Madonna Reverting to Club-Friendly Format With Tenth Album

Remember when Madonna used to be a dance diva? With 1983's self-titled major label debut, the artist whose name means "Mother Mary" initially established herself as a hit club single production machine. Songs such as 'Lucky Star,' 'Borderline,' 'Holiday' and even the Like a Virgin carry-over tune 'Dress You Up' all came to define the sometimes voluptuous vocalist as the reigning 1980s Queen of the Discos. Yet, after the immense success of the less synthy and more poppy Like a Virgin disc, Madonna seemed to stray from her roots, recording mundane pop ballads for movies such as A League of Their Own and Evita, along with a string of much more experimental and serious tunage. Sure, the turn of the 80s saw the release of electronica-oriented 'Vogue' and 'Express Yourself,' but for the most part Madonna's timeshare in the Western dance venue had expired by the early 90s, with no thoughts of renewal in the mix.

Now, with her tenth album just leaving the works, it is said that Confessions on a Dancefloor will be returning Madonna to her roots. Slated for a November 15 release, the artist has dubbed her newest sound "future disco." (It can only be presumed that "future disco" is 100 times better than "old disco.") Described by latest producer Stuart Price, the album's first single is "a big feel-good song. You put it on and you want to get in your car, turn it up and drive around smiling." The newest synth-pop selection is entitled 'Hung Up.'

But Madonna and Price weren't entirely confident, at first, in a return to the rave scene:

"There's a bit of a danger with dance music that you can create something that's cool but doesn't have much substance to it," he admits. "Every few months, a club record comes along that hits a nerve with people, and they connect to it. They don't know why, but there is something magical in it. That's what we were trying to make. [Stuart Price]"

Will Confessions on a Dancefloor be magical? As a guilty Madonna fan, I hope so.