Sometimes a few more licks is all it takes. On first listen, I didn’t want to spend much time with the Madonna/Justin Timberlake/Timbaland collaboration, “4 Minutes.” But something eventually clicked, and now I dig it. Similarly, I’ve been spinning Madonna’s Hard Candy since last Tuesday and the more I listen, the more I like.

But Hard Candy isn’t so much an album as an all-Madonna Now! compilation. Working with established hip-pop producers The Neptunes on seven tracks and Timbaland & Co. on five, Madonna’s latest is a variety-pack tailored to this singles-centric age. Radio programmers could cherry-pick almost any of its 12 songs and likely have a hit on their hands.

One of the major standouts on Hard Candy is “She’s Not Me.” Musically, it’s sort of “Ring My Bell” as redone by Prince with a “Beautiful Stranger”-ish rave-up in the middle. Pharrell Williams, one-half of The Neptunes, turns in his best Prince falsetto, while Wendy Melvoin, formerly of The Revolution, colors in shades of the Purple One on guitar. She even gets a shout-out in the song.

“Dance 2Night,” another Madonna/JT track, wouldn’t have sounded out of place on 1994’s Bedtime Stories. This slinky number carries echoes of synth-centric ’80s R&B (think Evelyn “Champagne” King).

Overall, Hard Candy is pretty sweet, though hearing the nearly 50-year old Madonna recite the lyrical breakdowns “Watch my booty get down” and “Get stupid” could have upended the upbeat vibe. Thankfully these brief missteps barely dim the dancefloor genius of “Heartbeat” and “Give It 2 Me.” Even “Candy Shop,” which I had pegged as awkward in its come-ons, finally won me over after being stuck in my head days later.

So it took a few days for me to digest Hard Candy, ultimately feeling satisfied after accepting that I shouldn’t expect another Like A Prayer or Ray Of Light at this point in Madonna’s career. (Though if you’re searching for a sequel to Timberlake’s “What Goes Around Comes Around,” look no further than “Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You.”) Just like first single “4 Minutes,” after a few listens, you’ll be surprised at just how much of the seemingly lightweight pop of Hard Candy sticks with you.

So don’t stop her now. Madonna really can go on and on and on.