CONFESSIONS II 2026

If you don't know who Madonna is at this point, how the hell can you call yourself cultured in pop music??? Although maybe I shouldn't be one to speak, as I only started deep diving into her music back in late 2024. And when I was doing that deep dive, I had some level of excitement for pretty much every album I came across. But after "Hard Candy" Madonna's discography took a weird turn where she seemingly "got with the times" but those albums weren't really her best efforts. "MDNA" sounds like the blandest of pop music. "Rebel Heart" is all over the place with inconsistent pacing and ballads that aren't as good as they could have been. And "Madame X", while the most interesting of the 3, is not really an album worth listening to in full. It's because of this that I feel a lot of people started giving up on Madonna's music.

And a certain point, maybe we have to accept that the artists that we once hailed as one of the greatest of all time could just stick with making music that wasn't necessarily good to us, but certainly sounds good to her. But when I heard that this album would be a sequel to one of Madonna's best albums, "Confessions On A Dance Floor", I had a glimmer of hope that this album could end up being really really good. And with the singles that led up to the release, my hopes were certainly high, but I had to remind myself that this was the same woman who went 0 for 3 in the 2010s. The singles don't matter if the album as a whole doesn't hold up as a cohesive project, at least to me.

And I am ecstatic to report that I am indeed happy with "CONFESSIONS II"! I think a lot of what makes this record work as a continuation of "Confessions..." is that the main collaborator from the original "Confessions...", Stuart Price, returned to handle a majority of the production on this album. If you don't remember, I actually covered Jessie Ware's "Superbloom" a couple months ago, and noted that one of the main producers on the album was Mr. Price, who certainly has shown that he hasn't lost a step when it comes to making good ass dance beats. Above all, Madonna had some excellent, just superb beat selection across pretty much the whole album.

"CONFESSIONS II" opens up with the single that dropped first, "I Feel So Free", which was one of the tracks that on initial listens I enjoyed, but kind of pushed to the side. But hearing it as THE opener of the album, it just might be one of the best opening tracks Madonna has ever crafted. With nice drum patterns, synths that are absolute perfection, and Madonna's singing, which is also fucking incredible how at 67 years of age, she still sounds this amazing. Towards the end of the song, you start to realize that the song is transitioning into the next, and gapless transitions is something I was hoping for before the album came out, so I'm glad I got my wish. "Good For The Soul" is also a pretty good cut from the album, and the song after, "One Step Away" is some pretty good trance-y music that feels like it could be looped forever and I wouldn't even be bothered by it.

Following that good three track run, we go into what was the next single to be released pre-release for the album, that being "Bring Your Love" with Sabrina Carpenter, which was featured at Sabrina's Coachella set during Weekend 2. If you haven't heard the song, it is a song that is MEANT for the gay clubs in the absolute best way, but that doesn't mean that it's just for them, because this song is probably one of the best I've heard this year so far, and I can see this overtaking some of my other favorite Madonna tracks. Then we get the much hyped "Danceteria" which was one of the tracks shown in the "CONFESSIONS II" film that dropped to build hype for the first couple songs from the album. And is it fair to say that "Danceteria" is the modern day "Vogue"? It certainly has the energy of "Vogue", but with all the references to partying with other celebrities from a bygone time, it certainly seems like a spiritual successor to that song, and I am absolutely here for it!

We then hit a bit of a lull in the tracklist with some songs that are still interesting but don't reach the high highs that are felt across the album. "Read My Lips" was the song that I personally was very hyped for when I saw the "CONFESSIONS II" film, and even if it is good, I wish it would have leaned harder into the Latin flavor like on "Faz Gastonso" or "Medellín" from "Madame X". "Everything" is where we get the craziest final line in the hoom where Madonna goes "It's not okay, I don't fuck with it" which sounds super authoritative, and considering the lyrics of the song being about social isolation and a less friendly atmosphere in the club, it makes the lyric totally understandable even to someone like me who doesn't really go clubbing. Next is "Love Sensation", which was the last single that dropped pre-release, and is probably the one that underwhelmed me the most. I do like the chorus of the song, I think it is pretty infectious, but I still think of it as a relatively low moment on the tracklist.

But what comes down must come up eventually, and I believe we get the best three track run that gives some other phenomenal Madonna three track runs a run for their money. "Love Without Words" being a love letter to dance music as a whole, which is one of the sweetest and most danceable tracks across the project. And I especially love that "Call it trance, call it house, call it love without words" refrain that surrounds the whole song, it feels like she's whispering it directly in my ear telling me a secret, which I'll speak more about in a bit. "Bizarre" follows next, and also has some help in production from Martin Garrix of all people. I think "Bizarre" might be one of the best instances of the amazing beat selection that Madonna has on this album, because it manages to be one of the most devastating songs on "CONFESSIONS II" while being one of the most fun to listen, thanks to Mr. Garrix.

And the last in this three track run is "School" which is probably the naughtiest track on the album. Of course, if you know anything about Madonna's discography, you know she's not a stranger to bringing up sex in her music even as far back as her first big HUGE single, "Like A Virgin". The drum pattern is definitely unique compared to the whole album, which lends itself to being a more memorable song. There's also a reference to a song off of "Bedtime Stories" when Madonna says on the song "Cause baby I'm not your mother, I'd rather be your lover", which I don't think is a really deep cut, but I suspect that the diehard stans certainly perked up when they heard that bar. I also love the hook across the song where Madonna has this very breathy and sultry delivery that then gets PITCHED DOWN about 5 or 7 semitones and still sounds fucking amazing!!! If you choose to skim the album, I would at the very least recommend you listen to "School".

Going into the last leg of the album, we get some solid cuts as well. "Fragile" being about the loss of her brother, Christopher. It's less danceable, but is a song that will definitely sucker punch you when you realize who the song is dedicated to. Then "My Sins Are My Savior" with Stromae...I mean I just don't care for the song compared to the others. The delivery of the French whispering is nice enough, but I feel like the song just doesn't have that much that leaves me grasping on to it wanting more besides the production and what sounds like a sample of Donna Summer's "Bad Girls". And then in what seems like a soft left turn production wise, Madonna looks to trip hop once again on "Betrayal", which is one of the most compelling slower songs she's ever made. I especially love the warble effect on her vocals towards the end of the song, I feel like it's the best way to end the song and lengthen it a good bit.

And finally, the last two songs on the record, "The Test" and "L.E.S. Girl". The former has been growing on me a fair amount, especially after hearing that it was a song that Madonna wrote with her daughter Lourdes, which seemed to be a healing moment for the both of them. I love the drum pattern on this song, and I also love Lola's singing as well, it makes me wonder what she can bring to the table if she decides to go deeper with music, because I think she has potential. And the latter is probably the most lowkey cut of the whole project. With simple filtered drums, a nice bass line, and Madonna singing about coming into herself on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Yes, I did think "L.E.S." was going to be a reference to something lesbian, but instead we get something more sweet and melancholic. It's probably the best way to end an album like this, because sure, she could have ended off on a banger of a track like "Bizarre" or "School", but "L.E.S. Girl" sounds like the end of the partying, the cleanup, the ride home, the sadness of coming home realizing the party is over. I couldn't have picked a better closer myself.

I mentioned when I was talking about "Love Without Words" how the whispering bits on that song felt like she was telling me a secret, and I said that the feeling translated to a lot of the songs where Madonna has this more hushed and honest delivery of her words. It truly feels like she is confessing to you on the dance floor, which is something that wasn't really done on the first "Confessions...", but I'm glad that she really went further with it on "CONFESSIONS II" because I think it makes this part stand out in comparison and gives it more of a unique flavor, especially across her albums.

Overall, I expected an absolute classic from Madonna, and that is something that I got. I may need to give the album as a whole more time to really set in with me, because I haven't had as much time with it as her other works. But I have a feeling that Madonna has made yet another timeless album that will be a pillar in her already stacked discography.