Track Listing

1. Drowned World/Substitute For Love
2. Swim
3. Ray Of Light
4. Candy Perfume Girl
5. Skin
6. Nothing Really Matters
7. Sky Fits Heaven
8. Shanti/Ashtangi
9. Frozen
10. The Power Of Good-Bye
11. To Have And Not To Hold
12. Little Star
13. Mer Girl

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2935 in Music
• Published on: 1998
• Released on: 1998-03-03
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Vinyl edition of her 1998 & latest smash album --unavailableon this format in the U.S. Features the hit 'Frozen' & thetitle track. Black wax. The sleeves include full lyrics. AMaverick/ Warner Brothers release.

Amazon.com essential recording
Never underestimate Madonna's power of persuasion: By nearly all critical accounts, Ray of Light, Madonna's first album of new material since 1994's Bedtime Stories, and her first since motherhood, is her richest, most accomplished record yet. While Ray of Light is being tagged as Madonna's big leap into electronica, it's important to note two things: First, her music has always had close ties to dance culture, and, second, her collaborator William Orbit is no Chemical Brother. Though it has all the latest blips, bleeps, and crackles electronica has to offer, Ray of Light is still largely an adult album, completely within Madonna's realm. Still, Orbit's tasteful sonic constructions provide Madonna with her most adventurous, hippest musical backdrop ever. What's more, the arrangements and production are understated enough to highlight an even bigger development: Fresh from singing lessons on the Evita set, Madonna's vocal range, depth, and clarity have never been stronger. But larger pipes don't necessarily make for deeper, truer music. Never a master lyricist, Madonna's words have worked best when they've practically been slogans ("Vogue," "Express Yourself"). This time she goes for more emotional depth, and even tries her hand at ethno-techno-mysticism ("Shanti/Ashtangi"). She largely stumbles, however. The tone conveyed on songs like "Nothing Really Matters" is a self-centered pat on the back that belies her claim to a newfound altruism. It's enough to make you wonder, now that Madonna's given up being our material girl, if maybe she's set her sights on becoming the center of our spiritual world too. --Roni Sarig

People
[ Ray of Light ] delivers 67 minutes of complex, challenging and ultimately entrancing music without so much as breathing heavily.... [Madonna] sings here in a voice grown deeper and fuller about the emptiness of fame and pleasure ... and the rewards of mystic pursuits.... [S]he peppers her songs with apocalyptic visions of death and rebirth, sin, salvation and transcendence....

Customer Reviews

Ray of Light keeps on shining
Forever a fan. I still have the "Ray of Light" cassette tape I bought in 98', along with the ROL CD and of course a few single remixes from this album. Timeless and classic. Every single song on this CD stands out on its own merit and artistic value. Each song blends and molds perfectly for what I consider to be her greatest masterpiece so far.

For ten years now I have been listening to this CD and not once have I got bored or tired of it. Each play is like hearing it for the first time and falling in love with it all over again. The videos that accompanied the songs from this album only highlight how "full on" in harmony she was for this entire project. Everything was as it should be. And it glowed radiantly, still does.

With the release of her latest album, Hard Candy, which I was less than pleased with, what a comforting gem Ray of Light has been as it showcases her true talent in all its glory.

Ray of Light
i didnt really think that i would enjoy this cd even though i really enjoyed "Ray of Light" as a song. But i was seriously wrong and minus maybe one misstep on the cd the rest of "Ray of Light" is one of my favorite Madonna cds (at least of the 3 that i have so far). Madonna really does her thing on this cd both writing and singing as well which in my opinion hasn't always been one of her strong suits. Nothing against it though just something i've noticed before.

But none of that is a problem this time around and its no wonder the cd has done so well. It has a diverse, unique yet familiar sound that will draw folks to it and keep them there throughout. So forget what you've though about her music in the past with Ray of Light, Madonna is making a statement with this one and its one that should be heard by any and everyone that enjoys music, period. Its pop, electronica and a few other things mixed in creating one of my favorite albums of that time and now.

Madonna finally learns how to sing.
I heard the title track and had a hard time believing it was really Madonna. It was, and she wasn't pulling a Milly Vanilly stunt.
Most of the songs are good.
There are a few throw away filler songs.
Not a must have.
But a good addition to your library.