Britney Spears is and always will be our eternal pop princess. Owner of timeless hits and albums that have gone down in musical history, the singer and songwriter has built her brand amidst various adversities and has never been afraid to take risks. While she doesn’t always sign the songwriting for her songs, none of them would be the same without Spears’ artistic vision – which is why revisiting her productions is always a fun and very dancing journey, even if at times it does. does not meet promised expectations. And, in a rather arduous reflection that eight years later has failed to become cult, we deal with the exaggerated adventure titled ‘Britney Jean’.
For Britney fans, the album can be called an underrated attack that hasn’t been understood by specialist critics – but how do you analyze it when things haven’t changed much? Spears’ eighth foray brings together dozens of producers who seem to disagree with each other – and the recordings, spanning multiple studios, are too fragmented to be included on the same spectrum. To be honest, this was my first time listening to the entire album and with the exception of some tracks, I had no idea what to expect when I put on the headphones. In summary, some songs are good, but even they demonstrate a restraint of the performer that we follow from ‘Femme Fatale’ (and that does not match the power she has shown us in the past).
The great irony behind the play is that this is the first time that Spears has decided to take full control of the verse, embracing every track and using her 30s to make a welcome statement of empowerment. However, good intentions aren’t enough to prevent the result from being somewhat dated, with progressions similar to each other and a lack of tact when it comes to daring – and I’m referring here mostly to the second. half the compilation, which fades into a lazy amalgamation of auto-tunes and narratives explored ad nauseam (and consistently, by the way). Of course, not all songs are thrown in the trash – and we sincerely thank you for making the album “listen”.
“Britney Jean” opens in the most Britney way we can imagine – “Alien”. While the songwriting of the song is not something we need to pay attention to, the track in question goes beyond the conventional in the very structure it is based on and is a cohesive track that recaptures the dance-pop work of DJs as Avicii, Calvin Harris and David Guetta (and takes us on a chorus against the tide). “But the stars in the sky feel like home, take me home” is one of the bright and personal verses, courtesy of William Orbit (one of Madonna’s affiliations), transforming the iteration into something that has a lot more to say than it cherishes the distorted vibe. The same goes for the anthemic synthetic infusion of “Work Bitch”, guided by the plot of female freedom.
Enjoy watching:
In addition to the two aforementioned ranges, we may have two more that are above mediocrity. “Perfume”, written by Sia, opens the door to synth-pop and surprisingly transforms into a power-ballad that moves away from EDM and allows Britney to deliver a mature voice without the need for an electronic mask. – something that, I must say, is one of the focal points of amateur slides. The synthesizers of this track merge into an interpretation of romantic melancholy that sends us back to “Don’t Let Me Be the Last to Know”, for example: cello brushstrokes, a demarcation on the piano and a resounding sound repetition that reflects the paranoia discriminated against by the artist; and “Til It’s Gone”, a conceptual architecture that draws its inspiration from the pre-EDM of the beginning of the decade and continues to chart the pioneering paths of “MDNA” and “ARPOP”. does that mean it’s good? I leave the question to you to answer.
Everything blows up too tiring – in other words, the lack of solid editing leaves different genres competing against each other to see which has the most power. “Now That I Found You”, despite an unbeatable nostalgia for a few years, the delicacy of the first verses and the very identity printed by Spears do not correspond at any time (in fact, one could just revel in the instrumental chorus, forget everything else. element appearing in the track); “It Should Be Easy,” “Tik Tik Boom” and “Body Ache” form the trio of creations that, had they embraced the camp as promised, would be great – but none of them know which way to go. “Don’t Cry” and “Brightest Morning Star” would also do better to bet on the singer’s vulnerability. And, finally, we have the inexplicable existence of the duo “Chillin ‘With You”.
‘Britney Jean’ doesn’t do justice to Britney Spears’ acclaimed career – and for that reason, it’s the worst album on her discography. We cannot take credit for the attempts to come up with something different, but the haste and carelessness in the treatment of the songs were the great enemies of what could be a masterpiece of the Princess of the pop (unfortunately).
Rating per track:
1. Alien – 4.5 / 5 2. Working bitch – 5/5 3. Perfume – 3.5 / 5 4. It should be easy (feat. Will.i.am) – 1/5 5. Tik Tik Boom (feat. TI) – 1/5 6. Body aches – 1/5 7. Until it’s gone – 3/5 8. Passenger – 1.5 / 5 9. Chillin ‘with You (feat. Jamie Lynn) – 0.5 / 5 10. Don’t cry – 1/5 11. The brightest morning star – 2/5 12. Hold on tight – 4/5 13. Now that I’ve found you – 3/5 14. Perfume (The Dreaming Mix) – 2.5 / 5
