Britney Spears-Blackout

Year: 2007
Record Label: Jive Records
01. Gimme More
02. Piece Of Me
03. Radar
04. Break The Ice
05. Heaven On Earth
06. Get Naked (I Gotta Plan)
07. Freakshow
08. Toy Soldier
09. Hot As ice
10. Ooh Ooh Baby
11. Perfect Lover
12. Why Should I Be Sad

It’s been a big year for Britney Spears. In between getting divorced, and shaving her head she released her fifth studio album. So, the question to ask is, was it a bona fide comeback or well-marketed hype?
Released three weeks earlier than expected by her record label due to ‘high-demand’ (In other words, it was leaked online), the first single “Gimme More” was one of the highest demanded singles downloaded.

Much criticism has come from her use of vox-tweaking on Blackout, but to be honest she’s no different from her former fellow mousketeers such as Justin Timberlake, who also used heavy electronics on Futuresexlovesounds.
Let’s face it Britney’s talents have always been questioned by her critics, and that’s never going to change. But in respect, this time, she has taken the criticism on board, and used it to her own advantage.

A notable aspect of Blackout, for fans of Spears, is that it is the first album in which she has actually voiced opinions about her life. But if you’re looking for an apology from the troubled dynamo for her well-documented custody battle, failed marriages, umbrella attacks, hit and runs, shaven head or hard partying, then you’re wasting your time.
Instead she takes aim at the media in "Piece Of Me” with catchy lyrics that proclaim, “I’m Miss bad media karma/Another day another drama/Guess I can’t see no harm in working and being a mama.”
With it’s glibbed lyrics, heavy usage of vox-tweaking, and vibrant dance beats, it could be an anthem for all celebrities looking for a way to tell the media to leave them the hell alone. For Britney, it’s the perfect choice for her second single. While her controlled grip on her personal life may be slipping, the same can not be said for her musical collaborations.

Teaming up with Danja, The Neptunes and Bloodhound and Avant, Timbaland and Pharrell Williams, Britney has produced an album with new-wave disco and synthetic beats.
“Toy Solider” is, without a doubt, one of the best tracks on this album. With a sound that is reminiscent of hypnotic dance pop, a heavily dubbed Spears, and a catchy military beat one is automatically tapped into the song.
The track’s chorus, “This time I need a solider…a boy who knows how to take care of me” could be a direct aim at the former Mr Spears. It’s one track that can be foreseen as heavily played in clubs if Spears chooses to release it as a single.

Overall Britney puts her all into the album, and produces some pleasant, sexed-up tunes in the form of “Hot As Ice”, “Get Naked” and “Freakshow”.

If all the songs were like this though, the album would not cut it however she ups the ante with “Piece Of Me”, “Toy Soldier” and “”Why Should I Be Sad”.

While it will never win album of the year, it’s still a very well structured album with a heavy influence on dance, and as the intro to Blackout points out, “It’s Britney, bitch!”

I give it 4/5

Britney's official site