Hard Candy (2008)

Hard Candy (2008)

After hearing Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds, Madonna became interested in working with Timbaland. With him on board, she and Pharrell Williams co-wrote Hard Candy based on some of Pharrell’s earlier demos. The album is catchy and bouncy like any good Pharrell album should be, but Madonna’s influence feels minimized. It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, with Timbaland, Pharrell, and Justin Timberlake all involved in its production, the album was intended to be a departure from the “futuristic folk” sound that Mirwais Ahmadzaï had created. Each track is a solid dance anthem, but despite all the music royalty involved, it lacks the experimental sampling and wandering that Madonna had infused throughout her career. Songs like “Candy Shop,” are perfectly penned and produced to deliver a dance hit, but fall flat simply because they play it too safe.

The album feels like everyone is giving it half of their energy. The stronger vocals that Madonna had developed since Evita were no longer evident, nor were any of the sexual, religious, or even political themes she had become known to explore. Hard Candy was too simple, and delivered a safe amount of success without any game changers.