Tyga, Goddamn (2019) Review
Madonna, Batuque (2019) Review
Published on August 25, 2019
Release date
July 19, 2019
Distributor
Interscope
Format
Digital Download
Madonna is back with another slice of auto-tuned pop, but this time celebrates Batuque, a style of music and dance from Cape Verde.
Madonna’s latest foray into the digital music pool is a stripped back ballad that celebrates Batuque, a style of music and dance from Cape Verde and features the vocals of the Portuguese all-women group Orquestra Batukadeiras.
The track “Batuka”, taken from “Madame X”, is reminiscent of Madonna’s “Ray of Light” era and flows with raw undertones that are barely tapped into by the songstress, who ditched her bohemian themes for a preferred urban, dance floor flagship that relied on overly apparent auto-tune and uninspired lyrical content.
""Batuka" still sounds organic while not entirely un-radio friendly, propelling itself into a soulful paradox with gentle drums that circle the singer’s fading vocal range that is front and centre."
“Batuka” is a pleasant departure from Madonna of yesteryear and a solid return to some of her better world-influenced content that is by far a better Madonna fit, but is still less arousing when compared to “Nothing Fails”. While not as memorable as the former, “Batuka” still sounds organic while not entirely un-radio friendly, propelling itself
into a soulful paradox gentle drums that circle the singer’s fading vocal range that is front and centre. The synths soon come into play and breach the decadence, reminding the listener that the experience is indeed manufactured and still very much the product of a pop star.
Madonna seems more comfortable here. It’s an original formula with some provocative vocals from the Orquestra Batukadeira. The joint collective is foreboding but Madonna’s powerful presence feels more of a call-and-response not helped by the use of auto-tune.
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