Artist: Madonna
Title: Confessions on a Dance Floor
Label: Warner Brothers

It is hard to imagine that it has been eight long years since Madonna returned with Ray of Light. That William Orbit infused piece has long been cited by fans as one of her best ever. In addition, it heralded the gargantuan comeback that has kept her in the public eye. As if possessed, she has ever since kept the momentum by releasing a record every two years, not to mention touring, releasing documentaries and live concert DVDs, writing children’s books and promulgating the Kabbalah to where most would be exhausted by this point. Her new record is not the husk of an attempt to keep the fires blazing: it is an artistic triumph.

Confessions on a Dance Floor is the tourniquet to the bloody, American Life whose sound was strikingly bare compared to her past work. Confessions, however, deserves to have its place next to Ray of Light for its consistency and resilience. Previously toying with the stripped-down sound which, had it worked, would have been her first rock n’ roll record, alas, despite the censored anti-war title track video and the heavily lauded and applauded faux-lesbo live triptych with Britney and Christina, American Life did nothing but create a musical stalemate.

The new record is a phoenix rising from the flames of the smoldering ashes that American Life left behind. Confessions has been labeled as a "dance" record, yet there is more to it than flashy hooks. This is not the mere return to her roots effort that most have proclaimed, Confessions is a striking affair with fast tempos, beautifully programmed and executed. It’s greatest triumph is the consistency of the songs which are impeccably sequenced together. Even the childish lyrics of "New York" (it’s great to know little Rocco helped mommy compose such visceral lines as: "Most Cities make me feel like a dork…") are overpowered by the propulsive rhythms exuded therein.

As opposed to reclaiming her 80’s crown, she pays tribute to those who came before her in pop. From the blatant usage of Abba’s, "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" on "Hung Up" to the Donna Summer, "I Feel Love" synthesizer riff on "Future Lovers" these elements are present on Confessions yet you know this is a Madonna record because her phrasing, melodies and unmistakable verve are strewn across each track.

The closest she gets to revamping any of her former sounds is on, "Let It Will Be" where the staccato string motif mimics the accompaniment from "Papa Don’t Preach."

Madonna dispenses equal amounts of cheese and wisdom on Confessions that balances on the thin line between pretension and pop sensibilities. If ever her words cloy or cave under their own zealous weight the listener is emancipated with the enticing production and beats that are provided. She offers worldly wisdom that sounds playful yet not presumptuously stern, "Life is a paradox and it doesn’t make much sense, you can’t have the femme without the fatale, please don’t take offense" as she does with "Like It or Not."

Overall, the underlying theme of the record is the vindication of soul taking flight and the search for personal happiness. There is restlessness and passion in the lyrics and music of songs like, "How High," "Let It Be," "Jump," and "Issac" that lift the record out of the trappings of dance music and transform it into something far more enjoyable and interesting than one would imagine. One can hope that she can sustain this musical joie de vivre for years to come.