Ok, so I’m hearing mixed reactions to Madonna’s recent forays into the hip-pop world where she’s made fast friends with heads of state Pharell, Timbaland and Timberlake. True, Madonna has a history of appropriating cultures to boost her celebrity. True, Madonna is 50 and it could be argued that she belongs closer to a retirement home than a club. But also true is the fact that Timbaland and Timberlake are talented enough to make chart-dominating pop music that you won’t want to kick out of your iPod in the morning.

Add Pharell and Kanye West to that equation (the other contributors to Madonna’s new album, Hard Candy) and it becomes very hard to make an argument against giving it a listen. Madonna’s no fool, and she’s wisely aligned  herself with some of the most exciting and talented  hip-hop and pop producers of today. The result? As far as I can hear, I definitely wouldn’t kick it out of my iPod.

Hard Candy is out 4/29