Hard Candy was Madonna’s previous number-one album in France before Confessions II. Released in 2008, it marked her final studio album issued through Warner Bros. Records before her later partnership with Live Nation led to releases through other arrangements.
Hard Candy continued Madonna’s move toward contemporary dance-pop and R&B, with production and songwriting contributions from collaborators including Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, and Danja. Its lead single, “4 Minutes,” became a major international hit and featured Timberlake and Timbaland.
The wording can cause confusion because Music was also a major Madonna album and reached number one in several markets, while MDNA later achieved strong chart results. However, the relevant comparison is specifically Madonna’s previous French number-one album before Confessions II. In that sequence, Hard Candy is the correct title, released in 2008 and separated from Confessions II by eighteen years.