Madonna's Life blends introspection with anti-consumerism

With her 10th studio album, American Life, Madonna proves why she is the Queen of Pop. American Life shows Madonna's growth as a singer/songwriter and an artist who continues to influence popular culture. As the title hints, the album takes a deeper look into the consumerism and superficiality of American culture. More importantly, Madonna proves that pop music can have substance and meaning, yet still be entertaining.

American Life, released April 22, has a very mellow feel which complements the tone of the issues she sings about. In fact, the title track and "Die Another Day," the theme song of a James Bond movie, are the only up-tempo songs. These songs carry a contemporary pop vibe that is supplied by heavy synthesizers. American Life offers a fusion of techno and rock, a sound heavily influenced by the album's co-producer and co-writer Mirwais Ahmadzai, who also produced her last album, Music. Most of the music is filled with many acoustic and electric guitars, which give each song a rock or folk feel.

Overall, Madonna continues to base the album's music on the techno sound that has been her new style since the Ray of Light album in 1998. American Life, like her past two albums, is definitely a deviation from her Like a Virgin days. So if you're looking for a Britney or Christina type feel, definitely do not look here. American Life is a very sophisticated album and also incorporates many different styles of music -- even rapping. Madonna... rapping? Yes, it might take listeners by surprise or seem weird at first, but she's clearly not trying to be the next Jay Z or Nas. It shows that Madonna is a creative artist who is not afraid to experiment with different styles, as she has done in past albums.

American Life offers a very personal side of Madonna. The album covers many topics: love, anger, joy, sorrow. All of these emotions that Madonna expresses contribute to the album's great lyrical content. In "Mother & Father," she discusses her understanding of the death of her mother when she was a child, her understanding of it as an adult and the need to find love. Madonna does a lot of reflection and introspection by talking about her journeys and experiences through her life and career. In "Nothing Fails," she professes "You could take all this, take it away/ I'd still have it all/ "Cause I've climbed the tree of life/ And that is why, no longer scared if I fall."

Another major theme on American Life is Madonna exploring her religious views. Many of the songs express religious sentiments. It seems as if she has not arrived at a decision as to what exactly she believes. In "American Life," she says, "I'm not a Christian and I'm not a Jew." In "Nothing Fails," Madonna is backed by a gospel choir singing, "I'm not religious, but I feel such love/ Makes me want to pray."

Perhaps the biggest issue Madonna tackles on this album is America's addiction to consumerism. The album shows her discontent with America's fixation on appearances. In the song "Hollywood," she describes the hypocrisy and meaninglessness of the historical California town. This song is followed by "I'm So Stupid," in which she admits how she used to give into the Hollywood image. She sings, "Please don't try to tempt me/ It was just greed/ And it won't protect me." The title track, "American Life," expresses her outright defiance for American values regarding consumerism. This superficiality was also the concept behind the original video for "American Life," which featured Madonna at a fashion show with overweight models. The anti-war video also featured her throwing a grenade at President Bush, which he later uses to light a cigar. The video was filmed before the war in Iraq began, but Madonna pulled it out of respect for the troops.

Although American Life is not one of Madonna's best albums, it still offers great music that has a message.