Reviews: "Hard Candy" Confirms Madonna's Flair for Music... And Business

Madonna takes music stores worldwide by storm in the next few days with a new hip hop-influenced album "Hard Candy", her last on the Warner label before taking up her astronomical contract with US concert promoter Live Nation. The record hits shelves in Europe on Friday, the artist's native United States on April 29, and the rest of the world on April 28. Announcing "Hard Candy", Madonna described the title as "a juxtaposition of tough and sweetness." The oxymoron sums up her undeniable artistic flair on the sweet side and hard-nosed businesswoman's acumen on the other.

In her 11th studio album, Madonna, who turns 50 on August 16, shows both she can adapt to the times and get the right people on board. After using Britain's Stuart Price for her last album, neo-disco "Confessions on a dance floor", this time round former N-Sync singer Justin Timberlake, as well as hip hop stars Timbaland and Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes, wrote and produced the 12 tracks. All three are tops in hip hop and R'n'B urban music, and as producers Timbaland and Pharrell Williams have made one of the best sounds yet over the last few years.

The Material Girl's last album offers little surprises. Though the lyrics are run-of-the-mill, the tracks work due to remarkably good production and a contemporary feel marked by a Timbaland/Neptunes sound. Her single "4 Minutes" this week set a record by topping the British singles charts as her 13th number one single -- the most by any female solo artist. The next closest female solo artist is Kylie Minogue, who has seven.

Warner hopes "Hard Candy" will do as well as the 2005 "Confessions" which sold 8.5 million worldwide. To help the launch, Madonna is giving three private concerts, in New York on April 30, Paris on May 6 and London on May 11. Her next studio records will be with Live Nation after a ground-breaking 120-million-dollar (78-million-euro) deal with the concert promoter to handle all her artistic output over 10 years. The deal, the first of its kind involving a major artist, is expected to see the 49-year-old pop culture icon cement her status as the world's highest paid female singer, giving her a lucrative mix of cash and stock.

In return, Live Nation will be granted the rights to studio albums as well as the right to promote concert tours, sell merchandise and license Madonna's name. Traditional record labels are keen to sign stars on similar deals as the music industry adjusts to the new realities of the digital download revolution, which has caused plunging CD sales.

Increasingly, music industry players are seeking to secure wide-ranging deals that allow them to tap into multiple revenue streams, such as endorsements, concert ticketing and merchandising.
"The paradigm in the music business has shifted and as an artist and a business woman, I have to move with that shift," Madonna said last October when the deal ws announced. "For the first time in my career, the way that my music can reach my fans is unlimited. I've never wanted to think in a limited way and with this new partnership, the possibilities are endless."

Source: AFP