See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy ADRIAN THRILLS Published: 01:34 BST, 2 July 2026 | Updated: 01:34 BST, 2 July 2026
Confessions II (Warner)Verdict: Back into the groove Rating: four out of five starsMadonna has always been at her best on the dance floor. From 1985's Into The Groove to 1998's Ray Of Light, her roots in New York nightlife have been an ongoing source of inspiration, and it's no surprise to see her returning to her spiritual home – beneath a spinning mirrorball – on her first album in seven years. Confessions II is a sequel to 2005's Confessions On A Dance Floor, which sold ten million copies and is regarded as a career high-point. Madonna made that record with British producer Stuart Price in his London flat, and Price is her main collaborator again here. 'Come and meet me on the dance floor,' she teases on I Feel So Free, one of many tracks that celebrate the dancehall as a refuge from everyday life. The song nods to Donna Summer's I Feel Love and sets the tone for much of what follows. But Confessions II also explores the whys and wherefores of clubbing. This is dance music – the concept album. 'People think dance is superficial, but they've got it all wrong,' states the queen of pop on One Step Away. 'The dance floor is not just a place, it's a threshold: a ritualistic space where movement replaces language.' On Love Without Words, she gives a rundown of her favourite sub-genres: 'Call it trance, call it house... this is a temple of sweat and surrender.' It would all be a little pompous if the music wasn't uniformly excellent. The songs are stitched together as one continuous mix, with Price leaning on his skills as a DJ to control the tempo. Madonna's now gone back to her roots with a love letter to dance music in Confessions II Madonna on stage at her Confessions II pop-up concert in Times Square on June 4 The pace picks up as the album progresses, dipping into 1970s disco and the electronic rhythms of 1980s house music. There are nods to Madonna's heritage, too. Danceteria pays homage to the New York club that shaped her early career. There are also high-powered duets. The singer and Sabrina Carpenter have an obvious chemistry on Bring Your Love, a result of recording their vocals face-to-face.Confessions II is playful, but personal. Fans unaccustomed to Madonna, 67, showing vulnerability will be taken aback by the intimations of mortality on Good For The Soul ('Time is a river we cannot unwind.. don't forget that'). Fragile is an elegy to her brother Christopher, who died in 2024. At 16 tracks and more than an hour long, this comeback could do with a few edits. But there's a sting in the tail: after 12 up-tempo songs the final four are ballads, with Madonna reflecting on what happens when the party ends. In the 21 years since Confessions, she's explored R&B, hip-hop and fado, following trends she used to set. She's now gone back to her roots with a love letter to dance music – and the results suggest we are in for a long, hot Madonna summer.Confessions II is out tomorrow.
