2008 Woodie Awards
CD Review: "Blackout"
Set the Record Straight
Amy McIntosh
Issue date: 11/1/07 Section: Features
Britney Spears
"Blackout"
Jive
Oops. She did it again.
Britney Spears, who once graciously supplied the world with cheesy pop hits such as "Baby One More Time" and "I'm a Slave 4 U" returns to the music business with her first album in four years. "Blackout," her newest album, begs the question, "What happened?" What happened to the 17-year-old who danced her way into our hearts with her pigtails and suggestive schoolgirl outfit? Or even the sweaty twenty-something with the yellow python around her neck? What happened to the Britney of yesteryear? Back when it was almost possible to hear her voice amongst the plethora of synthesizers and techno beats. Where did that girl go?
The problem with "Blackout" is that it is not necessarily a bad album. With all of the press surrounding Brit lately, it seems almost trendy to mock and insult the pop-princess-turned-train-wreck. In the past year alone she went to rehab, divorced K. Fed and lost custody of her children. It just seems natural that her newest album would bomb. But with "Blackout," the pros seem to outweigh the cons.
Lyrically, the album needs some help, but every song has a beat that can be danced to. Her voice is obviously digitally manipulated, but in the world of pop music today, that seems to be the norm. Really, it's difficult to pinpoint what exactly is good about this album. It's one of those albums that is almost unbearable at first and becomes a guilty pleasure after three hours of continuous listening.
That sentiment can be applied to the first track on the album, "Gimme More." At first, it was the irritating song that Britney clumsily lip synched her way through on the VMAs. However, after the video of that performance was shoved down the proverbial throats of viewers across the nation, it became clear that this first single would be a hit.
The second song, "Piece of Me," is one of two nods that Britney gives to her highly publicized personal life "I'm Miss American Dream since I was 17…Don't matter if I step on the scene…Or sneak away to the Philippines…They still gonna put pictures of my derrière in the magazine…You want a piece of me?" The other, "Why Should I be Sad," is the slowest track on the album. Britney addresses her failed relationship and vows to move on with her head held high "I shouldn't get mad, or sad, who knows…Just take it all as a sign that we're through".
"Blackout"
Jive
Oops. She did it again.
Britney Spears, who once graciously supplied the world with cheesy pop hits such as "Baby One More Time" and "I'm a Slave 4 U" returns to the music business with her first album in four years. "Blackout," her newest album, begs the question, "What happened?" What happened to the 17-year-old who danced her way into our hearts with her pigtails and suggestive schoolgirl outfit? Or even the sweaty twenty-something with the yellow python around her neck? What happened to the Britney of yesteryear? Back when it was almost possible to hear her voice amongst the plethora of synthesizers and techno beats. Where did that girl go?
The problem with "Blackout" is that it is not necessarily a bad album. With all of the press surrounding Brit lately, it seems almost trendy to mock and insult the pop-princess-turned-train-wreck. In the past year alone she went to rehab, divorced K. Fed and lost custody of her children. It just seems natural that her newest album would bomb. But with "Blackout," the pros seem to outweigh the cons.
Lyrically, the album needs some help, but every song has a beat that can be danced to. Her voice is obviously digitally manipulated, but in the world of pop music today, that seems to be the norm. Really, it's difficult to pinpoint what exactly is good about this album. It's one of those albums that is almost unbearable at first and becomes a guilty pleasure after three hours of continuous listening.
That sentiment can be applied to the first track on the album, "Gimme More." At first, it was the irritating song that Britney clumsily lip synched her way through on the VMAs. However, after the video of that performance was shoved down the proverbial throats of viewers across the nation, it became clear that this first single would be a hit.
The second song, "Piece of Me," is one of two nods that Britney gives to her highly publicized personal life "I'm Miss American Dream since I was 17…Don't matter if I step on the scene…Or sneak away to the Philippines…They still gonna put pictures of my derrière in the magazine…You want a piece of me?" The other, "Why Should I be Sad," is the slowest track on the album. Britney addresses her failed relationship and vows to move on with her head held high "I shouldn't get mad, or sad, who knows…Just take it all as a sign that we're through".
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