Madonna (album) - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

Bill Lamb from About.com commented that "Madonna's album is state of the art dance-pop loaded with hits from 'Holiday' and 'Lucky Star' to 'Borderline'. Irresistible pop hooks glide across shimmering synth beats to make this a landmark album of the early 80's." Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic commented that " eponymous debut isn't simply good, it set the standard for dance-pop for the next 20 years. Why did it do so? Madonna's singing isn't particularly strong; the songs, while hooky and memorable, couldn't necessarily hold up on their own without the production — but taken together, it's utterly irresistible." Tony Power from Blender said that the album consisted of "quacking synths, overperky bass and state-of-the-art mechanical disco, with Madonna strapped to the wing rather than holding the controls. It's a breathless, subtlety-free debut, with overtones of Soft Cell and Tom Tom Club." While reviewing the remastered version of the album, released in 2001, Michael Paoletta from Billboard felt that "Nearly 20 years after the release of Madonna, such tracks as 'Holiday', 'Physical Attraction', 'Borderline' and 'Lucky Star' remains irresistible."

Jim Farber from Entertainment Weekly gave the album an A, saying " might have wound up just another post-disco dolly if didn't announce her ability to fuse club beats with peerless pop." In July 2008, the magazine ranked the album at number 5 in their list of "Top 100 Best Albums of Past 25 Years.". Jonathan Ross from Q said that "'Borderline' is sweet and 'Holiday' still fizzes with invention and joie de vivre....this quintessentially '80s dance hit also features a barrelhouse piano solo." Robert Christgau gave the album an A- and said, "In case you bought the con, disco never died — just reverted to the crazies who thought it was worth living for. This shamelessly ersatz blonde is one of them, and with the craftily orchestrated help of a fine selection of producers, remixers, and DJs, she's come up with a shamelessly ersatz sound that's tighter than her tummy — essence of electro, the D in DOR." Don Shewey from Rolling Stone was of the opinion that "without overstepping the modest ambitions of minimal funk, Madonna issues an irresistible invitation to the dance." The magazine ranked the album at number 50 on list of "The 100 Best Albums of the Eighties". Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine commented" "Heralding the synth-heavy movement was a debut album that sounds just as fresh today as it did almost two decades ago." In 2012, the magazine listed the album at #33 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s".