You’d hope that after 30 years in the game, one would hit a type of career cruise control. After all, that type of longevity is deserving of props, however begrudgingly. Well, that’s not the case if you’re Madonna. From day one, the material girl has always been a polarizing figure, but even putting her social provocations aside, she’s been dismissed as a producer’s product of little actual talent. And despite all of the proof to the contrary, there are still people who will deny that at the very least she has some classic jams. Love her or loathe her, though, one has to acknowledge there’s no quit in her. At a time when she could be resting on her laurels, she instead has returned with her 13th album, Rebel Heart (Interscope Records).

Rebel Heart has had a very fitful birth. First the working title, Unapologetic Bitch, was jettisoned for a more Wal-Mart friendly moniker. But more significantly there was a massive leak that pushed Madonna to release six songs months earlier than planned. Then there was another leak and yet another, so by all reports Madonna rushed to get the album completed and out. In addition, there has been a number of pre-release social media stumbles that brought attention, but not the kind she would have preferred. Regardless of the hoopla, though, it was always going to be a challenging release. Reportedly working with more than 12 different production teams and generating enough material for a double album, Madonna didn’t seem to quite know what the album would be. The answer, as it turns out, is a whole bunch of things.

Madonna has been around long enough to change styles multiple times, while always staying one step ahead of the mainstream. But with 2008’s Hard Candy, she seemed to have a late career crisis of staying “relevant.” To that end she tapped Danja, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, and the Neptunes. Rebel Heart continues on that path with Diplo, Kanye West, Avicii, DJ Dahl, and a number of other current hit makers manning the boards.

Madonna is always at her best when she makes things look effortless, and conversely, at her worst when she tries too hard. Rebel Heart has both ends of the spectrum in equal measures. The good part is that Madonna still has a great ear for production. Her collaborations with Diplo (“Living for Love,” “Unapologetic Bitch,“ and “Bitch I’m Madonna”) will make you want for an entire record from the two. But even on the mid-tempo ballads, she knows how to craft a track that doesn’t overwhelm her, and significantly, she always sounds like herself. While that might seem like a weird thing to highlight, amongst all of the studio trickery, she sounds like a human. She could have Auto-tuned it up, but instead she played it straight.

The bad is that when Madonna tries to hard, it’s like the first time you heard your aunt say “bling bling!” The drug references and cursing sound clumsy and like poor attempts to be “edgy.” The sex songs—particularly the Kanye West–helmed “Holy Water”—are heavy-handed attempts at shock value with refrains like “Yeesus loves my pussy best!” Then you have “S.E.X.” which is about, well you know. When she is more subtle and playful, as on “Body Shop,” she nails it, but unfortunately Madonna doesn’t know when to stop. Songs such as “Illuminati” could have stayed on the cutting room floor, while elsewhere guest contributions from Nicki Minaj, Chance The Rapper, Nas, and strangely enough, Mike Tyson don’t add anything to the proceedings.

Ironically, Rebel Heart ends up benefiting from its extended running time because it allows the various moods—from heartbroken to dancefloor workouts to defiant anthems to quiet introspection—room to breathe. Also, there’s space to forget the more cringe-worthy moments. As a whole, Rebel Heart is a kind of a messy collection of songs that could probably benefit from better editing, but it also shows why we should still care about Madonna after all is said and done.