Madonna's "Celebration"

Madonna is more than ready to be done with Warner Bros. Records, aptly titling her brand-new lead single "Celebration." Unlike the icy faux hip-hop of Hard Candy, her latest track takes on the character of the 80's dance queen audiences fell head-over-heels in love with. Whether or not this proves to be a smart move on Madge's part remains to be seen.

"Celebration" at its core is a 21st century update of "Into the Groove," effortlessly inviting listeners to an insistent if relatively mild dance melody. The track doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the equation, but this is most likely a calculated move on Madonna's part. In the past ten years, audiences have experienced Madonna the R&B artist, Madonna the Disco Queen, Madonna the Folk Songstress, etc. Understandably exhausted fans need a breather from all the re-invention every once-in-awhile, and "Celebration" is her way of bringing it back full-circle.

In a year that's seen a return to dance (Lady Gaga, David Guetta, Cascada), Madonna's involvement was almost seeming overdue. In a sensible pairing, Madge leans on Paul Oakenfold's expertise in both the writing and production of "Celebration." One can see Oakenfold's obvious hand in the spacious grooves and warm electronic tonal qualities.

Lyrically, the song veers from "Candy Shop"-level misogyny, a relief to those sick of "Madonna the Sell-Out." However, "Human Nature" this is not, nor is it intended to be. Case in point: "Come join the party... 'Cause everybody wants to dance with you." If you're looking for some sort of coded social statement, good luck. Just thank Paul Oakenfold for averting another "Candy Shop"-style lyrical train wreck.

Nothing new here, just good fun. A nice summer diversion and segue into the next phase of Madonna. Aimed squarely at her original gay-clubbing fan base, think of it as a "thank you" of sorts, reminiscent and good-spirited. On that level, it works just fine.