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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

American Life
by Madonna


8.5

based on 17 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 99 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

Madonna's second collaboration with French electronic producer Mirwais includes the lead single title track as well as her recent James Bond theme, "Die Another Day."

LABEL:	Warner Brothers
RELEASE DATE:	22 April 2003
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Pop, Dance

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

E! Online

Aside from the thumping groove of "Nobody Knows Me" and a few other bouncy beats, much of the electro style Madonna experimented with on 2000's Music has been replaced with warmer sounds and earthy touches, like acoustic guitars and a choir that comes from nowhere on "Nothing Fails."

Vibe

This may be the first time Madonna hasn't pushed herself to explore new ground, but at least she's chosen a good place to rest. [June 2003, p.155]

Billboard

Unlike recent collections Music and Ray of Light, the lyrical content of American Life relies less on spiritual introspection and more on woman-in-the-mirror confrontation.

Uncut

It wouldn't be wildly inappropriate to identify American Life as an early 21st-century update of Love's Forever Changes, effecting as it does a similarly eerie ambivalence with its fusion of mind-altering sonics and mellow acoustics. [Jun 2003, p.94]

New Musical Express

All perfectly good stuff, technically excellent. But 'American Life' also feels like an unnecessary sequel, a 'Men In Black II', made because hell, if it ain't broke...

Dot Music

When she turns from fathoming everyone else's existence to her own, and stops frantically waving her style icon credentials, the genius of hers and Mirwais' partnership is overwhelming.

Entertainment Weekly

At its best, her new album offers blunt, questing, decisive music at a chaotic time. At its weakest, she sounds like a gal who's grown content with hubby and kids and the hard-earned privilege of hiring the help to keep herself at tip-top tautness.

Spin

A suite of faux-folkie electro that fuses the introspection of Ray of Light with Music's fast-food dance licks. [Jun 2003, p.99]

Mojo

American Life is revealing and diverting -- no bad things in a record -- but in the end the brow-beating, finger-wagging and psycho-babbling take their toll. [May 2003, p.86]

Q Magazine

It's a record about being Madonna. [Jun 2003, p.90]

Blender

That's both the best and the worst thing about this album: The music is much more eloquent than the lyrics. [May 2003, p.112]

Rolling Stone

Making records, it seems, may not be her strong suit anymore.

All Music Guide

Overall, American Life is better for what it promises than what it delivers, and it's better in theory than practice.

Playlouder

This album, if it came from a newcomer, could kill a career stone dead.

Stylus Magazine

For once, Madonna has stumbled not because she reached too far, but because she didn't reach far enough.

Village Voice

The title track's having-it-all exhaustion, underscored by its bipolar sonics and start-stop rhythms, will endear her to the Allison Pearson crowd; a few other tunes will reinforce her fan base among fellow whiny celebrities.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Even modest expectations can't salvage the clunky, ponderous American Life, which fares only slightly better than "Hanky Panky" and Swept Away on her list of offenses.

The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 99 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Dejan St. gave it a10:
Her best album. Take a bow! She is master!

Einar J. gave it a9:
Depressing, how 'Music' got 20 points higher than Madonna's ricochet album, 'American Life'. The album is full of acoustic guitars, sounds of nature and blurred vocals. Definitely less commercial, less accessible. Yet, perhaps her best album. 'Hollywood' is the ballad, grieving over our society's up-and-coming superficiality. 'Intervention' and 'I'm So Stupid' are clever and eclectic. The album does suffer weaker moments, yet the overall agenda seems to fit quite well. This would definitely make my top 3 Madonna cds.

none none gave it a10:
Excellent album.

Ruan H. gave it a7:
Very experimental. Overall not her best work, but tracks such as "Hollywood", "American Life" and "Love Profusion" are outstanding. A noteworthy direction for Madonna's musical career.

Miky gave it a9:
One of her best album! Too much underrated!

Ixat A. gave it an8:
better than the next one, really! the thumping sounds kept on playing inside my mind!

Marcos T. gave it a9:
What if it was about Palestinians or Islamic society? wouldn't it have been great?

American Life by Madonna

American Life
by Madonna