WORTH A LOOK?: ****

Madonna (Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona) chooses not to ape Hung Up, the all-conquering, chart-topping, ABBA-sampling banger that launched album Confessions On A Dancefloor 21 years ago.

• Read on for reasons including how Madonna is perpetuating her career by growing old both joyously and disgracefully and we wouldn’t have it any other way

I Feel So Free lyrically harks back to 1985’s all-conquering, chart-topping banger Into The Groove but is deep house reminding of Giorgio Moroder producing Donna Summer recalling Future Lovers from the original Stuart Price era Confessions.

It’s Erotica-era spoken word that begins: ‘Thanks for coming’ before venturing: ‘Out here on the dancefloor I Feel So Free‘ while sampling Lil Louis’ late 80s UK charttopper French Kiss.

Marvin Burns earns a French Kiss writing credit and Lil Louis provides additional vocals noting: ”By the way it all started like this.’

For the uninitiated, 15th studio album Confessions II is released in July and I Feel So Free is the classy lead-off track promising Madonna understands this is her best song since 2006’s Jump from the original Confessions and that it matters little that her last UK top 30 single was 2014’s Living For Love.

We last saw her live in Barcelona in 2023 writing: ‘Madonna brings her director’s eye, her actress’s understanding of drama and her musician’s intimacy with her 40-year treasure trove of hits and deep cuts to tell the story of her life – and it’s everything we’ve always wanted from her and the best gig we’ve ever seen.’

She’s the biggest living star on the planet, perpetuating her career by growing old both joyously and disgracefully and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

The original Confessions was the joyous creative reinvention that this Madonna fan wanted from the Queen Of Pop then and Confessions II promises no less on this evidence currently.

• Main pictures via Facebook courtesy Madonna Tickets
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