0093624790228. Pre-Owned: Good condition. CD. True Blue is the album where Madonna truly became Madonna the Superstar -- the endlessly ambitious fearlessly provocative entertainer who knew how to outrage spark debates get good reviews -- and make good music while she s at it. To complain that True Blue is calculated is to not get Madonna -- that s a large part of what she does and she is exceptional at it but she also makes fine music. What s brilliant about True Blue is that she does both here using the music to hook in critics just as she s baiting a mass audience with such masterstrokes as Papa Don t Preach where she defiantly states she s keeping her baby. Her real trick here however is transcending her status as a dance-pop diva by consciously recalling classic girl group pop ( True Blue Jimmy Jimmy ) to snag the critics while deepening the dance grooves ( Open Your Heart Where s the Party ) touching on Latin rhythms ( La Isla Bonita ) making a plea for world peace ( Love Makes the World Go Round ) and delivering a tremendous ballad that rewrites the rules of adult contemporary crossover ( Live to Tell ). It s even harder to have the entire album play as an organic cohesive work. Certainly there s some calculation behind the entire thing but what matters is the end result one of the great dance-pop albums a record that demonstrates Madonna s true skills as a songwriter record-maker provocateur and entertainer through its wide reach accomplishment and sheer sense of fun. [Warner Bros. 2001 reissue included two bonus tracks.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Rovi