Namo i think the thing that is interesting is that you can say all you want that us fans are trying to convince ourselves that the new album is good because we mention the fact its had great reviews, but the fact of the matter is......the album has had great reviews. The critics are not invested in her career, they are just reviewing the album, as they did with American Life what they did not like or Hard Candy that they found empty. So the critics have praised it and the fans have praised it, but apparently according to you she is someone who is no longer trying.
I love having banter with you about Madonna (i think people think we hate each other and dont realise that we have chatted privately and get along fine lol)but it becomes harder to find a point in what you say when at the moment in time you seem to be one of very few saying it, yet you seem to think if you repeat the same thing (comparing her to Bowie now, an artist who cant chart, a legacy artist etc) that it makes it true, your unusual negative fascination with her stops you from taking a breath and basing an opinion on the now.
It's also scrapping the bottom of the barrel when you have to mention her arms or hands, i mean really? that's something you expect from a teenager who thinks anyone older than the cast of 90210 is 'gross' or a ****ty tabloid trying to fill column space. Yes she is 53, yes she is getting older, yes she is an older woman in a youth saturated market, big deal. She looks fantastic (and before people scream photo shop she looked great on the Superbowl performance), but the remarks regarding the fact she is getting older are just kinda boring and juvenile.
Do i think you will enjoy MDNA? Probably not, it's very heavy dance/techno and retro 80s beats and i kinda get that feeling thats not your thing. I think the only way you would appreciate her was if she did something more Ray of Light. Well she did Ray of Light already, it's great, but she did it. The simple truth here is that you dont like her, you never will. So us fans can scream at the top of our lungs that this album is an album that we can be very excited about because its a return to form, the critics can call it her best album since Ray of Light, but it will never make any difference to you. Your mind is made up, opinion is out there, nothing will change it.
However
Just because YOUR opinion of her is so negative it does not reflect what all the public are thinking, no matter how many times you say it. Now i will mention as a fan that the critics are loving the album, thats not to 'convince myself to love the album', that's because i agree with them, it's a damn good album, screwed up, insane, darker than normal dance music but damn good.
If i had not liked the album i would have said. I hated Bedtime Stories, half of American Life put me to sleep, i think This Used to be my Playground is one of the worst songs ever and her version of American Pie made me want to bleed from the eyes. I am a fan of her as an artist, that does not mean i am a misguided fan of everything she does. Like my favourite actors, writers etc she has to prove herself, and on this album she has.
Namo i love u but we get it already....you don't like Madonna