The events and aftermath of 9/11 undoubtedly inspired a lot of people to begin to question the culture and politics of America. It certainly affected Madonna, who had long shaken off the shock-provocation imagery that was an integral part of her artistry. As her home country found itself on the precipice of war with Iraq she felt that she needed to express her unease and queries with the political climate through her next album.

This next album was 2003's "American Life", which saw her collaborating a second time with producer and electronic musician Mirwais Ahmadzaï, building upon the hybrid folk/electronica sound similar to her previous record "Music". Unlike "Music" however, the album received a polarized reaction from critics and fans and only lukewarm sales from the public. The consensus being that Madonna's attempt at making a grand cultural statement was clumsy and on-the-nose, and insincere.

So of course this infamous record would make its way to an episode of Jukebox Zeroes with Lilz & Patrick. To properly dig into "American Life" we've recruited some audiophile nerds of the highest caliber: Ashleigh & Maggie of the music history podcast Rock Candy! Join them as they dig through the depths of one of Madonna's most contentious records, and hopefully come out the other end in one piece.

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