CONFESSIONS II: Afterhours Edition

When it comes to setting the record straight there are few more qualified to do so than Madonna, a lifelong dancer whose symbiotic relationship with underground club culture pre-dates her 40-plus-year reign as the Queen of Pop. Co-produced alongside Stuart Price—the mastermind behind 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor, to which this album serves as a spiritual successor—and featuring contributions from hitmakers including Cirkut, Tainy and frequent collaborator Mirwais, CONFESSIONS II carves out, according to that interlude, “a ritualistic space where movement replaces language”. Ever an advocate for the belief (to borrow a phrase) that music makes the people come together, CONFESSIONS II makes unity more of a priority for Madonna than ever before. “No one wants to go outside,” she sings on “Everything”, disrupting the pulse of shape-shifting beats with a confused shout: “It’s not OK/I don’t fuck with it!” And yet, outside is where the party’s at—as she makes clear on “Danceteria”. Over bright disco beats evocative of her 1982 debut “Everybody”, Madonna narrates the events of a night out at the titular NYC club where her journey to superstardom began. Outside is the place to be both seen (with Debi Mazar, with Basquiat, with Nile Rodgers) and simultaneously to be rendered invisible: liberated from your own personal hang-ups, just another body in the crowd. “That’s why I like to go dancing…” she confides on the airy, untethered lead single “I Feel So Free”, whispering the words “safety in numbers” like a secret incantation meant to be heard and understood by those most in need of its protection. It’s music as religion, choreography as communion, DJ made deity. And “it’s good for the soul”, as she reminds us, two tracks deep into the album’s continuous 64-minute mix. “To let down your hair and breathe in the air.” With her point more than proven, the back half of the record leaves room to explore everything else on Madonna’s mind. Anthemic Martin Garrix collabo