The great thing about Madonna is that nothing ever stops her. Since *American Life*, her latest effort, an electro-chic album, did not achieve its objective (in terms of sales, the only reliable barometer for La Ciccone), she spent 2003 appearing in commercials and passionately kissing Britney Spears, on the MTV Awards stage no less, a trivial but effective way to bring the young contender back to basics. Madonna cleverly reverses her stance just days before Christmas by releasing this mini-album of rock remixes (you get the gist), produced by men with funny machines. While "Nothing Fails" works rather well, the same cannot be said for "American Life," revamped with virulence but without flavor, oscillating between sickly metal and bland pap that never helped anyone grow. To console themselves, the friendly voyeurs who make up the majority of Madonna's audience will turn to the "Like A Virgin/Hollywood" medley, in which Madonna is slightly upstaged by guest performers (Britney, Missy Elliott), or "Your Honesty," an unreleased track from the *Bedtime Stories* sessions, not rock by any stretch, but much better produced than the rest.
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