Madonna gets ‘Sticky & Sweet’ on live album

Madonna

Sticky & Sweet Tour

Warner Bros. Records

Sticky & Sweet Tour

Warner Bros. Records

Rocks like: The Queen of Pop draws no comparison

Grade: B+

In general, concert albums tend to provide a paradox illustrated by the name of Madonna’s 2008 world tour.

On one hand, it’s sweet that artists offer fans a chance to (sort of) experience their live shows if exorbitant ticket prices or other conflicts prevent fans from attending the concert.

It’s a sticky situation, however, because it also gives fans the feeling of how much they missed.

Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet Tour, her third live album, gives fans of her Madgesty both ends of the spectrum, though it’s an overall positive listening experience. Even though I wasn’t at the concert, it was fun imagining the Queen of Pop putting on an expectedly excellent show as she performs her hits, both old and new.

Opening with “Candy Shop,” a delicious slice of electro pop from Madonna’s last studio album, Hard Candy, the album never lets up its rapid-fire pacing — much like the concert experience itself.

Classics such as “Human Nature” and “Vogue” receive the revamping treatment that make them sound like they would be more at home on a Lady Gaga album than the ’90s hits they really are.

Still, it’s the tracks from Hard Candy that prove how talented the icon really is. Coming from an album that represented Madonna’s ability to adapt and shift her musical style to fit changing trends, “She’s Not Me” and “Spanish Lessons” are two high notes on the album.

“Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You” sees the energy take a harsh dip, but overall, it’s balanced out by “Beat Goes on Medley” (with a Kanye West appearance), and the smash hit “4 Minutes.” No, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland don’t actually appear in the concert, but it’s impossible not to feel their presence.

Finally, “Like a Prayer 2008,” another reworked classic, ends the album on a nostalgic yet optimistic note — even in the age of Gaga and Britney Spears, it’s clear that Madonna still knows how to please her adoring audience.