In 2005, Warner PR Liz Rosenberg declared that Madonna never reflects, always moving forward. But after a riding accident left her laid up, she re-emerged 'like a bullet from a gun' with Confessions on a Dance Floor - a glorious disco-driven album that, until last week, remained her last great record. Now, Madonna has pressed rewind to move forward, and beneath the bangers fizz a host of emotionally charged memories.

Madonna has always been militantly anti-nostalgia, but constantly pushing forward has often backfired. Her 2010s output - from the muscular funk of Hard Candy to the globe-straddling Madame X - was inconsistent and confusing. Leaving Warner Records in 2007 started the decline: lucrative deals with Live Nation and Interscope brought pressure to recoup investment, leading to songwriting camps and production by committee. As Madonna complained to Rolling Stone in 2015, 'working with people who can’t get off their phone, can’t stop tweeting, can’t focus and finish a song.'

Now, a look back at Confessions has revitalised her music, producing her most vital album in two decades. Who knew nostalgia could be so productive?