I have to admit that I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Madonna's latest album, Hard Candy, but after downloading it on Tuesday, boy was I disappointed. The reviews have been almost across-the-board positive — or at least thoughtful, referencing Madonna's influence and stature in the pop culture world — but I found myself fast-forwarding through repetitive choruses ("get stupid get stupid get stupid" — argh! — on "Give It 2 Me") and, frankly, not quite getting the album.

Perhaps, as the Houston Chronicle noted: "As a sit-down listen (in the car, through headphones or via a computer), Hard Candy doesn't have the same immediate spark or insightful lyrics as 2005's gorgeous Confessions on a Dance Floor. ... Under the disco ball, however, Hard Candy proves a sparkling after-hours soundtrack."

Maybe my problem is that I've been listening to it while at the office rather than out at a club. If that's the case, it's gonna be a long time before I "get" this album, since my club-going days have dwindled down to, oh, a couple of times a year. I suspect that most of Madonna's die-hard fans also long ago stopped loving the night life (Madonna, after all, is turning 50 this year), and I'm not sure if those longtime fans will get this album, either.

I do like a few songs on the album, including "Dance 2night," which is way more of a disco track than a hip-hop one, and "Miles Away," a melancholy song that sounds like it belongs on Confessions on a Dance Floor. … continue reading

I was flipping through the new issue of Entertainment Weekly over the weekend when I was suddenly startled and alert. I went back, reread, recounted and realized that EW had published a "10 best" music list that featured more women than men! Of "The 10 Most Exciting Artists Now" (or "... Right Now" in the online edition), four are female solo artists, two are bands fronted by women and one has a woman in a prominent, albeit not central, role. The times, they are a-changing.

Now, I don't have anything against male recording artists. My CD collection is full of them. I'm going to buy the new Springsteen album the day it's released. And I like exciting new artist No. 5, Josh Ritter. But I get tired of music lists that overwhelmingly recognize the boys, so I'm going to be excited by this list and highlight the many women featured.

Let's take a look at them. (And by the way, you can listen to the full-length sample tracks by clicking the link to each song and using the player at the bottom of the EW.com page.) I'm preserving EW's numbering below.

1. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

I love a band that hyphenates.

I had never heard of Sharon Jones (with or without the Dap-Kings), but I listened to the track "It Hurts to Be Alone" and thoroughly enjoyed the classic Motown sound. And from what I read about them, Jones is a woman to be reckoned with. She's 51, grew up in the segregated south and worked as a prison guard at Riker's Island. … continue reading