Hard Candy

I realize many people don’t care for Madonna at all (“She can’t sing, she can’t dance, she can’t act, she has no talent, she’s getting old, she’s a bitch, blah, blah, blah"), but as a fan of hers, I’m happy to report that her latest CD, “Hard Candy” is quite good. Madonna forsakes the energetic disco of 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor” and teams up with two of hip hop’s most bankable producers: Pharell Williams of the Neptunes and Timbaland. Truthfully, “Hard Candy” doesn’t push any new ground, but then again, it doesn’t need to. It’s just a fun record that succeeds in what it aims to do: create radio-friendly dance pop with a dash of hip hop. Favorite tracks are “Candy Shop,” “Give it 2 Me,” “Heartbeat,” “Miles Away” (a sad tune that may or may not refer to her marriage to Guy Ritchie), and “Dance “2Night.” There are only 2 duds on the CD: “She’s Not Me” (which held my attention for all of 30 seconds) and “Spanish Lesson,” whose hook wears thin real fast.

All in all, “Hard Candy” (her final album for Warner Brothers) stands head and shoulders above much else in modern radio and gets my stamp of approval.