Bedtime Stories

Performer: Madonna
Artist: Me'Shell NdegeOcello; Babyface; Donna De Lory
Engineer: Darin Prindle; Mark "Spike" Stent; Michael Fossenkemper; Alvin Speights; Brad Gilderman
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Madonna (vocals); Tommy Martin (guitar); Colin Wolfe (bass); Marius DeVries (programming); Niki Harris (background vocals); Dallas Austin, Rick Sheppard. Producers: Nellee Hooper, Madonna, Dallas Austin, Dave "Jam" Hall, Babyface. Personnel: Madonna (vocals); Tommy Martin (guitar); Dallas Austin (keyboards, drums); Babyface (synthesizer); Donna De Lory, Nikki Harris (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Jon Gass. Recording information: Axis Studios, New York, NY; Chappell Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Darp Studios, Atlanta, GA; Enterprise studios, Burbank, CA; Hit Factory Studios, New York, NY; Music Grinder Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Soundworks Studios, New York, NY; Tea Room, Atlanta, GA; Wild Bunch Studios, London, England. Unknown Contributor Role: Babyface. For Madonna, pop music is the canvas of her greatest aspiration. While some critics might be ready to write her off, BEDTIME STORIES reasserts Madonna's claim to the R&B/dance floor turf she ceded to others as her own productions became elaborately self-conscious. And where performers like R. Kelly filled the breach with risque, sexually explicit fare, BEDTIME STORIES marks Madonna's return to a more stylized, elegant form of R&B. Not that Madonna has gotten herself to a nunnery, as the soft-focus ooohing and aaahing of "Inside Of Me" demonstrates, but the overall approach on BEDTIME STORIES is less carnal, more romantic (like the difference between the Supremes and Salt N' Pepa). But in collaborating with innovative producers such as Babyface and Dallas Austin, Madonna has again positioned herself on the cutting edge of modern R&B (compare the layered, collage-like production of "I'd Rather Be Your Lover" and "Human Nature" to Dallas Austin's innovative collaborations with Joi on THE PENDULUM VIBE, or, for that matter, with the eerie "Bad Baby" from P.I.L.'s METAL BOX). The spooky "Sanctuary" samples Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" to create an African backdrop for Madonna's tale of earthy devotion, while the Icelandic diva Bjork's elliptical "Bedtime Stories" propels Madonna way beyond the limits of language on this crafty, near Eastern textured arrangement. The Oriental-flavored R&B of "Take A Bow" provides a confessional epilogue for this delicately-mannered program.

Rolling Stone (12/15/94, pp.93-94) - 3.5 Stars (out of 5) - "...Madonna has come up with some awfully compelling sounds....lush soul and creamy balladry....Bass-heavy grooves pushing along when more conventional sentiments threaten to bog it down..." Musician (12/94, pp.91-92) - "...BEDTIME STORIES is closer to her first three albums, putting a heavier emphasis on pop and dance content than on straight-up soul....BEDTIME STORIES doesn't raise hackles or cultivate controversy....It simply concentrates on the music..." Village Voice (2/28/95) - Ranked #26 in the Village Voice's 1994 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll. New York Times (Publisher) (1/5/95, p.C15) - Included on Stephen Holden's list of the Top 10 Albums Of '94 - "...Easily Madonna's best album..." NME (Magazine) (12/24/94, p.23) - Ranked #30 in NME's list of the `Top 50 Albums Of 1994.' NME (Magazine) (10/29/94, p.47) - 9 (out of 10) - "...Initially sweet and polished, BEDTIME STORIES is ultimately her most lasting LP to date..."

Madonna is arguably the most popular female pop singer in American musical history. Although she began her career in the late 1970s as a dancer and as drummer for new wave group the Breakfast Club, Madonna has touched upon many different styles throughout her trend-setting career, and has acted in numerous movies as well. Although her image has shifted to include looks as disparate as raunchy temptress and New Age mother, the Material Girl has always maintained a fierce business sense and a remarkable knack for controversy. Few other artists--male or female--have had the phenomenal mass adulation or the staying power of this pop culture icon.

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