Music Tuesday: Britney Spears' 'Blackout'

Everything about Britney Spears' personal life is a wreck. She's lost physical custody of her children, her face looks an acne-riddled mess, her trash dumpster fashion sense has helped land her as Maxim's 5th Unsexiest woman and her hard-partying ways have won her no fans in the blogosphere. But one thing still seems to work right in Spearsland: Her ability to create mindless, fun pop music.

And apparently I'm not the only who thinks Britney's still got it when it comes to music. Well, at least recorded music. As evidenced by her craptastic performance at the VMAs, she's not ready for the stage again. Britney's new album "Blackout", which is pretty much being released by her record label without her involvement, hits stores today and has been getting solid reviews across the board. Some have even gone so far as to call it her best album yet. Not to mention the lead single, "Gimme More", reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The AP lets us in on one critic's praise of the Britster.

I've heard the album and I have to say that it's really a shame that Britney's not in her right state of  mind to promote this album like it should be. "Gimme More" is the perfect electro-pop slut-trash song of the year. I know it's a hit with all the chicken-heads in the club looking for someone to take home. On "Blackout," she wisely forgoes her standard attempt at a ballad, giving us only uptempos and midtempos the whole album.

The standout tracks are easily "Hot As Ice," which builds off of Spears' perfect pop sound but giving it more edge, "Toy Soldier", a Gwen Stefani/Kelis-style song which finds Spears rap-talking and hiccuping about how she needs a real man, and "Why Should I Be Sad", a Neptunes-produced track that sounds like a lullaby with Spears' soft, layered vocals serving as the cushion to the dense production. "Why Should I Be Sad" is also the only song to really address Spears' personal life head-on. She lashes out at Kevin on the track saying: "I sent you to Vegas with a pocket full of paper, And with no ultimatums on you, I thought what could separate us?, But it just seemed like Vegas only brought the playa out of you."

Although Spears deserves credit for putting together a good album, admittedly, the album is in large part a success due to the amazing production on the album. And vocally Spears is the just as limited as she's always been. So the album wouldn't be what it is without the help of Danja, who produced several tracks including the lead single. But then again, the same could be said of Timbaland and Justin Timberlake.

The big question surrounding this album's release is: Will this album be big enough to serve as her comeback? I don't think so. I actually think JIVE might even be doing her a disservice by releasing the album amidst all the turmoil in Spears' personal life. Britney the singer is intertwined with Britney the celebrity. If one works but the other one is flailing, she will never be able to match her past successes when she had both a favorable public image and  a solid music career. Plus, releasing the album without Britney's involvement makes it seem like a posthumous release and exposes JIVE's desire to capitalize off of Britney. Although to be fair, they're certainly not the only ones. Many of us in the blogosphere and the media have benefited from Spears mishaps, which serve as the perfect springboard for our blog posts and analysis.

Perhaps if Britney's album does well, she'll get a boost of self-esteem and stop the self-destructive behavior? Nah, life's too short. Britney would rather hit the club and sip on frappuchinos.
-Ricky

Comments

[sean john]

i still proud to britney because inspite of many problems that come to her life he is still strong...Go Britney prove to all people that you are strong...Keep surviving