Erotica

Madonna released EROTICA around the same time she released her Sex book, and that's exactly what it sounds like. The title song has a sensuously static groove over which she commands, "put your hands all over my body". "Where Life Begins" demands that you do something a whole lot more intimate (and quite unrepeatable here) to her. The CD booklet has a photo of Madonna in bondage. To get across the album's naughty feel, Madonna dispensed with the pop prettiness of LIKE A PRAYER and returned to her hard-core dance club roots. mais...

She and co-producer Shep Pettibone, who had made his name as a club DJ and dance remixer, craft some alluring bad-girl grooves (catch the ocean-deep bass on "Waiting") while still managing to keep things catchy. "Deeper And Deeper " is celebratory dance-pop (with a brief Latin break that nods to the music's true roots) and "Rain" stands among Madonna's major ballads. There's a strange heaviness amidst the fun, games and bondage on EROTICA, which "In This Life" goes a long way toward explaining: It's about AIDS and homophobia. At her naughtiest and most R-rated, Madonna still carries a message, and it resonates well beyond the dance floor.