Us Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 4)
Back away from the throne, girls.
The 56-year-old Queen of Pop valiantly defends her crown against any would-be successors via a regal 13th studio album.
Backed by a battalion of boldface-name collaborators (Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, even Mike Tyson), Madonna lords over the dance floor with an elaborate array of electronic and hip-hop grooves.
Prime-picks: the transfixing, Yeezy-produced “Illuminati” and “S.E.X.,” as well as five Diplo jewels, highlighted by the house-gospel rave “Living for Love.”
The Material Girl also expresses real Ray of Light vulnerability, imploring “Just hold me while I cry my eyes out,” in the mellifluous “Joan of Arc.”
Alas, there are chinks in her armor. The 19-song set could use some trimming, as one too many throwaways — take the tepid “Inside Out” or “Messiah” — flail in the wake of the superior ballad “Ghosttown.”
On “Veni Vidi Vici,” an autobiographical rouser featuring Nas, she proclaims, “I came, I saw, I conquered.” Almost, m’lady. (Interscope)
