Glee: The Power Of Madonna

It's not like Madonna to give away something for nothing, especially as far as her music is concerned (£180 a concert ticket, anyone??!!)
But ever the trend-setter, she also recognises an international phenomenon when she sees one and one with a bandwagon very worthy of jumping on. So it's little wonder she not only gave the producers of Glee permission to use her songs, but also waved any royalties and allowed them a free reign over her back catalogue.

And how did the gang repay her? By (and rightly, so) dedicating an entire episode of the musical comedy to her, accompanied by a mini-album, a seven-track EP, of their tribute to the Material Girl, which is already on course to top the US album charts this weekend.

For a Glee fan such as myself, this was yet another exciting addition not just to my collection of music from the smash-hit show, but to the growing craze that whirls around the fictitious show choir of William McKinley High School and the delight and drama that its kids bring to millions of us Gleeks (that's Glee fans, to those not in the know). And having been a huge Madonna fan back in the day, the combination of the two was enough to fill me with - aptly enough - lots of glee!

So - is it any good? The episode I can't comment on yet - it aired in the States last week and I have resisted the temptation of an internet download so I can watch it with the rest of the UK on E4 tonight. But the EP? Well, let's just say that if that's anything to go by, I will be unavailable in the hour between 9 and 10pm tonight, phone off, vocals warmed up for a sing-a-long, funny bone ready for some serious tickling.

Especially for the legend that is Sue Sylvester, the misanthropist, bitter and angry leader of the Cheerios cheerleaders, who has been hell bent on destroying the Glee club and its leader, Spanish teacher Will Schuester, since the start. So for a character who hates the medium of performing arts with a passion, it came as a quite a surprise to hear actress Jane Lynch's not-so-bad vocals on the album, as she gave a rendition of Madonna's Vogue - with a music video to match that will leave you being unable to tell the difference between her and Madonna herself (her slight tweaking of the narrated part of the album is the giveaway - and an utterly hilarious one too!).

But it's really down to the rest of the kids and their take on some of Miss Ciccone's classic hits such as Like A Virgin, Express Yourself and Like A Prayer that make this EP - and what a tribute they pay, not just one filled with enthusiasm and belting vocals and harmonies, but there is also a sense of awe among these young stars, who probably struggled to remember some of her earlier hits due to the fact they weren't even born at the time they made their chart debut.

Straight off the back of the success of previous mash-ups from the series (who'd have thought Usher and Bon Jovi would be a good combination?! But it worked!), there is a wonderful blend of Borderline and Open Your Heart, while the boys take the lead on What It Feels Like For A Girl, with actor Corey Monteith, who plays quarterback Finn Hudson, providing the opening voiceover once made famous by actress Charlotte Gainsbourg.

With eight more episodes of the first series still to air, and with a second one already been commissioned, I suspect there will be yet more fantastic covers and tributes yet to come from this talented bunch of uprising stars. And I for one can't wait!