The title
Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones
is slightly misleading, suggesting that
Madonna
topped the pop charts 50 times. The
50 Number Ones
in the title of
Finally Enough Love
refer to the hits
placed at the top of Billboard's dance charts, a chart she called home even longer than the pop charts themselves. The last time
placed in the Billboard Top Ten was in 2012, when "Give Me All Your Luvin" peaked at ten, but she remained a dominant presence on the Dance charts into the 2020s, when "I Don't Search I Find" -- a single that lends this compilation its title phrase -- reached number one in 2020. Truth be told,
had more than 50 dance chart-toppers -- "Causing a Commotion" is notable among the absences -- but it's difficult to find fault with a compilation this generous, particularly when it offers such revelations as well. Positioning
as a dance artist helps emphasize her innovations while suggesting she remained a vital part of dance culture for decades. Viewing her through this prism naturally downplays her pop sensibilities and gift for sultry ballads, yet it still comes as a shock that the '80s hits are wrapped up in nine songs, while the '90s are concluded at the collection's 22nd track with "Beautiful Stranger." This means well over half of the collection is devoted to the 21st century, a period when
was a superstar yet only occasionally in center stage. Effectively, this is the photo negative of
Celebration
, the 2009 album that contains all the pop radio staples: where that largely played for comfort, this is percolating and alive, with even the biggest hits being offered in alternate single or video edits or different mixes. The result is a compilation that pushes
's artistry to the forefront, as it shows a musician who continually engages with fashions, trends, and innovations. Certainly, this doesn't tell the entirety of
's story, but it's a crucial chapter to document and, fortunately, it's done so quite thoroughly here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine