When people think of Madonna, they generally think of the material girl of the 1980’s: rude, raunchy and in your face. Seldom would they think of her as a performer or an artist. Ray of Light changed many perceptions about Madonna’s musical and artistic talent. Her life changed by the birth of her daughter and her voice changed by singing lessons on the set of Evita, Madonna puts forth a downright amazing effort on this incredible album. The lyrics are deep and introspective, the vocals are hauntingly beautiful and the background music that accompanies her, even five years later remains fresh and beautiful sounding. The more pensive ballad tracks such as “Drowned World/Substitute For Love,” “Frozen,” “To Have And Not To Hold,” and “Mer Girl” show off a dynamic range of just how different ballads can be in both lyrical content, vocal styling and backgrounds. The smooth wonderment of “Drowned World” sounds very different than the sad echoing of “Frozen” or the playfulness of “To Have…” or the eerie narrative ballad of “Mer Girl.” The mid tempo songs such as “Swim,” “Candy Perfume Girl,” “The Power of Good-Bye” and “Little Star” are equally varied. “Swim” has a southern feel to the backgrounds and vocals fitting with the lyrics about sin and repenting. “Candy Perfume Girl” has a more R&B feel to it, also fitting to the subject matter of the types of relationships between young men and women. “The Power of Good-Bye” is one of the weaker tracks on the album, as it is in classic power ballad form, but with beautifully twisting backgrounds that make up for the song’s lack of originality. “Little Star” is a beautiful piece which sounds like a lullaby for her daughter. Where the album truly excels, however, is in the faster dance tracks, “Ray of Light,” “Skin,” “Nothing Really Matters” and “Sky Fits Heaven.” “Ray of Light” is a frantic, pulsating gem featuring some of Madonna’s most powerful singing and vocal acrobatics. She sings and belts were way through five minutes, towards the end hitting notes I didn’t think existed against backgrounds that are bright and energizing. “Skin” is a darker, more experimental sounding song, yet it quickly picks up with a pounding bass line and a haunting melody. “Nothing Really Matters” is one of her more lyrically deep songs on the track, singing of how her daughter made her realize what was truly important in life. The melody is hauntingly catchy and the backgrounds are tight and well crafted. “Sky Fits Heaven,” one of the best songs on the album, tends to combine the elements of the three previous dance tracks. It features a pounding bass line against swirling electronic blips and crackles, climaxing in a chorus of a hauntingly beautiful main melody set against the echoes of a piano and cello over the bass line. The chorus is only repeated twice in the entire song, ensuring that its hypnotic splendor does not wear out with repeat performances. The album as a whole has a dark, celestial feel to it, haunting, beautiful, and in many ways awe-inspiring.