Like a Prayer (album) and reflective, at times heavily laden with psychic trauma. You might consider "Like a Prayer" to be [Madonna]'s "Misfits"...or her hour in the confessional box". Sal Cinquemani, from "Slant Magazine", described the album as "a collection of pop confections layered with live instrumentation, sophisticated arrangements, deeply felt lyrics, and a stronger, more assured vocal." The review concluded by declaring "Like a Prayer" "one of the quintessential pop albums of all time. Barry Walters from the "San Francisco Examiner", named the album "[Madonna]'s best and most consistent collection yet [...] the album [where Madonna] crosses the line between craft and inspiration.
Like a Prayer (album) Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of three million units. After the advent of the Nielsen SoundScan era in 1991, the album sold a further 575,000 copies. "Like a Prayer" has sold over 4 million copies in the United States. In Canada, the album debuted at number two on the RPM Albums Chart on May 1, 1989. It remained on that position during four weeks, before dropping to the third position the week of May 29, 1989. The album was present for a total of 37 weeks on the chart, and was certified five times