Madonna Veronica Electronica
Madonna's Veronica Electronica arrives as a curated dive into late-90s electronica that often feels like a recovered time capsule rather than a radical reimagining. Across five professional reviews the record earned a 60.2/100 consensus score, and critics repeatedly point to a handful of standout moments that justify the exercise - chiefly “Gone Gone Gone - Original Demo Version”, the various “Drowned World/Substitute for Love” edits, and the “Ray Of Light (Sasha Twilo Mix Edit)”.
The critical consensus privileges nostalgia, remix culture, and the club/house revival at the heart of the project. Reviewers consistently praise the BT and Sasha Bucklodge Ashram New Edit of “Drowned World / Substitute for Love” for transforming the original into a euphoric, acid-tinged centerpiece, while “Gone Gone Gone - Original Demo Version” is singled out by multiple critics as the emotional key that provides closure. Praise also lands on Sasha and Victor Calderone mixes that recast tracks into trance-laced and club-ready flourishes; when the reinterpretations succeed, they reveal fresh textures and vulnerability in familiar material.
At the same time, several critics register disappointment in curatorial choices and missed opportunities. Some reviews note the absence of deeper archival excavation, uneven remix selections, and a few perfunctory edits that make parts of the collection feel undercooked. That balance of admiration for high points and frustration with inconsistency frames Veronica Electronica as a compelling archival release for fans and club aficionados, rather than an essential reinvention of Madonna's catalog. For readers searching for a verdict on whether the album delivers, the consensus suggests selective reward: seek the standout tracks named above and approach the full set with tempered expectations.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Gone Gone Gone - Original Demo Version
3 mentions
"The shining star of Veronica Electronica has to be “Gone Gone Gone (Original Demo Version”"— The Line of Best Fit
Drowned World/Substitute For Love (BT & Sasha's Bucklodge Ashram New Edit)
1 mention
"the DJ duo's groove is insistent enough to lose none of its cathartic power"— Resident Advisor
Drowned World / Substitute for Love - BT & Sasha Bucklodge Ashram New Edit
4 mentions
"“Drowned World / Substitute for Love BT & Sasha’s Bucklodge Ashram New Edit” is less a remix, more a continuation of the original."— The Line of Best Fit
The shining star of Veronica Electronica has to be “Gone Gone Gone (Original Demo Version”
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Drowned World / Substitute for Love - BT & Sasha Bucklodge Ashram New Edit
Ray of Light - Sasha Twilo Mix Edit
Skin - Peter & Victor's Collaboration Remix Edit
Nothing Really Matters - Club 69 Speed Mix Meets the Dub
Sky Fits Heaven - Victor Calderone New Edit
Frozen - Widescreen Mix and Drums
The Power of Good-Bye - Fabien's Good God Mix Edit
Gone Gone Gone - Original Demo Version
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 7 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Madonna’s Veronica Electronica is presented as a missed opportunity rather than a revelatory best-of; the review keeps returning to how a thrilling prospect was rendered slight and ill-considered. Owen Myers singles out “Drowned World / Substitute for Love” and “Sky Fits Heaven” as the moments that still hit, praising BT and Sasha’s Euro banger edit and Victor Calderone’s turbo-charged final chorus. He notes that other choices, like the literal synth stab of “Skin” and the odd selection of Fabien’s Good God Mix of “The Power of Goodbye”, make the collection feel undercooked. The narrative lands on the album’s lack of William Orbit involvement and its failure to excavate the weird offcuts that Veronica Electronica promised.
Key Points
-
The best song is best because BT and Sasha's edit of "Drowned World / Substitute for Love" reconfigures despair into a propulsive Euro banger.
-
The album's core strength is that a few remixes still hit emotionally, but overall it fails to deliver the adventurous unearthed material Veronica Electronica promised.
Themes
Critic's Take
Madonna's Veronica Electronica reads like a recovered time capsule, where the best songs - “Drowned World/Substitute for Love”, “Ray of Light”, and “Gone, Gone, Gone” - reveal why this era mattered. The reviewer's voice pulls you through trance-laced openings and club-thumping intensity with exacting attention to production, noting how Sasha and BT make “Drowned World/Substitute for Love” a meditative portal while “Ray of Light” stretches into heavier synth territory. The unreleased demo “Gone, Gone, Gone” is presented as the emotional key, the plainspoken closure that settles the record into truth. The narrative celebrates the album as a restored chapter rather than a rewriting, valuing rare intimacy alongside late-90s euphoria.
Key Points
-
The unreleased demo 'Gone, Gone, Gone' is the album's emotional centerpiece because of its stripped, vulnerable intimacy.
-
The album's core strength is presenting late-90s remix culture as a time capsule, balancing club euphoria with moments of genuine feeling.
Themes
mu
Re
Critic's Take
Madonna's Veronica Electronica reads like a nostalgia trip more than a revelation, offering pleasures but few surprises. The review savours the club-ready highs of “Drowned World/Substitute For Love” and “Ray Of Light” while lamenting the lack of unheard material, which leaves the set feeling reheated rather than revelatory. Jake Indiana's voice is wry and slightly scolding, praising the remixes' euphoria but insisting this is not the game-changing companion fans craved. For listeners asking "best songs on Veronica Electronica" or "best tracks on Veronica Electronica," the loudest recommendations here are the Sasha/BT “Bucklodge Ashram New Edit” and the Sasha Twilo mix of “Ray Of Light” for their sustained club power.
Key Points
-
The Sasha/BT “Bucklodge Ashram New Edit” stands out for retaining cathartic dancefloor energy despite being condensed.
-
The album's core strength is its affectionate revival of late '90s trance and club remixes, though it disappoints fans wanting unheard material.
Themes
Critic's Take
The best songs on Veronica Electronica are those that recast familiar moments into unexpected pleasures. Callum Foulds writes with affectionate clarity that “Gone Gone Gone (Original Demo Version” is the shining star, because its imperfection paradoxically preserves the original magic. He also highlights the riotous fun of “Ray of Light (Sasha Twilo Mix Edit)” and the era-soaked revelry of “Sky Fits Heaven (Victor Calderone Future New Edit)” as top tracks that make this remix collection worth seeking out.
Key Points
-
“Gone Gone Gone (Original Demo Version” is best for preserving raw, ethereal magic despite being unfinished.
-
The album's strengths are joyful reinvention, nostalgia, and successful moments of unfamiliarity in remixing.
Themes
Critic's Take
Madonna’s Veronica Electronica finds its best moments in bold reworkings rather than gentle retreads, with “Drowned World / Substitute for Love - BT & Sasha Bucklodge Ashram New Edit” turned into a DayGlo acid rager and “Gone Gone Gone” offering a brilliantly weird peek behind the curtain. Shaad D’Souza’s tone is admiring and analytical: he praises Fabien’s brazen drum’n’bass for “The Power of Good-Bye” and lauds the emotional reframe of “Drowned World/Substitute for Love” while calling out the perfunctory Club 69 take on “Nothing Really Matters”. The review positions these as the best tracks on Veronica Electronica because they either recontextualise the originals with surprising clarity or reveal previously hidden creative impulses. Overall, the record is worth listening for the high points and the rare archival treasures, even if not every remix lands.
Key Points
-
The best song is the Drowned World/Substitute for Love edit because it radically recontextualises the original into a euphoric acid rager.
-
The album’s core strengths are imaginative reworks that reveal new emotional or sonic facets of the original tracks and the value of archival curiosities.