Through the Wilderness is a tribute album with contributions from a variety of artists dedicated to American singer Madonna. It was released on November 27, 2007, by Los Angeles-based Manimal Vinyl Records. According to label head Paul Beahan, the idea for the album was conceived by him in a dream. He enlisted multiple artists to work on the project, including Giant Drag, Lavender Diamond, Winter Flowers and Chapin Sisters. Although he's not a fan of Madonna, Beahan wanted to see how her songs would sound when covered by different musicians. Through the Wilderness is a psychedelic-folk tribute to Madonna without adhering to any particular coherent sound. The cover songs were composed differently from the original versions by the performers; they changed the melody of the Madonna tracks by tweaking the lyrics and re-interpreting the actual meaning. Music critics both complimented and criticized the songs, noting the strength of Madonna's discography in the album's tracklist. Background and release In February 2007, Los Angeles-based Manimal Vinyl record company announced its plan of releasing a compilation album containing cover versions of songs by American singer Madonna. Initial artists listed in the roster included Devendra Banhart, Giant Drag, Lavender Diamond, and VietNam, among others. Manimal Vinyl label head Paul Beahan confirmed that 25% of the profit earned from the album sales would be donated to Madonna's Raising Malawi foundation. Named Through the Wilderness, the record was the third project to be released by the company. It was originally reported to be released on September 4, 2007, but was delayed until November 27, 2007. Special release parties were organized in Los Angeles and New York, featuring the artists who recorded songs for the project. Beahan had been thinking of releasing a tribute record through his company for a long time, following the death of musicians Arthur Lee and Syd Barrett in 2006. However, he changed his mind and instead chose Madonna, believing her songs could be recorded as serious-sounding tracks, thereby eliminating chances of it being a novelty release. The idea for Through the Wilderness originated from an epiphany Beahan had about Madonna. Although not a fan of the singer, he was intrigued about how her songs would sound when treated by alternative musicians. "The Madonna tribute came to me in a dream last fall, and I immediately started making calls and emails to Winter Flowers, Chapin Sisters, and Banhart asking them to record a