Love Song is a song I can take or leave. At the time, Prince and Madonna were pretty much the king and queen of pop music, and it was really something to hear them team up on a duet. Unfortunately, the song has little substance, and Prince overplays his peculiar, distinctive voice and style. Till Death Do Us Part is, in my opinion, the best song on the album. It has meaningful, important lyrics, yet its tempo makes you tap or sway along with the music; it almost moves too quickly, achieving a perfectly vibrant, energetic pace, and the chorus is just wonderful. Promise to Try is a slower song with beautiful lyrics and a graceful sound, offering yet more proof that Madonna is a real singer with great vocal skills. When Cherish was released as a single, I heard it so often on the radio that I eventually came to dislike the song; listening to it again now, though, I realize how great the song really is. Cherish strikes me as possessing a certain air and spirit of 1960s pop music. It's definitely an uplifting song to listen to, with a strong "feel good" quality to it.

Dear Jessie is another example of Madonna's new sound and style on this album. The music itself is rather subdued, placing the song's emphasis on Madonna's lyrical stylings; this calming track is the kind of song I imagine Madonna would sing to her children at bedtime. For emotional content, the striking Oh Father tops the list on this CD; it definitely sounds like Madonna is singing this one right from the heart. The flow between verse and chorus is striking, and the whole song is a delight to listen to. After a string of slow, emotional tracks, Madonna decides it is time to get the place jumping again with Keep It Together (although even this song carries a strong message). Spanish Eyes is another poignant song of beauty and wonder. Act of Contrition is a weird way to end the album, but I like it. The harmonic dissonance of the Like a Prayer choruses, electric guitar riffs, and free-style lyrics is refreshingly different.

This is a really deep album of great substance. For me, this great asset became somewhat of a vulnerability, though. Hearing songs such as Oh Father and Cherish over and over again on adult contemporary radio stations sort of led me to believe Madonna had lost her edge (despite such evidence to the contrary as Express Yourself). In terms of musical structure and delivery, Like a Prayer is vastly superior to Madonna's previous albums; I easily recognize this fact, but, in general, I prefer the fun dance songs of earlier years to the poignant, beautiful music that typifies this album.


The Complete Madonna Guide.   February 25, 2000
Jason Stein (Chula Vista, CA United States)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Madonna has 7 full length studio albums out there, which one to buy first? Well, they're all great discs, excluding the dated and naive debut. While Like A Virgin and Ray Of Light are definite contenders, I always like it when an artist takes a risk. Madonna did just that in 1989 with Like a Prayer and then did it again in 1992 with Erotica. However, Like a Prayer is tighter, more cohesive than Erotica. Like a Prayer is the first time Madonna expressed deeper emotion in her lyrics, and it was the first time her music was no longer Spice Girlish. Songs about religion, death, divorce, camraderie, childhood, love and self-respect fill this wonderful disc. It's true, as the people before me have attested: There is not a note wasted on this cd, all the tracks are great. Sure, the duet between Prince and Madonna could have been left off, but it adds more flavor to the cd's rich well of songs. It's worth the money to have this in your music collection.


Madonna's best album, and a masterpiece by any standard.   July 28, 2003
D. Mok (Los Angeles, CA)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

I am far from being a Madonna fan, but Like a Prayer is a classic. This record showed that Madonna -- essentially a singles artist -- is capable of making a thematically coherent, mature album that also features a load of great songs that stand on their own.

From the first notes on the record, the apocalyptic guitars that introduce the title track, there's something different about this record. An attention to detail, an aggressiveness, and also a sophistication beyond her previous releases...and anything else she's recorded since. "Like a Prayer" is unforgettable; even though Madonna's voice is hardly gospel material, it's precisely the tension between her dance-pop voice and the Andrae Crouch Choir's booming chants that makes the track so powerful. A black-white fusion with an unstoppable beat and an instantly memorable chorus. "Express Yourself" is not one of my favourite tracks possibly due to over-exposure, but you have to admit, it's another instantly recognizable song and Madonna's mission statement of sorts. The pop songwriting is flawless on "Till Death Do Us Part", "Keep It Together" and "Spanish Eyes", and "Oh Father" is hands down my favourite Madonna song. Who would've thought she could convey so much heart in such a simple song? The "You never wanted to live that way" interlude is beautiful beyond words. Classic video, too, a childlike dream directed by David Fincher.

I've heard the whole Madonna canon hundreds of times growing up (there was a fanatic in the house) and most of her music's grown stale on me, except this record. Because of her adaptability to trends, most of her albums sound dated, so in tune are they with the musical movements of their time. But if there's one record of hers that stands beyond time, this is it.


Like A Prayer - Madonna   February 10, 2004
Lena Jawad (North Yorkshire, England, UK)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

WARNING:THIS ALBUM MAY CAUSE TEARS.
On reviewing this album I'll have to agree mostly with what Karen said, but let me add my own opinion.
Like a Prayer is an album about love, honesty, life and death. So whoever you are, however old you are and whatever you do, then I guarantee that this album will definitely contain five or more songs that you will feel strongly connected to.
Madonna writes from the deepest of her heart and pours her love into each and every song.
Although the song that I most treasure is 'Like a Prayer', the song which shouts out to me is 'Till death do us a part'. This song is a depiction of domestic violence and I firmly believe Madonna is a genius for writing such a song about a very serious issue to which alot of people are ignorant, but an important issue that must be stressed and not ignored.
There is not one song I can speak badly off. I think Madonna's intention with this album was to make people think seriously about the issues she brings up (as well as enjoying the music!) and also, I'm sure she wanted to pull a few heart strings- she certainly did that to me!


Like a Prayer (1989)   March 7, 2005
Dance Floor Junkie (Canada)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

-Like a Prayer (1989)-

Released back in 1989, this was really Madonna's first album to recieve as much critical success as it did commercial. And rightfully so. This is definitely one of Madonna's best albums. For me, it was one of those albums that I didn't like right away. I had to listen to it quite a few times before it all clicked. The album peaked at #1 in the US, and went on to sell over 4 million copies. The title track, is one of Madonna's most controversial singles, and has an amazing video to match. It's also one of my favorite Madonna songs of all time. It peaked at #1 in the US for 3 weeks, and was Madonna's first Platinum single. Other singles include "Express Yourself" "Cherish" (both of which peaked at #2 in the US, and are both really great songs), "Dear Jessie" (which wasn't released in the US, but peaked at #5 in the UK), "Keep it Together" (#8), and "Oh Father". "Oh Father" is another one of my all time favorite Madonna songs, and was the song that broke Madonna's long string of Top 5 hits in the US, only peaking at #20. It's an absolutely beautiful song though.

1. Like a Prayer (10/10)
2. Express Yourself (10/10)
3. Love Song (9/10)
4. Till Death Do Us Part (10/10)
5. Promise to Try (10/10)
6. Cherish (10/10)
7. Dear Jessie (9/10)
8. Oh Father (10/10)
9. Keep It Together (9/10)
10. Pray for Spanish Eyes (10/10)
11. Act of Contrition (8/10)

All of the unreleased songs are very good actually, especially "Till Death Do Us Part". It's amazing. It's very catchy and upbeat, but the lyrics are very dark and depressing. "Love Song", a duet with Prince, is a strange song. It's very good though. "Promise to Try" is a song about Madonna's late mother, who passed away when Madonna was only 5. It's a really sad song, and has even brought me to tears. "Pray for Spanish Eyes" is another amazing ballad, with a spanish flavour. "Act of Contrition" isn't even really a song. More like an interlude I guess. It's alright, but definitely not one of my favorites. All in all, this is definitely one of Madonna's best albums, and her best of the 80s.

My Top off of the album are...

5) Pray for Spanish Eyes
4) Cherish
3) Till Death Do Us Part
2) Oh Father
1) Like a Prayer