Madonna abandons the European discotheques and turns her attention back to the American dance floor with "Hard Candy," a highly danceable set that combines hip-hop beats with Madge's dance-pop sensibilities. The album's Achilles heel comes from the production work. While Timbaland and Justin Timberlake create great beats, some tracks are so overproduced that Madonna herself is downed out, an afterthought on her own album. The "ballads" ("Miles Away," "Voices") might just be the best songs on the disc; since they're so stripped down Madonna is front and center. "4 Minutes," "Give It 2 Me," and "Incredible" are all up-tempo highlights, but the disc in general seems to jump all over the place - there's no cohesion. "Hard Candy" isn't a bad set, but it's not great either. It's middle of the road from start to finish.