This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Lady Gaga and Caribbean sensations such as Rihanna and Nicki Minaj have threatened to make Madonna irrelevant now that the Material Girl approaches her 54th birthday. But Madge, in a welcome surprise, still has some tricks left and lessons to impart now that he has reached the September of her life on her new album "MDNA." You can be forgiven if you don't remember Madonna's performance of "Give Me All Your Luvin" at the Super Bowl, because that single is one of the least catchy tracks on an otherwise cohesive album that will satisfy those who want disco-influenced fluff for the dance floor — as well as those who would prefer a window into her confessional. The singer, the co-writer of all 12 tracks, uses her divorce from director Guy Ritchie as fodder for songs that arguably are the most personal she has ever penned. But, frankly, all would be bollocks if these weren't songs that made your hips swerve, so the phalanx of European producers that includes Benny Benassi, William Orbit (who helmed Madonna's career-best 1998 album "Ray of Light") and Martin Solveig ensure that she is not just modern but forward-thinking, as well as the Madonna who entranced us in the 1980s and 1990s. "MDNA" is the best Madonna album since 2000's "Music," and with Minaj guesting on two tracks, it is the rare case when Minaj is overshadowed by her elder, still in top vocal form.
Grade: B+