Review

By Karol Dobosz | 13/07/2026

An icon of pop who needs no introduction has returned with a shiny new record: Madonna has dropped Confessions II, a sequel to her 2005 album Confessions on a Dancefloor. The record dives into unapologetic club nostalgia, resurrecting the pulsating disco beats that defined an era, and a track list of songs that often fade into one another seamlessly like a club mixtape. Confessions II is however less of a glance backwards than it is Madonna’s reclamation of her dancefloor throne. The album kicks off with I Feel So Free which reunites Madonna with electronic genius Stuart Price, a past collaborator from Confessions on A Dancefloor. Setting the tone for the rest of the record, the track’s foundation is a deep house soundscape which samples Lil Louis’ 1989 Chicago house classic, French Kiss. So, when the iconic line ‘’Oh, by the way, it all started like this’’ drops, it functions as a historical nod as well an ignition switch for the album’s continuous mix. The production on this track is sleek, chic, and of an intoxicating nature drawing you in. Bleeding seamlessly out of the opener, Good for the Soul locks the listener into the album’s uninterrupted 64-minute mix. The track strips away some of the heavier bass of the previous one in favour of a lighter groove, functioning as a sort of breath of fresh air, offering an airy tempo which feels like a natural progression from the Confessions of 2005. Price’s signature sparkling synths and driving basslines provide the perfect foundation for a track that is designed to keep bodies moving and keeping it simple. The mix flows effortlessly into the 90s-house piano of One Step Away, before a calculated, radio-friendly pivot; Bring Your Love (featuring Sabrina Carpenter) borrows from Inner City’s Good Life, delivering a catchy cross-generational moment whilst slightly missing the mark by failing to tap into Carpenter’s trademark charm and wit, resulting in the collaboration sounding technically sound but slightly sterile and soulless. Madonna then hits her stride again on Dancetaria, which uses a quote of Lou Reed’s ‘’Walk on the Wild Side’’ to paint a vivid portrait of Manhattan in the 1980s. However, the incessant name-dropping of icons such as Basquiat and Haring occasionally toes the line on sounding like a clunky autobiography. The energy then shifts on Read My Lips (featuring Feid), blending Euro-dance with a lively cocktail of Spanish guitar and drums. The record’s midsection suffers from a slight lull on Everything. While the track boasts a genuinely good, driving bassline and an admirable, almost desperate sentiment as Madonna urges people to log off and hit the dancefloor, the execution falters with the slightly jarring ‘’It’s not okay, I don’t fuck with it’’ line which drags down her message. This transitions into the campy School which unfortunately feels even more jarringly silly next to the album’s stronger house cuts. Fortunately, Love Without Words provides an instrumental masterpiece, allowing its acid-synth line to run long without relying on traditional pop structures. The record closes with a strike of vulnerability. Fragile is a devastatingly raw, acoustic-heavy UK garage eulogy to her late brother. The emotional weight of this track is undeniable. Finally, the cinematic closer My Sins Are My Savior brings back her signature religious iconography, capping off a complex, occasionally flawed, yet triumphant return.