Madonna Leaks Like A Broken Faucet

Every artist has songs that are left on the cutting room floor, so to speak. These are songs they recorded for albums or other side projects that never end up seeing the light of the day. Sometimes, when they are feeling generous, artists release these songs as B-sides, but most of the time the tracks just sit idle unless the artist chooses to re-work them for a future album or give them to another artist to sing.

The past couple of weeks have found a flood of Madonna demos leak on the internet. There have been both new demos of songs that have never been released (or even heard) before, as well as early demos of songs that were officially released, such as "Give It 2 Me" from the "Hard Candy" album and "It's So Cool" from the "Celebration" collection. For some of these songs, it is obvious why they were trashed and never officially released. Others, however, are actually really good and deserve to be heard by the general public.

I have decided to post the newly-leaked demos of songs never released in any form (as opposed to the demos of songs that were turned into songs we all know). After the jump you'll find the songs in chronological order of when they were recorded with a short review of each one. Enjoy!



Miss You:



A leftover from the 2003 "American Life" album, this is a folky, acoustic song. Madonna's vocals are beautiful, but that is about the only thing this song has going for it. Madonna has always shined in the clubs, so it is risky for her to stray away so drastically. While I can appreciate her versatility, this song is simply a snooze fest. Madonna can pull off a folky, acoustic song when she adds in a little electronica to mix it up, such as in "Gone" from her "Music" album or "Easy Ride" from her "American Life" CD. In fact, out of all her albums, this song would most fit into the one that it was originally recorded for, "American Life." Perhaps the whole point of a folk song is to NOT have any electronic elements in it, but Madonna is not a folk artist, so if she wants to pull it off, she must do it in her own unique Queen of Pop way, as she did for a lot of that album.
Free Bitch Grade: C-

---

If You Go Away:



This is a cover of a song originally performed by Jaques Brel and later covered by many other artists. Madonna recorded hers in 2004 for a musical she was working on that never saw the light of day called "Hello Suckers." The track was produced by long-time Madonna producers Patrick Leonard (who produced "Live to Tell, "La Isla Bonita," "Like A Prayer," and "Frozen," just to name a few) and Mirwais Ahmadzai ("Music," "Don't Tell Me," "Hollywood"). Considering the caliber of talent that collaborated on this track, one expects a bit more than what it is. The song is a simple ballad with a beautiful piano backing, but it lacks a little something more. Madonna has recorded some of the greatest ballads in pop music throughout her career ("Crazy For You," "Live to Tell," "Take A Bow," "The Power of Goodbye") but this one simply does not have the same feeling behind it as all these others do. It is not a terrible recording, but it could have been ever better.
Free Bitch Grade: B





Latte:



"Latte" is a song left over from 2008's "Hard Candy" CD. It was a collaboration between Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Danja. The chorus actually contains lyrics from "Pala Tute," a Gypsy song that Madonna fused with her performance of "La Isla Bonita" at Live Earth and on her "Sticky & Sweet Tour." This song is probably the strongest of the bunch that leaked. It has a killer Timbaland beat, but with its alternative lyrics, it fuses different musical styles into one unconventional but awesome song. Perhaps its untraditional style could have added the missing ingredient the "Hard Candy" album was lacking: Madonna's unique creative stamp. The album was not bad, but it definitely was the work of uber producers Timbaland and Pharrell. Most of the songs had their unique sounds to them, but could have been sang by almost any pop star. This song, however, feels like a more genuine blending of Timbaland's producing talents and Madonna's own style. Gwen Stefani or Nelly Furtado could not pull this song off, with its Romanov Gypsy lyrics, quite like Madonna does. This could not be said for most of "Hard Candy."
Free Bitch Grade: A

---

Animal:



Another song recorded for 2008's "Hard Candy" album, this track was also produced by Timbaland. At best a mediocre track, it's no wonder why this song was left off the album. Timbaland has a very distinct style, which is definitely heard in this song. At the same time, however, the song lacks anything extra special that would set it apart from other, far more superior Timbaland tracks. A lot of the song is not even sung by Madonna, but rather spoken. While this has worked for her in past songs like "Justify My Love" and "Erotica," it simply does not sound as good when put on top of a Timbaland beat.
Free Bitch Grade: B-

---

Broken (I'm Sorry):



A leftover from the "Celebration" greatest hits collection from 2009, this song was produced by famous DJ Paul Oakenfold, who was also behind the title track of the collection. This is a strong dance song with a pulsating beat. One could just imagine dancing the night away in a crowded gay club with this song blasting from the speakers. The song no doubt takes aim at Madonna's ex-husband, and as such, it truly is a powerful and well-produced track. The lyrics, however, could use a little more tweaking. When Madonna sings "Don't you feel sorry for me," it is a little unclear at first if Madonna is asking a question or making a statement. As the song goes on, however, it becomes clear that she is making a statement, and a bold one at that.
Free Bitch Grade: A-