a clash of the ages.

so as a gay i’ve been listening to both madonna’s ‘hard candy’ album and cyndi lauper’s ‘bring ya to the brink’ and i feel the need to compare the two.

first up: hard candy.

so to start the cover sucks. madonna looks about 90 and airbrushed to within an inch of her life. definitely not her best. the producers she chose for this album also seem a bit passe. like timbaland is last year’s news madge; aren’t you supposed to find little-known, up-and-coming producers and exploit them for your own gain? seriously, timba’s like the village bike, everyone’s had a ride and a number 1. madonna should always define the now, and this feels like 5 minutes ago, not a good start. overall, the music’s pretty good except the insufferable ‘incredible’ (which is like ‘hey you pt. 2′). the best track on the album is ’she’s not me’ which is an absolute stormer. there is definitely something immediate about a great madonna song that i love. other standouts are ‘the beat goes on’ and ‘heartbeat.’ ‘hard candy’ is pretty good, it’s just not as exciting as ‘confessions on a dancefloor’ or even ‘american life’ which at least took some artistic risks.

the challenger: bring ya to the brink

the title may be a bit shit but the album cover is head and shoulders above what madonna’s got on display. it’s arty and gay without putting off too many straight people: perfection. as for production duties cyndi drafted in only the hippest of electro and pop producers to give the album a very ‘now’ feel, which obviously means synths-a-kimbo. we’re talking the likes of basement jaxx, kleerup and the fantastic dragonette: a truly stellar line-up that doesn’t disappoint. ‘bring ya to the brink’ is a total revelation: every track is stellar with lead single ‘into the night life’ being the most immediate and infectious. my current favourite track is the quirky ‘rocking chair’ but other high-points include the dragonette produced ‘grab a hold’ and the slower-paced ‘rain on me.’ the album as a whole is eclectic without being confused and it brings cyndi back into the spotlight with a bang.

conclusion:
cyndi kicks madonna’s ass. the cover’s better, the producers are better, the music’s better, the music’s more current and more gay. the cynic in me suggests that perhaps cyndi just made an album for the gays while madonna was trying to re-capture her straight american audience. the bitch in me suggests that cyndi was right and madonna wrong. either way for best album from a gay icon of 2008, my vote goes to cyndi.