Don't Like Madonna? Listen to this CD and You Will

Up until this album, what we heard from Madonna was pop/dance tracks. Who could forget her great contributions to this genre with songs like Lucky Star, Borderline, Into the Groove, Like a Virgin, and Papa Don't Preach?

Along comes Warren Beatty and his movie Dick Tracy. After begging to audition for the role of Breathless Mahoney, Madonna won the part and moved on to recording this soundtrack, I'm Breathless: Music From and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy.

Hands down, this is one of Madonna's most underrated cd's in her collection. It doesn't sound anything like her previous releases. Stephen Sondheim (famous writer of many theatrical songs) along with Madonna, Patrick Leonard, and Shep Pettibone, wrote and produced the majority of the songs on this cd.

About the Movie
Dick Tracy (Warren Beatty), America's top cop, goes up against a handful of colorful mobsters. In the process, he juggles his romantic life with a who-will-he-choose secondary storyline featuring the temptress (Breathless Mahoney) and the steady girlfriend (Tess Trueheart).

Tracks

He's A Man
This displays Madonna's vocal depth. She hits both the high and low notes beautifully. Musically, the instrumental is rich and adds to the fullness of Madonna's voice. This song is of course, about Dick Tracy. Grade: A

Sooner Or Later
This song was nominated for an Academy Award in 1991. Sooner or later you're gonna be mine....I always get my man. Breathless sings this to Dick. She knows he's going to end up with her and no one else. Grade: B+

Hanky Panky
Love this song!!! The lyrics alone crack me up. Treat me like I'm a bad girl, even when I'm being good to you. I don't want you to thank me. You can just spank me. This song parallels Breathless 's relationship with Dick Tracy. Madonna's voice has good depth here also. Grade: A

I'm Going Bananas
This is the weakest song on the cd. It has a salsa-dance feeling to it. Grade: C

Cry Baby
Madonna's voice in this song has a falsetto tone to it. She sings like a little girl and it comes across well. Grade: B

Something To Remember
One of the slower songs on the cd. Madonna is lamenting over a loss of a potential lover (Dick Tracy) while at the same time, thanking him for giving her the gift of loving herself. Grade: B

Back In Business
Another song that displays Madonna's vocal breath. Grade: B

More
If I had to pick one of the songs off of this cd that reminded me of one you might hear at a musical, this is the one that I would pick. It's an up-tempo song. The vocals sound less pop and more theater like. Grade: B-

What Can You Lose
This features a duet with Mandy Patinkin (you might remember him from Chicago Hope however he is HUGE in theater and has a kick*** voice to boot). Grade: B+

Now I'm Following You (Part I)
Warren Beatty singing - it's true! It's a mid-temp song that doesn't sound half-bad. They actually sound decent together. Admittedly, it's not like the vocal range is a challenge. Grade: B-

Now I'm Following You (Part II)
The same song as above, minus Warren, plus a hipper, dancier track. Grade: B

Vogue
I thought that this was the oddest placement of a song on a cd. I suppose it is meant to reflect the times of Dick Tracy however, it would have been better for one of her regular, non-movie track related cd's. Later that year, it did end up on her Immaculate Collection cd. Grade: A

If you haven't like Madonna based upon her pop/dance collection, I highly recommend that you give her a second chance by checking out this much-overlooked cd.