Is Madonna about to release a surprise album? No!

I’ve had several Madonna fans ask me about Madonna’s upcoming album. I, as well as many others, surely thought that she would unleash a surprise single next week. In fact, people from Interscope never denied the rumors. But it ends up being completely false.

The rumors were fueled by fat slob and psychotic douchebag Roger Friedman of Showbiz411, who was fired from several news outlets in the past because of his poor reporting. His article (and I won’t link to him so he could get another page hit) was just the beginning in a Madonna bashing campaign he talked about during a Music Cares event earlier this year with Elton John. Incidentally, Friedman allegedly started another Madonna bashing campaign in 2006 according to these leaked emails, which he has denied even though both email addresses are legit and the information in them is 100 percent accurate. I can’t say that I’ve liked everything Madonna has done and have criticized her myself, but am shocked that her legal team has done nothing about this man, who has the face only a mother can appreciate.

Now, back to the album. It isn’t done. It isn’t even close to being done. Madonna has recorded enough songs to make two or three albums, but like a photographer, more is better since there is more to choose from in the end. All I know is that Interscope is very impressed with what they have heard, and that’s not just PR hype. We often hear of how “great” an album is by an artist’s PR team and when the album is released, it’s not so good. Madonna’s MDNA is a good example.Early hype and early reviews had the album compared to Ray of Light. But when reality hit, it wasn’t nearly as well received.

However, the good buzz for Madonna’s next project comes from within Interscope. But they are concerned and confused about how the album should be marketed. Should it concentrate on the adult contemporary songs she has recorded (there are quite a few)? If nothing but EDM songs make the final cut, will she be accused of recording another MDNA? Interscope knows that radio won’t play the songs, so they are looking to market the songs in other ways.

One of the songs will likely be used for an upcoming movie. Given how Interscope turned the fortunes of Lady Gaga’s “Applause” around by featuring it in a KIA commercial, you can bet they will use the same method for Madonna. There will be some performances, but not many; Madonna’s management and Interscope are aware of how much Madonna is bashed after any performance she gives these days.

Madonna would be wise to learn from the mistakes of Mariah Carey, Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears and other divas, who face an increasingly ageist music industry. If she wants the album to be any type of success, she has to tone down her image. She has been stuck in a “Look at Me!” rut that is turning off some fans who have stood with her since the beginning. This isn’t about ageism, which I admit Madonna is a victim of more than any other pop star in music history. This is about creativity. Madonna ‘s biggest strength has always been the ability to reinvent herself so much that she comes across as fresh both musically and aesthetically. Her current incarnation has run its course into the ground.

She also has to market the album to her audience, which is largely made up of adults in their 40s and 50s. Marketing the album to teenagers (which she has done for her past two albums) will be a nail in the album’s coffin.

In any case, Madonna is no doubt putting more effort into her latest album than she has in years. Let’s just hope the efforts pay off.