Madonna True Blue (180g Vinyl LP) * * *

The pop icon's third full length effort, 1986's True Blue (a favorite expression of then husband Sean Penn), was a mammoth worldwide success. The album reached #1 in the U.S. and an incredible 27 other countries (at the time unprecedented for a female artist) and spawned five smash singles. The lead track, "Live To Tell," hit #1 in the U.S. and was followed by four more top five tracks: "Papa Don't Preach" (#1), "True Blue" (#3), "Open Your Heart" (#1) and "La Isla Bonita" (#4). The album also cemented her chart domination in the U.K., where "Papa Don't Preach," "True Blue" and "La Isla Bonita" all hit #1. Produced by Madonna, Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard, True Blue reaped her second Grammy Award nomination as "Papa Don't Preach" scored a nod for Female Pop Vocal Performance. The release stands as Madonna's biggest selling studio album worldwide to date, with estimated sales of 25 million.