Britney’s Blackout Hot as Ice
Spears New Elctro-Tinged CD Proves Freakshow Still Fills Dancefloors
With all the fuss surrounding Britney Spears these days, a new CD causes celebration. Blackout shows a mature Britney ready to take on the dance floor and the tabloids.
Britney Spears released her latest album of new material in 4 years on October 30. Blackout lives up to its name with thumping dark electro beats and a sexed-up Britney emitting a drive and maturity unparalleled in her personal life.
However, all the panty-less club-hopping escapades must have done some good. Not only did she attune herself with sinister vibes heard in underground clubs and dance halls, she mimicked them to perfection.
Gimme More
The first single from the album and lead track, “Gimme More” soared up the Billboard charts to land at number 3, her highest charting single in years. While the lyrics hold nothing in terms of depth, the groove infects and propels the record into overdrive. Often a strong lead single overshadows the rest of the album. In the case of "Blackout", it sets the stage for more energized romps to come before the slow burn at the end of the disc with tracks like "Get Naked (I Got A Plan)", "Ooh Ooh Baby" and the nauseating "Perfect Lover".
On "Piece of me” a cyberized Britney declares herself “Miss American Dream since I was 17," then explodes into a string of not-so-flattering tabloid headlines (I’m Mrs. ‘Oh my God that Britney’s shameless’) over a scratchy electro-pop percussion.
Most artists who reach these heights of fame eventually cough up a ‘poor me I’m famous’ track on an album (hear: Madonna’s ‘Human Nature’, N*SYNC’s ‘Pop’ and anything Michael Jackson has done since Bad). But rarely does an artist sound like they're having as much enjoyment poking fun at themselves as Britney does on this track.
On the Radar
To ensure her updated sound reached the masses, Britney re-enlisted the help of big industry names.
Bloodshy & Avant, the Swedish song writing and production team behind “Toxic”, produced four tracks (Piece of me, Toy Soldier, Freakshow, and Radar), Kara DioGuardi produced “Heaven and Earth” and Pharrell Williams wrote and co-produced sloppy album closer "Why Should I Be Sad." While the Swedish duo wrote most of the album, ultra hot rapper T-Pain gets co-credit on "Hot As Ice".
Unless the urge to own a new single from this year’s most famous headline-maker fueled the chart success of Britney’s lead single, subsequent tracks such as the catchy “Radar” and the stripped down “Break the Ice” guarantee top-10 success.
On this record, Britney proves she has come a long way since her break on American Family television. While the last few songs tacked onto the disc serve no purpose other than extending the length of the album as a whole, one listen to her electronic grinding and ecstatic cooing on earlier tracks like “Heaven on Earth”, where she momentarily morphs into Goldfrapp, her smudged synth-drum machine workout on “Toy Soldier”, and it's clear the new Britney is making music for both the dance floor and the bedroom.
