Madonna

Madonna’s new CD evokes the dance days of her earlier work and, especially, one of my favorites, 1992’s Erotica. It is a triumphant return to form. The first single, “Hung Up,” kicks off fantastically, with a hot, thumping disco beat and a hypnotic ABBA sample. Track two, “Get Together,” successfully marries a deep house beat with a slow, dreamy groove. “Future Lovers,” with lyrics spoken in the style of “Justify My Love,” pulsates in the mode of a Blondie-Giorgio Moroder collaboration. Elsewhere the lyrics want points for charm, as when she explains in “I Love New York” that “other places make me feel like a dork.” All the songs flow into each other without breaks, and while the album’s second half lags a little, there’s no doubt that the queen of dance has reclaimed her crown.