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''Ray of Light'' is the seventh studio album by American singer Madonna, released on March 3, 1998 by Maverick Records. After giving birth to her first child, Lourdes, Madonna started working on the album with producers Babyface and Patrick Leonard. Following failed sessions with them, Madonna pursued a new musical direction with English producer William Orbit. The recording took place over four months and experienced problems with Orbit's hardware Pro Tools arrangement, which would break down, and recording would have to be delayed until they could be repaired. A major departure from her previous work, ''Ray of Light'' is an electronica record which incorporates several subgenres, including techno, trip hop, drum and bass, ambient, rock, and classical music. Vocally, the album saw Madonna sing with greater breadth and a fuller tone. Mystical themes are also strongly present in both lyrics and music as a result of Madonna embracing Kabbalah, her study of Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as her daily practice of Hatha Yoga. The album received universal acclaim with reviews commending the singer's new musical direction. Called her "most adventurous" record, as well as noting its mature, restrained nature; reviewers also praised Madonna's vocals. ''Ray of Light'' won four Grammy Awards from a total of six nominations. Commercially, the album peaked at number one in many countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. On the US ''Billboard'' 200, the album debuted and peaked at number two, with the biggest first week sales by a female artist at the time. ''Ray of Light'' has sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. Five singles were released from the album including the international hits "Frozen" and "Ray of Light". The album's promotion was later supported by the Drowned World Tour in 2001. Critics and scholars have noted the album's influence on popular music, especially how it widely introduced electronica music into mainstream pop culture. They have also noted the way in which Madonna was able to re-invent herself and remain contemporary amidst the teen pop music of the period. ''Ray of Light'' has been frequently ranked among the greatest albums of all time. ==Background== Following the release of her compilation album ''Something to Remember'' (1995), Madonna started taking vocal lessons in preparation for her role in ''Evita'' (1996). She also gave birth to her daughter, Lourdes, the same year. These events inspired a period of introspection. "That was a big catalyst for me. It took me on a search for answers to questions I'd never asked myself before," she said to ''Q'' magazine, in 2002.〔 During the same period, she embraced Kabbalah and started studying Hinduism and yoga, all of which helped her "step outside () and see the world from a different perspective."〔 Madonna felt that there was a "whole piece" of her voice left unused, which she decided to utilize for the album. By May 1997, Madonna had started writing songs for the album. She began collaborating with Babyface, who had first worked with her on her previous album ''Bedtime Stories''. The two wrote a couple of songs together before Madonna decided the collaborations were not going in the musical direction she wanted for the album. According to Babyface, the songs "had a 'Take a Bow-ish' kind of vibe, and Madonna didn't want, or need, to repeat herself." After abandoning the songs she had written with Babyface, Madonna turned to musician Rick Nowels, who had previously co-written songs with Stevie Nicks and Celine Dion. The collaboration produced seven songs in nine days, but those songs also did not display the album's future electronic musical direction.〔 Three of the songs, called: "The Power of Good-Bye", "To Have and Not to Hold" and "Little Star", appear on the album.〔 Madonna then began writing songs with Leonard, who had produced many songs for Madonna in the late 1980s. Unlike her previous albums, Leonard's song writing collaborations were accompanied by very little studio input. Madonna believed that Leonard's production "would have lent the songs more of a Peter Gabriel vibe", a sound that she did not want for the album.〔 Guy Oseary, chairman of Maverick Records, then phoned British electronic musician William Orbit, and suggested that he send some songs to Madonna.〔 Orbit sent a 13-track digital audio tape to Madonna. "I was a huge fan of William's earlier records, ''Strange Cargo 1'' and ''2'' and all that. I also loved all the remixes he did for me and I was interested in fusing a kind of futuristic sound but also using lots of Indian and Moroccan influences and things like that, and I wanted it to sound old and new at the same time," Madonna said.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ray of Light」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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