Hard Candy
by Madonna
User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 562 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 398 out of 562
  2. Mixed: 89 out of 562
  3. Negative: 75 out of 562

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  1. RIProo
    Mar 25, 2012
    6
    I'm really waiting MDNA, because i don't like this a lot. Sure, this is Madonna's worst album. Yes there are good songs ( I think that Miles Away it's fantastic ) but there are bad songs like "Spanish Lesson" and "incredible", too. And this is the first Madonna's album that doesn't have a particular or revolutionary sound. So, a quite good album but when you are Madonna people want fromI'm really waiting MDNA, because i don't like this a lot. Sure, this is Madonna's worst album. Yes there are good songs ( I think that Miles Away it's fantastic ) but there are bad songs like "Spanish Lesson" and "incredible", too. And this is the first Madonna's album that doesn't have a particular or revolutionary sound. So, a quite good album but when you are Madonna people want from you a great album, not quite good. (sorry for my English)… Expand
  2. infsai
    Mar 27, 2020
    5
    This album is too cohisive. Some songs (like "Heartbeat" and "Miles Away") could be even better if someone other than The Neptunes would handle those tracks production.
  3. RezJ
    Apr 28, 2010
    5
    I think Madonna lost her way in music with this album. she wamted to try something new but it didn't work. i think R&B beats don't fit on her. the only songs u can bear in this album are "Miles Away" and "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You". they sounds like real Madonna. we all expected more from her after her huge success in "Confessions on a Dancefloor".
  4. Mark
    May 1, 2008
    6
    It's fine, but I feel like I've heard it all before.
  5. misk
    May 1, 2008
    4
    Madonna at it's worst. Generic US stuff. Another BigMac but this time unedible even on cnbs. Bedtime Stories crap at least had Human Nature and Bedtime Stories.
  6. AlexJ.
    May 3, 2008
    6
    Its good, for both fans and typical listeners. Many funky and catchy beats, but its not great and nowhere near as good as some of madonna's other albums.
  7. ClifC.
    Jul 21, 2008
    6
    Okay people!... Madonna is one of the greatest thing that happened to Pop music... Until 2005's "Confessions on a Dance Floor". Could she be called "Queen of Pop" with an album like Hard Candy?! Not sure. There is no creativity (using the same notes and sounds that Timbaland used in Nelly Furtados and Justin Timberlake's music... They even sound disgusting now!), no sincerity, Okay people!... Madonna is one of the greatest thing that happened to Pop music... Until 2005's "Confessions on a Dance Floor". Could she be called "Queen of Pop" with an album like Hard Candy?! Not sure. There is no creativity (using the same notes and sounds that Timbaland used in Nelly Furtados and Justin Timberlake's music... They even sound disgusting now!), no sincerity, no re-invention, it's BRAINLESS... There's absolutely nothing special. It would be a great album for Britney Spears, but for Madonna...!? The greatest songs are from co-producer Pharrell Williams ("Give It 2 Me", "She's Not Me", "Incredible" and "Beat Goes On"), and I only credit Timbaland for "4 Minutes".… Expand
  8. HenryG
    Apr 29, 2008
    4
    Atrocious for an artist of her calibre. So dissapointing. 2, maybe 3 decent tracks tops. I love her too.
  9. JohnP.
    Apr 30, 2008
    6
    Not a bad record, but not great either. After becoming relevant again with Confessions, Madonna has lost some momentum. By the way, folks, perfect scores should be reserved for transcendent works -- this one simply doesn't qualify.
  10. KholbyW
    May 5, 2008
    5
    This cd sounds like Spice Girls without the Spice Girls...So many of the beats remind me of early spice girls songs. I feel like the only way this cd will be decent is through remixes. I guess there's the occasional decent song, but it's really a step down from confessions.
  11. Jack
    Jun 8, 2010
    6
    This is not one of Madonna's stand out albums. It lacks the depth of Ray of Light or the fantastic feel-good moments of confessions; I can think of more stand-out moments for Madonna. Having said that, the album does contain many good songs, highlights being Give It 2 Me, She's Not Me and Beat Goes On. After Confessions, I was expecting something special from the Queen of Pop, This is not one of Madonna's stand out albums. It lacks the depth of Ray of Light or the fantastic feel-good moments of confessions; I can think of more stand-out moments for Madonna. Having said that, the album does contain many good songs, highlights being Give It 2 Me, She's Not Me and Beat Goes On. After Confessions, I was expecting something special from the Queen of Pop, but this sadly, despite being co-produced by some of the top producers around, lacks the magic of some of her previous albums.… Expand
  12. BitBurn
    Apr 29, 2008
    5
    Madonna & hip-hop was never a very successful marriage. And, stubborn as she is, she had to go back again on that road that leads nowhere. When will she ever learn that her niche is, and always was, dance music? And that is why this album compared to her previous masterpiece "Confessions On A Dance Floor", is quite forgettable and bleak.
  13. BrandonS.
    May 1, 2008
    4
    Madonna's worst. Nowhere near as good as Confessions. Whereas Erotica was a brilliant critique/response to modern repressive sexuality, this cd is the singer as a horny old lady, with Justin Timberlake as her studly poolboy. To be blunt, like the pictures in the liner notes, it's kind of gross. Some of the songs are pretty good, rhythmic and funky - but the overall disgusting Madonna's worst. Nowhere near as good as Confessions. Whereas Erotica was a brilliant critique/response to modern repressive sexuality, this cd is the singer as a horny old lady, with Justin Timberlake as her studly poolboy. To be blunt, like the pictures in the liner notes, it's kind of gross. Some of the songs are pretty good, rhythmic and funky - but the overall disgusting tone drags the good stuff down.… Expand
  14. DanTheMan
    May 1, 2008
    4
    Huge disappointment after the highly enjoyable Confessions.... Madonna is capable of far better than this unoriginal and repetitive drek.
  15. ZaneS.
    May 3, 2008
    5
    What happened Madonna? How could you write songs like "Candy Shop," "Incredible" and "Spanish Lesson"? How can you stump to the Justin-clone "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You"? All this sounds so dated and it's all been done in 2006. You're no longer the leader of the pack.
  16. OwenM
    May 6, 2008
    6
    Not bad, the last one was better.
  17. FionaM.
    Apr 5, 2009
    6
    It has some really good songs and some really bad ones. It's a lot more uneven than her other records. Also thematically and lyrically it's not unified like her other records. Also I don't think R&B and hip are her style. She sounds much better and at home doing dance or pop/rock. Also, I really miss her ballads.
  18. JoeyB
    May 25, 2008
    6
    I don't know why she gave up on the techno style of the last two albums. This album seems forced and her voice sounds terible. I am all for change if it is for the better. This is not!
  19. aditmi
    Mar 24, 2012
    5
    Nothing special, it just felt like "another Madonna's album". Her hip-hop collaborators clearly can't make that "thing" happen. Tracks like "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" or "Miles Away" are exceptionals.
  20. TommyA
    Mar 26, 2012
    5
    Hard Candy is by far the worst Madonna album to date. After Confessions, this is incredibly disappointing. It is a good album, but not a good Madonna album - I expected much more. Nevertheless, it does have it's moments and, if you forget it's Madonna, it's actually a decent album (but I can't help but compare it to her other albums which are much better). If I was to listen to Hard Candy,Hard Candy is by far the worst Madonna album to date. After Confessions, this is incredibly disappointing. It is a good album, but not a good Madonna album - I expected much more. Nevertheless, it does have it's moments and, if you forget it's Madonna, it's actually a decent album (but I can't help but compare it to her other albums which are much better). If I was to listen to Hard Candy, I'd skip exactly half the album (which is not good at all). The tracks you should listen to are the first three, Beat Goes On, Devil Wouldn't Recognize You and Voices. Don't even bother with the others. If this was an EP with the aforementioned 6 tracks, it would get a perfect rating, but the other 6 songs are horrid in my opinion… Expand
  21. marcmyworks
    Dec 4, 2013
    5
    Probably one of the weakest albums in Madonna's repertoire. The two best tracks being the first two singles but overall the effort falls short. I hate when bad albums happen to great artists.
  22. AppleYoung
    Dec 14, 2013
    4
    Eu odeio esse álbum, uma sonoridade chata, letras vergonhosas, eu não sei como Madonna teve coragem de gravar essa porcaria. WTF is Incredible? Desperdício de tempo e dinheiro com esse álbum lixoso.
  23. victorcarter
    Nov 21, 2016
    5
    Its good, for both fans and typical listeners. Many funky and catchy beats, but its not great and nowhere near as good as some of madonna's other albums
  24. ManuelContreras
    Apr 7, 2018
    5
    muchos dirian que es su peor trabajo, es algo malo pero no tanto, el album tiene lo suyo
  25. FabPop
    Mar 27, 2020
    5
    So catchy at the beggining but so dissapointing by the end.

    Is a good attempt but not enough...
  26. heitorlopees
    Jul 24, 2020
    4
    Sem dúvida o pior álbum da Madonna, os singles são muito bons mas no resto o disco se trona datado e com uma sonoridade igual em todas as músicas, para quem gosta dos sons dos anos 200 de Justin Timberlake e Timbaland é um bom álbum, mas para quem não ficou preso no tempo esse é um disco dispensável na discografia da Rainha.
  27. grechen
    Sep 2, 2019
    6
    Hard Candy, although counting with good producers and songwriters, seems boring to what 4 Minutes, the first single of the album, promised.
  28. jeremy128
    May 4, 2021
    6
    El album tiene canciones increibles e inolvidables como 4 Minutes o Give it 2 Me, Excelente Producción, Letras Pegajosas, Pero hay algun Problema, El album ha envejecido muy mal, demasiado mal
  29. MeLikesMusic
    May 10, 2021
    5
    Okay. Being Madonna, nothing she does is not innovative. Nonetheless, after 3 years of releasing one of her best projects and a pop masterpiece which was Confessions On A Dancefloor, this album fell pretty flat for the standards. Although 4 minutes is an amazing song and Give it 2 me is almost as good, the more you get through the album the more you want to listen to anything else. LessOkay. Being Madonna, nothing she does is not innovative. Nonetheless, after 3 years of releasing one of her best projects and a pop masterpiece which was Confessions On A Dancefloor, this album fell pretty flat for the standards. Although 4 minutes is an amazing song and Give it 2 me is almost as good, the more you get through the album the more you want to listen to anything else. Less than half of the songs are pretty lackluster, and some songs like Incredible and She's Not Me, are way too long to be that mediocre.… Expand
  30. Amruk
    Sep 19, 2021
    5
    Recycling the same sound over and over throught this album kills it. Listening to whole project doesn't have any sense, hence every song is very similar to another. Listening to songs individually is much better, and they click then. Because of that I would argue that 'Hard Candy' is not only Madonna's worst album I've listened to, but also her attempt to do something like Drake doesRecycling the same sound over and over throught this album kills it. Listening to whole project doesn't have any sense, hence every song is very similar to another. Listening to songs individually is much better, and they click then. Because of that I would argue that 'Hard Candy' is not only Madonna's worst album I've listened to, but also her attempt to do something like Drake does nowadays. And also a bad attempt to ride Timbaland sound.
    However, even though that whole album is one-sound mush, there are some highlights. "4 Minutes" shows true Timbaland and Danja glory, while "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" is still similar to rest of non-singles, it's darker, and more enjoyable. Album closer "Voices" is the darkest song out there, and the most distinctive - it doesn't sound like anything on the album. I also like "Give it 2 Me", "Miles Away", "Heartbeat", "Beat Goes On", and "Dance 2Night".
    However too much cohesiveness it's not the only flaw here. "She's Not Me" and "Incredible" are stretched out to 6 minutes...why? Cut those unnecessery outros! "She's Not Me" is sucha sassy song, but it's dragged down with its leangth...    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Most Discussed Album of 2008
31
#31 Most Shared Album of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Blender
    80
    It's fun to hear here negotiate the contours of Top 40 pop for the first time since "Like A Prayer," without any European house music hose-head gumming up the pleasure and catharsis with mediative schmaltz. [May 2008, p.73]
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  2. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    Candy finds her dropping her Kabbalah string on the dance floor and readopting an American accent to offer up an unpretentious, nonstop dance party.
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  3. Observer Music Monthly
    80
    Whenever Hard Candy threatens to get boring, something always happens to recapture your interest, but the three songs in which Madonna actually seems to forge a genuine connection with her musical helpmeet leave the rest of the album in the shade.
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