Not since Madonna has there been a female pop act with such a devoted following as that of the legendary Miss Britney Spears. With an incredible 15 years in the business, with an equal share of ups and downs, the artist has been working hard to achieve the status she once had during her peak back in 2004 (remember “Toxic” and “Everytime”?) before her highly publicized meltdown in 2007.
While Blackout was a phenomenal pop record, her best to date, Circus certainly had a fun theme and Femme Fatale followed in its footsteps with an emphasis on dance-ready production and decent vocal performances, Spears makes her return to the scene with “her most personal” record to date, Britney Jean. Preceded by two under-performing singles, “Work Bitch” and “Perfume”, the new album is unfortunately weighed down by will.i.am’s responsibilities as executive producer and an artist who sounds as if she is just going through the motions these days.
Opening track, “Alien”, continues the recent intergalactic obsession among today’s pop stars. First “ET” from Katy Perry, then “Venus”, now comes the “Criminal” sequel-sounding track that tries its best to focus the attention on Spears’ barely there vocals, but ultimately gets lost in its own hypnotic production and editing mistakes. While the decent track is intriguing, it sets the tone for the same Spears formula we have come to expect.
Lead single “Work Bitch” put all fears into motion for the new album as Spears ridiculously repeated “you wanna live fancy, party in France?” over and over supported by an electronic beat that got old too fast. The track was another top twenty hit for the artist, a great workout song, but the only thing memorable was the sickening accompanying music video which showed the artist actually trying to regain her glory.
Single follows single as mid-tempo ballad “Perfume” graces all with its presence. Not since 2004 have we heard the artist dive into such a slow, somber number, however, it seems we all got our hopes up as the new offering just does not satisfy all our needs. Yes, it’s nice to hear Spears’ vocals shine over loud production, but it also highlights the fact that the artist’s days as a lively singer are long gone.
“It Should Be Easy” features producer will.i.am, as well as robotic Britney, as both artists desperately try to salvage the unbearable techno disaster. While the snippet painted a positive picture, the final product is hard to swallow with lines including “If I lost you, boy if I lost you, I’d lose myself and I wouldn’t feel the way I feel now” thrown into the chaotic mix.
Everyone seems to have T.I. on speed dial as the rapper assists the pop princess on “Tik Tik Boom”, a track that brings the naughty Spears back into action. Besides an surprisingly impressive verse from T.I., the rest of the track comes off as lacking any flavor. Spears’ monotone vocals are tough to get through when the song is supposed to be carefree and pleasurable. All the fun has been sucked out.
The uptempo tracks keep pouring out with “Body Ache”, contributed by dance queen Luciana. This time around the vocals intentionally take second stage to the infectious beats that take the song from tragically mediocre to decently commendable. Nowhere near perfect, the future dance hit does a great job at hiding Spears discontent and boredom. Not even sure it is Spears who is actually singing.
“Til It’s Gone” is hands down the album’s welcomed savior, scooping up all the broken pieces from the preceding tracks and perfectly assembling them into a dance power hit. “You’ll never know what you’ve got till it’s gone”, Spears sings just before the slightly-dated dubstep breakdown bursts through. Spears may not be responsible for the track’s overall strength, but I’ll look past that fact.
With writing credits for Sia and Katy Perry, it would seem “Passenger” would instantly be a phenomenal pop masterpiece, but unfortunately the ladies tricked us into thinking we really like the rock-sounding vocals of Spears on the track of giving into love. Somehow, the track sounds out of place, forced and like a leftover from one of Perry’s past efforts, which it probably was.
Even though she’s venturing off on her own country career, little sister Jamie Lynn decided to help big sis out on “Chillin’ With You”, a song which sounds straight from a homemade talent show. Half mid-tempo ballad, half hip-hop plea, it is eventually Jamie Lynn who shines bright as her delicate vocals surpass those of Britney. Nice to see the sisters finally collaborating on a track, just not the greatest one to duet on.
The short, standard edition of the album closes with “Don’t Cry”, a somber look into the artist’s personal life. “In the beginning, when we were both crazy, we were crazy in love,” Spears sings on the dark ballad that showcases a woman remaining strong when the love comes to an end. One of the few tracks on the album deserving of applause, it was smart to end it here.
Britney Jean is an eighth album by an artist who has a 15-year track record, but it is no excuse for a rushed sound, production mistakes and a misleading concept and message. While Spears referred to the album as her "most personal", it's confusing then to hear party track after party track. The artist has been known for her infectious club hits, the ones included on the new effort just follow the same formula as before. Spears' does not even appear to be fully indulged when each track comes off forced (a la "Scream & Shout). Die-hard fans, still obsessively in love with the idea of the artist from 2004, will love the average record, I'm just going to courageously say it's her worst effort to date. It receives a 65%.
Tracks to Hear: "Alien", "Perfume", "Til It's Gone", "Don't Cry"
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