Madonna takes us to Danceteria with her 'Confessions II' album: Euronews Culture's verdict

Madonna releases her highly-anticipated album 'Confessions II', a spiritual sequel to 2005's 'Confessions on a Dance Floor'. Madge fan Mikhail Calvez delves into the tracklist and assesses whether the dance floor is still alive in 2026. After a series of commercial and critical flops, Madonna has released her long-awaited 'Confessions II' album - a continuation of the successful 'Confessions on a Dance Floor' (2005). Fans, especially gay fans, have been yearning for a new dance album from the Queen for a long time - and now they finally have it. Fans around the world gathered to get their hands on the album and be among the first to listen to it, with many raving about it non-stop on release day. One of the places where a special Madonna event was organised was Lyon, France. At the release celebration, fans gathered outside a vinyl store at around 10:30pm, with sales starting only at midnight. "I live in a small city near Lyon and came here by car just to buy the CD and vinyl. I will start listening to it the minute I sit down in the car," said one eager attendee. "My husband is already asleep, but I will listen to the album with my headphones on when I get back home tonight. It's been 10 years!" added another excited fan. One way to explain the excitement surrounding this release is to look at the marketing strategy Madonna's team implemented for 'Confessions II'. The pop star has been teasing the public for a very long time, and the promotion of this album has been nothing short of excellent. From the release of the first single, 'I Feel So Free', a cameo appearance at Sabrina Carpenter's Coachella performance, to a massive partnership with the gay dating app Grindr (which many users found really annoying) and a star-studded NSFW film featuring some of the songs from the album, it's clear that Madonna's marketing team has been working overtime. Now comes the key question: Has Madonna managed to deliver a noteworthy follow-up? The album's visual identity is outstanding – vivid colours, intricate poses by Madonna, but at the same time, the simplicity of it all. The 'Confessions II' brand has been developed by the same company that helped Charli XCX's 'brat' become a success – Special Offer, Inc. The album opens with the mantra-like single 'I Feel So Free', where Madonna states that she wishes to "create a new persona" and "a different identity", which is a bold statement coming from one of the most important singers in the history of the music. In this house-style track, Madonna introduces the central theme of the whole album: the dance floor. The song itself is reminiscent of Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love', with the repetitive use of the title throughout the track. Madonna, however, gives it its own feel by including sensitive vocals and plenty of moaning. Sexy, isn't it? The second track, 'Good For The Soul', has a seamless transition. Madonna had envisioned 'Confessions on a Dance Floor' to be a non-stop party but that was not achieved at the time. In 2025, she rereleased the album that followed her vision, however, the transitions in 'Confessions II' are much better and exciting.The vocals are processed quite heavily; however, they fit the electropop sound of the song. The strings, especially towards the end, are the cherry on top, tying the song together particularly well. 'One Step Away' starts with yet another statement from Madonna, saying that "people think dance music is superficial" and that she believes people "have got it all wrong". The song mixes classical instruments such as piano and strings with an electro beat. The vocals sound natural and clean, proving naysayers wrong: Madonna can still sing at 67. The beat of the song, nonetheless, is repetitive and feels as though there is little development. Still, DJs will have a great time with this one. Yet another flawless transition leads into 'Bring Your Love', featuring pop princess Sabrina Carpenter. It's the second single and was premiered at this year's Coachella Festival during Carpenter's set. One thing that stands out is the change in the song's sound compared to its initial release – and it sounds good. 'Bring Your Love' follows the so-called "pop formula", which makes it instantly stick in your head. Sabrina and Madonna have "something to talk about", so what is it? Danceteria is the answer - the iconic nightclub where Madonna used to party and got her tape played for the very first time. The singer proves that she can rap while telling us the story of what went down at this place. She also name-drops a lot of people, like she did in 'Vogue', but this time the focus in on Hollywood celebrities. The song starts a bit abruptly, but this is quickly forgotten once you get into the track. Another interesting choice is the beat change closer to the end of the song: it sounds like a remix of the first part of the song. An ideal party track. 'Read My Lips' features the Colombian singer Feid. The track has a nice upbeat feel, with more acoustic instruments and sounds characteristic of traditional Latin music. It feels like Madonna really wanted Bad Bunny, but he was not available. Feid sings in Spanish, while Madge sings in English, telling us at the end to "shut your mouth". 'Everything' starts with an intimate, acoustic sound - strings and solo, less heavily processed vocals - but then it all changes. We get blasted with electro and techno beats featuring looped vocals. It is a safe bet to say that this song will be played in many techno clubs. Is Madonna attempting to go further than the disco dance floor? If that is the case, she is doing it right. The track returns to the classical instruments at the end, nicely rounding off the story. The third single follows. 'Love Sensation' sounds very similar to 'Bring Your Love', especially in the chorus. If you were to play these tracks one after the other, you would think they were the same song. The track is fun and gives off more disco vibes - but nothing exceptional here. The lyric "there's nothing that we cannot do" is somewhat tiring. 'Love Without Words' is another house track inviting the public to the dance floor. Literally. She literally begs the listener to come to the club. The pop song sounds quite experimental as it features chopped-up vocals and a beat switch. Carrying the story forward with futuristic synths is 'Bizzare', which features Martin Garrix. It sounds nice, but again follows a repetitive pop-song formula that ultimately makes the tune sound dull. Despite this, Garrix does a great job, as his signature touch is very noticeable. Dance floor, dance floor, dance floor... Madonna's key theme is front and center, and by this point in the album, many listeners will wish she could move on to another topic. No such luck with 'School', an experimental track with distorted electro sounds, repetitive lyrics and, at times, masculine-sounding vocals. Nice to dance to, sure, but not very memorable. There's finally a break from the formula with 'Fragile', which opens with another Madonna monologue - this time about the philosophy of life. This song sounds like the old Madonna - specifically the her 'Ray of Light' and 'Erotica' eras. The track does not have the highest BPM, and it is quite difficult to imagine hearing it in a club, but lifelong Madonna stans will lap it up. From "Je suis désolée" to "Je n'étais pas perdue; J'étais juste cassée; Ils ont essayé de me faire tomber; Je m'en fous," Madonna seems to be making progress on her French-language journey while getting help from Stromae on the song 'My Sins Are My Savior'. If you expect the Belgian singer to sing - sorry to disappoint - he only speaks. The track sounds very 90s, making the listener want to move slowly, carefully and gracefully. On top of that, the choice of samples is interesting - it feels like Madonna used the song 'Erotica' to create this atmosphere. 'Betrayal' continues the same feel. The track features many classical instruments and sounds personal, often emotional. It joins 'The Test', co-sung by Madonna's daughter Lola Leon, as another track that explores the singer's private life. It radiates warm lyrics and energy and her daughter's vocals sound unique. Despite these positives, the question of whether these final tracks are necessary arises, as they do not really follow the upbeat, high-energy dance music that defines the rest of the album. The closing track 'L.E.S. Girl' closes this dance inferno with beautiful, less heavily processed solo vocals accompanied by an intricate instrumental. Madonna feels "vocally naked", giving us a glimpse of who she really is behind all the sass, fame, clothes and makeup - and the listener feels it. Madonna urges us to get out of our shells, go out, feel liberated and be different - something many people have forgotten how to do, according to her. At this point in her career, she references her own work - whether it is 'Confessions II – The Film' or her 1992 album 'Erotica'. It was a good call on her part to invite the legendary pop producer Stuart Price to collaborate on the album - and they did a great job. We go back in time to rediscover that Madonna while simultaneously moving forward. 'Confessions II' is definitely not a masterpiece; however, it feels like a breath of fresh air for both Madonna and the public. While the album feels uneven and at some points sounds repetitive, it is arguably her best since 2015's 'Rebel Heart'. With this release Madonna proves Charli XCX wrong when she said the dance floor was dead. We still have a dancefloor icon - and we love to hear it.