smirk, “Cheap Greed”
Track 6: Empress Of, “Wild Storm”
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