I'm Breathless

by

Madonna

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For this album, Madonna goes back in time to a completely different musical age - the 1940's, when pop music was very different, although the 1940's style is obscured somewhat by a 1990's production. This is a light-hearted album, more in keeping with (though very different from) the song-and-dance music that Betty Grable did than the pop music of Dinah Shore or Jo Stafford. Some songs are covers of songs from that period but most are original songs written in the style of the time, even including some novelty songs that you either love or hate. Madonna's big hit of the time, Vogue, was added to the album to help sales but it doesn't really blend in.

Stephen Sondheim composed three of the songs, these being Sooner or later, More and What can you lose - a duet with Mandy Patinkin. Madonna's performances on these songs are impressive. Of Madonna's own songs, Hanky panky and Vogue were huge hits but the outstanding song is Something to remember, which later became the title track of a compilation of her ballads. He's a man and Back in business are also wonderful. I also enjoyed Cry baby but I can imagine that some people will not like this at all. Madonna did not write the two other original songs - I'm going bananas (a slightly silly but entertaining novelty song) and Now I'm following you parts 1 and 2 (a lot of fun but definitely not a novelty).

I had to play this album a few times before I really appreciated it, but I liked it more with each listen. Although this album is just for fun, Madonna's covers of the Sondheim songs suggest that she could record a serious jazz album if she ever wants to.

This is not like any of Madonna's other albums so some of her fans may not like it. At the same time, I'm not sure that it will win her any new fans. Nevertheless, this is a fascinating album that proves just how versatile Madonna really is.

If you've seen the movie Dick Tracy, which is almost as overlooked as this album, you know what kind of classic jazz mood you're in for if you buy this CD. When I bought this I expected to be dissapointed by the songs on it that aren't in the movie, but they really are great. "He's A Man" is a great song, and "Back In Business" isn't the same song as the one with the same title that is featured in the movie, but is still pretty good. As for the others, such as "Crybaby", "Hanky Pankey", and "I'm Going Bananas", they serve to put a lot of humor into this collection. The downside is, they might be hilarious, but they get old and you don't want to hear them over and over again. But the rest of the songs never get old. Both versions of "Now I'm Following You" are great (though VERY different), and there are a couple other good songs found on other Madonna albums, the hit "Vogue" and less heard-of "Something To Remember." This CD never gets old, and I recommend it to anyone who likes something different.