45. Madonna ‘Madame X’ (Interscope)
In a nutshell: The ultimate pop icon taps into the Latin pop zeitgeist.
On her best in album in years, Madonna returned under the guise of ‘Madame X’, an alter-ego that encompassed roles of a mother, child, teacher, spy, nun, saint, and more. The album that shared her new pseudonym was similarly imaginative, pulling together inspiration from the Latin-pop and Batuque music she’d been exposed to since moving to Lisbon, Portugal. Ultimately, ‘Madame X’ represented an eclectic, masterful new phase that stood tall amid her inimitable back catalogue.
NME
