Britney Spears : Releases >>
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Blackout >>
Poor old Britney Spears hasn't exactly had a good time of it lately, what with her recent lackluster MTV performance and dubious appearances all over the tabloids. Blackout, her fifth studio album, is being touted as a bit of a comeback album, the title allegedly alluding to how she is "blacking out" all negative media coverage and focusing on getting back to form. Backed by an array of superstar beatmakers--Bloodshy & Avant, Pharrell Williams, T-Pain, Danja--Blackout presents a soundtrack that brims with trashy new-wave `nowness'. Tunes veer from the highly infectious "Freakshow" and "Toy Soldier" to the unconvincingly lascivious "Get Naked," "Ooh, Ooh Baby", and downright uninspiring ("Radar" and "Hot As Ice")--with some inroads into dirty disco ("Heaven on Earth") along the way. The tunes aren't bad, but the brittle, robotic soundtrack does start to feel dated and dull, especially when Britney's vocals are so intensely processed they feel equally starchy and disinterested. Comeback album it may be, but "Blackout" doesn't point towards any clear future for Britney--nor for pop music in general. --Danny McKenna
Greatest Hits: My Prerogative >>
Baby One More Time >>
17 at the time of this release, Louisiana's teen dream Britney Spears works her guts out for every vowel and yearning growl on this impeccable slice of middle America. Partly produced from the same stable as the Backstreet Boys, Britney's songs have a strange, submissive twist: the full title of the mind-blowing debut single should be "Hit Me Baby One More Time." Obviously "Hit"'s got an okay slang meaning now but the song and much of the mood of this album strikes a direct line to the Ronette's "He Hit Me And It Felt Like A Kiss" in its desperate need to keep a boy by her side. Britney may be the young front for some middle-age money-makers but that's beside the point. She puts her life into this record; whether you like her teen pop or not, that dedication cannot be ignored. --Charlie Porter
In the Zone >>
For Britney Spears, In the Zone is more than just her fourth album; it's a pivotal moment which could decide the length of the rest of her career. Having literally outgrown the role of teen sensation, she now has to prove she's got what it takes to grow up and fulfil her Madonna-sized ambition. Adulthood calls for adult themes, and for Britney that means sex--and lots of it. In a staggering about-face, In the Zone takes her from vestal virgin to hyper-sophisticated nymphomaniac. The saucy Arabian shimmy and quietly euphoric chorus of "Toxic" has her delirious with carnal delight, "Showdown" is steamy cyber-funk lesson in how to tease, while "Touch of My Hand" is a none-to-discreet celebration of solo stimulation, with Britney purring to a swimming groove "I love myself, it's not a sin". Like single "Me Against the Music", featuring Madonna at her corruptive best, it's all a long way from the cute Britney of old, and if not as instantly catchy, her new direction is deceptively addictive. Less sensational R&B fillers and a couple of slushy ballads aside, she's made the jump with style and grace, and it looks like Ms Spears could be with us for some time yet. --Dan Gennoe
Greatest Hits: My Prerogative [Digipak with Bonus Remix CD] >>
Britney >>
As Brit and her fan base grow older, it's perhaps inevitable that Miss Spears's third album would be one of those difficult "coming of age" affairs. Luckily Britney manages to carefully mix the more "credible", Prince/adult style tunes (thankfully there are only two--"I'm A Slave 4 U" and "Boys")--with the more formulaic pop anthems that have made her great ("Anticipating", "Cinderella", "Bombastic Love" and "Let Me Be"). The pressures of "growing-up" and the adolescent gripe of being taken seriously, seems to a dominant theme which runs right through the album from the, "...I need to make mistakes to know who I am" lyrics on the N'Sync-style "Overprotected", to the appropriately titled, "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman". Perhaps Britney's street-wise maturity explains why there's no power ballad on the album, with the lower songs like "That's Where You Take Me" and "When I Found You" still having a bit of a swing to them. In true Britney album style, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is the obligatory rock cover of the Joan Jett classic. Winding the album down, "Before The Goodbye" is a Hi-NRG powered track (in the style of Dana International), which would make an excellent Eurovision entry given the chance. While this album might suggest a slight shift in musical direction for Britney, there's plenty of material on here that will appeal even to the most conservative Spears fans. --John Galilee
Oops! ... I Did It Again (Special UK Edition) >>
Britney Spears-Live From Las Vegas [2002] >>
Greatest Hits: My Prerogative/Slide Pack >>
Toxic >>
