Madge isn't ready to give up her rightly-earned Queen of Pop crown - or the uber-sexualized superstar image that propelled her to fame. This is plainly evident on the cover of Hard Candy, the 11th studio album of her two-and-a-half decade-long career, which features the mother of three straddling for the camera with a classic come-hither look. While Madonna's propensity for pushing boundaries - both sexual and cultural - remains entrenched, her latest endeavor proves that her beats are more malleable. Enlisting the help of the current hip-hop demigods-namely Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams-she produces an album with a slick urban sensibility that centers on her pop-dance roots. Although Hard Candy proves Madonna's ability to adopt a modern feel, the record fails to distinguish the pop icon from the other tart-stars currently gyrating their way through Top 40 radio.

By including a variety of movers and shakers on her new album, Hard Candy is a decidedly un-Madonna record. The disc's first single, the overplayed "4 Minutes," features Madonna in a supporting role to Timbaland's tight bass beats and Timberlake's slick 'n' smooth lines. The song plays as a mix between marching band fanfare and late-night clubbing shenanigans. The brass sound effects over Timbaland's pulsating beats add to this effect, creating a song you can shake your ass to on a night out at Rick's or on an otherwise boring drive to work. The song is a happy medium between Madge's trepid experimentations with urban beats and her desire to stay true to her pop-queen roots.

Her reported second single, "Give It 2 Me," stays true to the classic dance beats that made her a star. Over a classic, semi-disco wavelength, Madonna plays up her overtly sexual image - as if it wasn't apparent enough in the track's title - singing that she's "Got no boundaries and no limits / If there's excitement, put me in it / If it's against the law, arrest me / If you can handle it, undress me." However, the song unsuccessfully attempts to visit the contemporary music realm when the singer robotically tells her listeners to "get stupid." The only person who sounds stupid is the 49-year-old performer, who resembles an almost eager-to-please mother reverberating the latest "hip" lingo in order to appeal to her increasingly younger audience.

One of the album's arguably better tracks is "Heartbeat," a Neptunes-produced homage to the beats of the '80s. The song plays as a mishmash of Cyndi Lauper-esque tunes, occasionally sliced with the pulsating, heartbeat-like beat that gives the song its title. The song returns to the contemporary in its bridge when Madge suggestively articulates how her "booty get down like," clearly attempting to pull off her best Gwen Stefani impression. As with the last track, these added vocals sound somewhat out-of-place, although they will clearly be a popular addition for clubgoers who are also gettin' their booties down.

With a balanced mix between Timbaland's "Promiscuous Girl"-esque beats ("Candy Shop") and the simple poppy splendor that put Madonna on the map ("Incredible"), Hard Candy is caught in two competing arenas. The singer has certainly matured since her "Like a Virgin" days and has been experimenting with more up-to-the-minute beats since her critically-acclaimed 1997 hit Ray of Light. On her latest release, Madonna continues to bridge the gap between her reigning days of pop stardom in the '80s and '90s to the realm of up-and-coming dance-based acts. While this attempt leaves Hard Candy a bit disjointed at times, the album remains a tribute to the singer's incessant ability to churn out dance-worthy hits.

Madonna

"Hard Candy"

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Warner Brothers