REVIEW: Various Artists, Virgin Voices - A Tribute to Madonna
Volume 1
- Joann D. Ball
A true blue Madonna tribute was inevitable given her incredible impact on contemporary popular music and culture. Sure, Madonna's gotten props before, most notably from Sonic Youth on the late Eighties Ciccone Youth project. And there have been some creative covers over the years, such as the Lords of the New Church's hilarious take on "Like A Virgin," Bigod 20's industrial-strength "Like a Prayer," and the Drop Nineteens' outstanding guitar-reinforced wall of sound reconstruction of "Angel." But the multiple artist cover collection Virgin Voices: A Tribute to Madonna Vol. 1 updates 14 selections from the Material Girl's vast catalog with the diverse elements of electronica. This refashioning of Madonna's work is perfectly timed given her current explorations of the genre's sounds and styles on Ray of Light.
In matching artists and songs, Cleopatra Records took the bold step of utilizing its significant roster of Eighties artists. Using the tribute project to showcase the rebirth of several of Madonna's contemporaries is a smashing success because it gives these acts room to explore new musical territories and sounds. Virgin Voices lets loose with 1980s New Wavers Heaven 17 who seem to embody the celebration theme of Madonna's breakthrough hit "Holiday" and Loleatta Holloway who infuses some gospel soul into "Like A Prayer." When performed by Bow Wow Wow's Annabella Lwin, the irony of "Like A Virgin" takes a new form. Despite the years, Lwin has maintained her teenage sense of fun and silliness which are clearly conveyed in her bright and bouncy vocals. "Why It's So Hard" from Madonna's Erotica is a perfect song for Dead or Alive. It underscores Pete Burns' gender-bending musical activism, and he delivers it with a sincerity and emotional depth that is absent on signature hits like "You Spin Me Round." And while Information Society draws upon its smash "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)" for the cover of "Express Yourself," Gene Loves Jezebel has done an about face, trading in the guitars and over-the-top vocals for a darker, synth-driven cover of "Frozen" that should click at underground danceclubs.
Since Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" has always seemed like the not-too-distant relative of "Live to Tell," it is fitting that the band was enlisted for the project so Terri Nunn could deliver a true to form version of the slow burner. James Hardway with Amanda Ghost Featuring Boy George contribute "Bad Girl," which is yet another reason to revisit the Erotica album. Even though Boy George's vocals are so well blended into the mix that he's barely audible, the song is light, airy and textured making it the best crafted track on Virgin Voices. The pairing's use of a female vocal over jungle-inspired percussion, along with Silverbeam's trip-pop interpretation of "Bedtime Story," recall the British duo Olive with the same infectious effect.
An impressive collection, Virgin Voices: A Tribute to Madonna Vol. 1 is as much a tribute to Madonna's past as it is an acknowledgement of her current musical direction. It is a testament to the spirit of dance music, which crosses all sorts of boundaries to create a communal sense of positivity, fun and adventure. Using Madonna's contributions to popular dance music to show how new musical approaches enrich the format is a brilliant approach, and the tribute gets major bonus points for reminding us of the many bright spots in Eighties music by enlisting artists from the decade for the project. TRACK LISTING [artist in brackets]: Holiday [Heaven 17], Like A Prayer [Loleatta Holloway], Like A Virgin (LCD Mix) [Annabella Lwin of Bow Wow Wow], Why It's So Hard [Dead or Alive], Live To Tell [Berlin], Vogue [Astralasia], Justify My Love [Frontline Assembly, Bad Girl [James Hardway with Amanda Ghost Featuring Boy George], Material Girl [KMFDM], Bedtime Story [Silverbeam], Express Yourself [Information Society], Swim [Spahn Ranch], Frozen (Razed in Black Mix) [Gene Loves Jezebel], Burning Up (Interface Mix) [The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black]
