A Pop music icon, Madonna rise to superstardom began in 1983 with her self-titled debut (featuring hits like “Lucky Star” and “Borderline”), reached new heights with 1984’s Like a Virgin (including hits such as “Material Girl” and “Like a Virgin”), but skyrocketed into a different stratosphere with 1986’s True Blue. Crunching the numbers, True Blue was the best-selling album of 1986, the best-selling of the 1980s by a female artist, and is overall one of the best-selling albums of all time. It features five singles, all of which reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100, with three going to number one. Truly a mega album, one would imagine the enormous press to top it with any future release. However, while perhaps nothing ever reached the level of True Blue, the direct follow up of Like a Prayer came pretty close.
Coming three years after True Blue, and two years after 1987’s memorable Who’s That Girl motion picture/soundtrack, 1989’s Like a Prayer galvanized Madonna’s reign of dominance. Released on March 21st of 1989, the album managed to reach the top of the charts in twenty different countries. Beyond this, it is certified quadruple platinum in the United States alone, and featured six massive, chart peaking singles.
Another step forward, Madonna once again worked with Stephen Bray, Patrick Leonard; co-producers/co-writers who assisted in creating the absolutely stellar sound of True Blue. In many ways recapturing the same magic, the album solidified the direction started with True Blue, helping Madonna shed the more Bubble Gum Pop labeling of her earlier days. Those sounds now in the rear-view mirror with the release of True Blue, Madonna was able to continue creating something sophisticated, as well as full of depth with Like a Prayer. Evident from the start with Like a Prayer’s lead single/title-track, the song explored ideas of faith, but with a larger-than-life sound that features cathedral-like backing vocals and choirs. Something that certainly appealed to a more adult audience, the more light-hearted Pop was not completely abandoned by Madonna though; because follow up singles like “Express Yourself” and “Cherish” certainly checked off that box. Both fun listens, interestingly enough, the story goes Madonna herself was not entirely satisfied with how “Cherish” came out in spite of its success.
All of this considered, Like a Prayer’s depth runs far deeper than just the singles. An album in which Madonna explores her own Catholic faith, the loss of her mother, her marriage with Sean Penn, and more, there is a lot to dig into here. Again, like True Blue, the sonic textures in the recordings are impeccable, and some big standouts include “Til Death Do Us Part,” the single “Oh Father,” the very early ‘80s sounding “Keep It Together,” plus the haunting “Spanish Eyes.” These, plus others like the Prince co-produced/co-written “Love Song,” make this an album with significant impact. In all, it was the perfect way for Madonna to close out the ‘80s, with an eye toward more experimentation in the ‘90s with her head-turning 1992 album Erotica, and 1994’s Bedtime Stories.
Now thirty-five years after Like a Prayer’s release, it still holds up as one of Madonna’s best records. Something to celebrate, on September 6, 2024 Rhino and Warner Bros put out a new, limited vinyl edition of the album for all to check out. The second of what is called the Silver Collection, each reissue is pressed to a lovely opaque-silver high-quality vinyl. Launched with a new pressing of True Blue that was released in 2023, Like a Prayer is fitting the second to arrive in the series, complete with stellar sound and classic design.
Featuring the original Like a Prayer art, the inner sleeve includes the lyrics and original credits from the album. Which leads us to the actual record itself, and as stated, it is a sturdy 180-gram wax that makes for an exceptional sound. In truth, there is nothing to dislike about the Madonna Silver Collection. It gives you an opportunity to revisit some of her most beloved albums, but also hold onto a collector piece for years to come. That is why Cryptic Rock recommends investing in the newly released Silver Collection vinyl edition of Like a Prayer, giving it 5 out of 5 stars.
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