Last year, the world got to hear a new Madonna album: the demo tracks to “Rebel Heart.” Just this past month, however, it was released in its final form. Peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 behind the soundtrack to the breakout TV hit “Empire,” this may be a sign that Madonna’s work is irrelevant to the current music industry. Nonetheless, many of her best records never topped the chart, and her empire still stands today. She’s performed during the past two Grammy Awards ceremonies, her past two tours have been two of the highest-grossing tours by female artists ever and she’s still got the controversial viewpoints, naturally.

So what can one say about the music itself – getting to the “Rebel Heart” of the matter? It’s a beast of an album. With 14 tracks on the standard edition alone, a listener may be tempted just to make a playlist of her past songs about heartbreak, rebellion and love – and there’d be plenty of great options in that case. But regardless of the fillers like “HeartBreakCity,” the Kylie Minogue-esque “Hold Tight” and the cowbell-ified “Body Shop,” this record has proven to be her most invigorating set of music in a decade.

She hit the nail on the head with today’s slang, with the tongue-in-cheek “Holy Water,” the Nicki Minaj collaboration “Bitch I’m Madonna,” and the Kanye-co-produced “Illuminati.” She can still work from the bedroom (check bonus tracks “S.E.X.” or “Best Night”) to the dance floor (“Unapologetic Bitch” and lead single “Living for Love”). She proves the pop ballad is here to stay with her single “Ghosttown,” a highlight of the apocalyptic-themed tracks on the album.

Her most captivating songs, however, are the most self-referential and the most mysterious. In her most recent material, Madonna has become much more vocal about her career. This record continues the trend with the listener getting the artist’s own point of view on her career with “Veni Vidi Vici,” rife with namechecks of her own hits, as well as the inspirational bonus track “Rebel Heart.” As far as mystery, Madonna goes for minor-chord moods not unlike album cuts of Beyonce’s self-titled album. The uptempo “Iconic,” featuring Chance the Rapper and a spoken intro by Mike Tyson, showcases Madonna’s third-person lyrics reaching for anthemic yet “iconic” proportions. The ballad “Wash All Over Me” recalls the sonic landscape of Tears for Fears over a slow piano and militaristic drum beat.

Madonna’s longevity in music is a recurring subject of the album. She elaborates on several metaphors of survival, apocalypse and uncertainty. This proves most endearing in “Joan of Arc,” the best ballad on the album and the proof behind the heart in “Rebel Heart.”