Britney Spears - In The Zone

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• Curious by Britney Spears for Women, Perfumed Shimmer Stick, 0.5 Ounce
• Curious by Britney Spears for Women, Eau de Parfum Spray, 3.3 Ounce

Music reviews of In The Zone

Music Review: An Unbiased Review.
Rating: 3 Stars

Now, to be totally honest, maybe its the maverick in me that allowed me to be receptive to a Britney album in the first place. Every time I read of a new Britney shenanigan, I just think to myself "hey, this is a kid growing up in the spotlight, who wasnt a rebel, or who didnt do stupid stuff when they were that age?" So rather than cast dispersion, I found myself cheering for Britney even while possesing a wry attitude towards her exploits. To speak plainly, Britney went from the girl next door, to a man-eating bad-a**...and I loved it! For all Christina's preening, and Pink's screaming,(and the utter vapidness that *is* Mandy and Jessica) Britney was the one out there truly doing the dirt- shall we count the ways? She cheated on Justin and had him so shook up, he did a revenge video. She let Fred Durst get a lil summthin summthin(prolly just a hot make out session), and had him so shook he wrote a song *and* did a revenge video too. She enticed Madonna to take her under her wing, and then shocked the world with the subsequent infamous 'Kiss',(which Justin tried to trump, with disasterous results). She broke up a marriage, and for the final coup de gras, had a drunken quicky wedding in Vegas- the ultimate in youthful flings. Sigh, the 22 year old in me salutes you Britney; go 'head witcho (truly) bad self!

Now the keys to appreciating the following review are:
1) relax- its a pop album. We all know that in the fullness of time, this album wont have any relevance at all to music, and probably some relevance as a pop culture reference. You cant judge pop albums the same as other forms of music, with the exception of those rare pop albums that actually transcend the genre and become something timeless( but those *are* rare albums).

2) dont take the music so seriously.

Now that we have got that out of the way, on with the review!

The Positives.

There is alot to like about this latest Britney album. Again, I cant say its a truly creative or groundbreaking album, but I do give Miss Spears credit for not ruthlessly pursuing a top 40 sound. This is probably her riskiest album to date so far as that goes. Britney has a long way to go in becoming a true 'artist', but I think this album is the first tentative step in that direction. The music reflects perhaps her love of the nightlife- the pounding bass and electronica that is the club scene here in the US and worldwide. The girl is a dancer after all, so I assume she hits all the hotspots when she is out and about. So, while this album isnt a personal letter to the self, I think it is personally reflective in at least some way.

'In The Zone' is a party album ala Britney 'miss thang' Spears. Lots of pounding bouncing beats and lascivious lyrics. If you dont take the music and lyrics too seriously, its easy to enjoy this album. Its the perfect mood setter for cruising the streets, the perfect cd to listen to before you hit the club(especially a club catered to electronica); a sort of trance-pop appetizer, and its all in good fun.

Another reason to give Britney huge credit on this album is the brave choices made in terms of collaborators. Ranging from Mr. Controversy himself R. Kelly, to the Ying Yang Twins( what tha?!??!?- how in the world did that collabo happen) , to Moby. Sometimes the pairings are a bit too incongruous to be believed( *coff* Ying Yang twins), but for the most part, they are succesful. I have to give credit to Britney for the schutzpah to work with such various production teams. I imagine she had quite a battle at times with her label in order to get what she wanted sonically on this record.

As for the songs themselves, well..I have to admit, there are a lot to like. Me Against the Music is a great album intro and the bass and beat is loud, booming and hot- very danceable! The worst part about the song is the presence of Madonna, who is actually overshadowed by Britney on the single. Even so, MATM is one of the stronger songs on the album. The best song is without a doubt Toxic- the hook is tight and the production even tighter. The slinky violins, the hot guitar work and the tight melody of the hook make this song almost impossible *not* to jam to. 'Showdown' has a nice sexy rolling beat and baseline, with Britney's standard breathy vocals, but its still a nice cool song, with a chillout vibe. It's not as strong as the songs mentioned before, but still one of the better offerings. Touch of my Hand is a great tongue-in-cheek song as an Ode to 'self-love'. The lyrics while entertaining are not the only good thing about the song however, its also got great, lush sounding production- good enough for repeat listening. And most suprising of all to me, Im actually really starting to love the R. Kelly produced Outrageous- the bridge to that song is very nice, and R Kelly's vocals in the background are hot as ever. And the beat is tight, with an awesome usage of congos various percussion- a true club(R&b that is) banger. I Got That(Boom Boom) is a so-so song, but the suggestive lyrics make it an intriguing listen. Brave Girl is a great party-anthem song( and probably will be a single- its very radio ready) and is also aptly titled. On second listen, Early Mornin is a very hypnotic and catchy song- Moby's trip hop stamp is all over that song- if you can get past the boring intro, the song is seductively hot. All in all, this is a very brave, risky effort from a performer whose music is so tied to pop standards and top 40. So, like her or hate her, you have to give Britney credit for not just serving up the same old same old.

The Negatives

Well, this first one wont be a shock to anyone- Britney's voice. Let's face it, the girl aint Mariah Carey, but I think we all know by now that Britney doesnt have those kind of chops so, its a moot point. When the songs work, the basslines and melodies are very good..but when they dont work, the basslines and melodies are repetitive, boring and downright annoying. But hey, they cant all be a winner. My biggest gripe though, has to be the lyrical content.

Now, yes Britney, we know you are all 'growed up', yes, we know you are 'not that innocent', but you dont have to tell us the same message over and over. The focus of every song(except for a few) is sex, thinking about sex, wanting sex, or sexual practices. Now, Im not a prude but this is all hard to believe coming from the mouth of Britney Spears, and also smacks of someone trying too hard to be something that they arent neccesarily. Now, for some artists, the sexual persona works wonderfully, but that is because, sensuality and sexuality are inherent to who those people are. These types of artists exude sensuality from every pore, they cannot seperate themselves from it( Prince, Debbie Harry in her heyday, Madonna in her prime, early David Lee Roth). It comes out in the way they walk, talk, live and breathe. But..I dont see Britney( or Christina for that matter) as truly being what they are constantly saying they are. Even for all Prince's salaciousness he wasnt constantly talking about sex in interviews or on tv- he didtn have to. So, I think Britney and Christina could learn a lesson from the late Aaliyah on how to gracefully glide into and own your sexuality in the public eye. Aaliyah went from being 'street but sweet'in her earlier videos/albums to 'budding vamp' in her later efforts without coming across as self-conciously lascivious. The sensuality was there in the subject matter or in the way she sang and was portrayed in the videos, but it was a tease- a phrase here, a look there, a sigh in the right place. Britney and Christina could both learn the crucial lesson that sometimes less is more. Sometimes the hint of something is sexier than baring it all within the first 5 minutes. After a while, listening to Britney's lyrics, the content borders on the ridiculous, and can take away from the enjoyment of the actual songs. I feel that more varied subject matter in the songs would have made for a more balanced( and believable) album overall, but I dont think the lyrics are bad enough to totally sabotage the album( like the 'Dirrty' video totally sabotaged the 'Stripped' album).

So to recap out of 13 songs 8 are good, 2 are so so and 3 are terrible. But, 8 out of 13 is not a bad ratio of good songs to bad for albums nowadays.

The object of this review was not intended to change anyone's mind or persuade anyone. Im just trying to give a balanced report, being neither a Britney devotee or detracter. If you like techno music or electronica( which admitedly I do), if you like club music or pop music w/ an edge, if you have great speakers and like music that BOOMS, and if you just want an album that you can listen to while you bop down the street.
Enjoy the album like a mint on your pillow- its a trifle
a sweet trifle, but still just a trifle.
Just have fun. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

A.N.

Description of In The Zone

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