Best of the 2000s: Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor (4.5/5)

Following the rather unpopular American Life, Madonna bounced back in true form with 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor, a modern all-dance workout of a record showcasing Madonna in top form doing the kind of music she does best. In retrospect, it was a curious move, considering that her last dance concept album--the brilliant and underrated Erotica (1992)--had been her least successful work to date. Nonetheless, Confessions was a success, giving Madonna another U.S. top 10 hit with "Hung Up,"--a feat American Life failed to deliver. In the UK, it was her first album since True Blue to deliver multiple #1 hits--the aforementioned stomper, as well as darker clubby track "Sorry." While nods to '70s disco show up with the Abba sample in "Hung Up" and Donna Summer in "Future Lovers," there's little that's retro about this thoroughly modern album, thanks to production work mostly by Stuart Price, with a couple tracks from Bloodshy & Avant. If there's one gripe, and it's a small one, the continous mix, while a fun party, creates a bit too much sameness between the songs. Still, there's a lot of great songs here, from the bracing "Get Together" to the upbeat "Jump." Definitely a keeper.

Best: Get Together, Hung Up, Jump, Forbidden Love, Sorry, Future Lovers, How High