...BABY ONE MORE TIME
Britney’s first masterpiece, written by musical genius Max Martin, catapulted Britney into immediate super-stardom. The piano intro is one of the most memorable intro’s of all time. ‘…Baby One More Time,’ is pure pop jam and we dare you not to race to the dance floor the minute the DJ plays this track. A sweet and innocent Britney (with a hint of sexy of course) changed the tone for pop music forever in the late 90’s and finished off the decade as the most memorable act from that era, in spite of only being part of the 90’s music scene for a mere year! Britney’s first era remained very pure and wholesome with only a few coming of age moments, which made Britney one of the most relate-able artists of all time. It was refreshing to see a powerhouse artist that was just like every other teen around. Britney was always praised by other artists and referred to as sweet, on stage and off. The album followed on to release five brilliant hit singles, not a single miss. An incredible debut and the start of a legend in the making.
Album representation: 10/10
Lead Single Choice: 10/10 ‘
…Baby One More Time,’ represented the entire album as a whole, well structured ‘Bubble-gum Pop’ – a debut album to be envied.
OOPS!... I DID IT AGAIN
With another Max Martin smash, Britney took on a more mature and sexy approach for her second album. Again a very natural progression of a teen transitioning to adulthood. Britney showed all her competitors that it is possible to be sexy, but still have class and style. ‘Oops!.. I Did It Again,’ has a hard pop beat, similar to that of her début single. ‘Oops!’ can only be described as yet another fierce dance floor smash! The pop beat references both Michael and Janet Jackson with pure attitude and pop dominance. The endearing spoken dance break was another fresh moment in pop music, giving the song that extra ‘oomph’ moment for the last chorus. The red cat-suit from the music video, like the school girl outfit, is a famous outfit moment in pop culture and will forever remain an iconic choice by Ms. Spears. The era brought out a total of four singles, all with a more mature look and sound. Although Britney remained true to her pop roots, the album started to experiment with a few R&B beats. ‘Oops!…I Did It Again,’ cemented Britney’s name as a pop legend, and by the time the era was complete, Britney had already sold over 50 million albums, outselling artists that have been in the industry for over 20 years… Iconic, does not even begin to describe it!
Album representation: 8/10
Lead Single Choice: 10/10
‘Oops!…I Did It Again,’ definitely resembled the album as a whole. Although the majority of the album focused on the pop scene ala the lead single, you would miss the R&B elements to the album if you judged the entire vibe on the first track. Perfect choice for a lead single, regardless.
I'M SLAVE 4 U
When the song initially debuted live on the ‘MTV VMA’s 2001,’ it took a while to process the entire new Britney unveiling in front of our very own eyes. If there was ever a video requirement to describe perfection in the dictionary, we would place our bets that both the performance and the music video would make the final cut. This is where Britney went entirely experimental on us, which is usually a hit or a miss situation. Stating the obvious, not only did this give Britney another hit, she literally smashed it out the park. There was no denying that Britney would be spoken about for centuries to come. Before Pharrell Williams ventured solo, Britney borrowed his master mind along with his production team The Neptunes (consisting of members from band N.E.R.D) to create this absolute Picasso of a track. This was the beginning of Britney’s signature ‘breathy vocals’ and abundance of sex appeal. Somehow it seemed that Britney was the only artist that could pull off sexy with class. Britney was endearing, where other artists just came across slutty (for lack of a better word). It was and still is awe inspiring. Britney took us down a R&B/Hip Hop vibe and we were all for it. When it comes to singles and albums, Britney was officially the undisputed queen!
Album Representation: 6/10
Lead Single Choice: 10/10
Due to the release of Britney’s first motion picture, ‘Crossroads,’ the original direction for the album changed. As opposed to releasing an EP with tracks solely focused on her film debut, Britney’s team decided to merge the EP with Britney’s third album release, ‘Britney.’ Although the album is absolutely perfect, the lead single sound only represented around 50% of the album as a whole. The lyrics of the lead single however brings it all back in line again. With over 7 singles (if you count the ‘Overprotected (Dark Child Remix)’… which you should) releases, this remains one of Britney’s best albums, and most fans would consider, ‘Britney’ part of the ‘Holy Trinity’ of Britney releases. ‘I’m A Slave 4 U,’ was the perfect choice (and the perfect lyrics) for the first single of a more personal album. Brilliant track for a brilliant album.
After 3 majorly successful albums, it was no secret that Britney was cementing her name as the new Queen Of Pop in the music industry. With her fourth album on the way, Britney was ready to accept the crown that already had her name engraved on it and what better way to do so than to have the crown placed firmly on her pretty head by none other than her fellow throne leader Madonna herself! Having already performed together at the MTV, VMA’s 2003, this powerful collaboration was bound to happen and when we say it was the music event of the century, we are seriously downplaying it. ‘Me Against The Music,’ was an entirely different sound to any of the material Britney had out to date. Britney experiments with R&B and Hip Hop, infused with her solid pop roots and a little bit of rap, a system shock to the fan base, but definitely not an unwanted one. It turned out Britney was quite amazing at spitting out the spoken lyrics. Was there anything this girl cannot do? The guitar usage in the track gave it a special edge and also a nod to Madonna’s highly under-rated ‘American Life,’ album, released around that time. Britney took a very new and different direction for her fourth album and it definitely paid off. The album is arguably her best album of all time (alongside Blackout, you really cannot choose between the two), with every song single material. The song and album changed and defined pop music as we know it and is still being referenced over a decade later. The era came to a very unexpected halt due to a very serious knee injury, with only four (three if you decide to not include Outrageous – which would be a very poor decision. Oh, what we would give to see the trench-coat and underwear footage..) singles released. Every song deserved a video and single treatment and we wish that it would have been a visual album. Can you imagine videos for ‘Breathe On Me,’ ‘Touch Of My Hand,’ ‘I Got That Boom Boom,’’ Showdown,’ the list can go on forever…
Album Representation: 7/10
Lead single choice: 9/10
It was be a cardinal sin not to release a duet with Madonna as the first single off the album. ‘Me Against The Music’ was the best choice for the first single, but then again, ‘Toxic’ would have been just as perfect… We feel a little all over the place with the perfection of this album and if you have heard it, you would completely understand why we are left so undecided and a bit ‘mad-hatter like’.. Does the single represent the entire album? Well, there is not a single song that could represent how brilliant this album was, each song was so unique and different, you could not easily pin a genre to it. ‘In The Zone,’ had a little bit of Pop, Rap, R&B, Rock, Reggae, Dance, Classical… name a genre and it will feature on the album. Britney’s most experimental piece of art to date!
MY PREROGATIVE
Following the release of ‘In The Zone’, Britney released a Greatest Hits collection. Very few artists could fill an entire album with pure hits just four albums into their career. Critics praised the album for the number of masterpieces Britney released in such a short space of time. Finding one song that would represent Britney’s flaw-free discography seemed almost impossible to do. ‘My Prerogative,’ was originally recorded by Bobby Brown, however perfected by Britney many years later. This song was pretty much written for Britney, the lyrics represented where Britney was at, at the time and the beat was dripping with sex appeal and pure pop perfection. The dirty pop bass created the perfect dance track. You suddenly find yourself dancing on top of your office desk to your imaginary audience, ‘I am a pop legend,’ you tell yourself… only for the track to end followed by awkward silence and stares from your colleagues… A perfect lead single, with a perfect video. We only wish we could see a performance of the song, which Britney has yet to do.. one can only dream.
Album representation: 8/10
Lead Single Choice: 10/10
Out of the 3 new songs featured on the Greatest Hits compilation, ‘My Prerogative’ was simply the best choice for the first single. The song not only represented Britney’s career, but also where her personal life was at, at that time! No song could ever summarize Britney’s entire career until this point, but this sure did come close.
GIMME MORE
Following a 2 year absence from the music scene, the hype around Britney’s fifth album was immense. With many rumours and what seemed like a million first single changes, (Get Back and Break The Ice to name a few) Britney finally released her first single, ‘Gimme More,’ from her Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame album, ‘Blackout.’ Did the first single disappoint? Absolutely not! Britney was back and the song was on fire! Britney’s collaboration with producer Danja, followed on to be one of Britney’s most iconic and defining moments of her career and to this day has fans and critics alike begging for more. ‘Gimme More,’ is, as one critic called it, ‘hypnotic.’ The beats were sharp, Britney’s voice was sensual and sexy and the melody made you want to grab the nearest pole like structure and pretend you were the world’s best stripper, which ironically is the main concept of the music video. It was here that ‘Britney Bitch!,’ was born and who would have thought such a simple line would become so insanely iconic! The era was unfortunately cut short, with only 3 singles (Radar counts as a Circus release), however one of the strongest Pop/R&B albums of all time. If you look back at the archives, hundreds of pop acts have named this album as one of their influences and inspiration, from Beyonce, Rihanna, to (insert the name of your current fave). ‘They want more… Well I’ll give them more,’ Britney moans…. Yes puhleeeese!!
Album representation: 10/10
Lead Single Choice: 10/10
‘Blackout,’ changed the direction of Pop, R&B, Hip Hop and Soul music (say what you want, the album included all 4 genres). The album dripped with sex appeal and killer dance beats. Every single song could have easily been a single release and it is easy to see why, ‘Blackout,’ is referenced as the bible of pop music. Was ‘Gimme More’ the best choice? Absolutely, the song was a walking advert for the album and arguably one of the best lead singles of all time. Only thing we would have changed? To release more than 3 singles from the album… maybe more like 12….
WOMANIZER
Following the very R&B focused, ‘Blackout,’ Britney yet again kept things fresh and introduced a new direction to her music. Womanizer is best described as, Electro-pop and was one of the freshest sounds on the market at the time. Womanizer was an amazing dance track with a killer hook. You could listen to this song on repeat all day and never get sick of it. Critics praised the song and artists lapped the track up, not only was electro-pop the new direction of pop music, but ‘Womanizer,’ remains one of the most ‘remade,’ Britney tracks of all time. The song was extremely original, there was nothing out there like it. ‘Womanizer’ reminded us of ‘Toxic,’ a sound so new and fresh it left you in awe. ‘Circus,’ Britney’s sixth album followed on to produce four hit singles (five if you include ‘Kill The Lights’). ‘Womanizer,’ kicked off another fantastic era, with a brilliant music video and a string of excellent performances. A powerful anthem that is guaranteed to bring out your ‘stronger than yesterday’ persona on the dance floor.
Album representation: 6/10
Lead Single Choice: 10/10
Choosing a first single for this album is a complete struggle. Should ‘Circus,’ have kicked off the era staying true to the theme? We would have been happy with both. ‘Womanizer,’ did have that ring-leader feel to it and it would have been strange to have such a powerful track as a second release… Does the single represent the entire album? Not entirely. Circus seemed to have played around with many different sounds, almost a nod to her entire career. You could fit every single song into one of Britney’s previous 5 albums, so there was not one direct sound for the entire album, if you know what we mean… It was almost like ‘Circus,’ was a greatest hits album, but with all new tracks. A great pop album. We would still love to see a video for ‘Unusual You,’ though…
3
The number one smash hit ‘3,’ was the lead single off Britney’s second Greatest Hits collection. 10 years into her career and Britney was still topping charts and releasing hit after hit after hit. With only 2 albums since her last hits compilation, you would think an artist would struggle to add more credible tracks, but not Britney. Every single track released since her last collection was an absolute smash hit! Britney just could not do any wrong. If you listened to all the tracks, you would be in awe as to how Britney’s music has changed over the years and how many genre’s she has visited. It is safe to say, Britney is the driving force of the pop artists of today. ‘3,’ is another Max Martin masterpiece and there could not be a more perfect way to wrap up Britney’s 10 years in the industry, other than to revisit this heavenly pop collabortaion. The song had Britney’s name written all over it and the lyrics were just the right amount of risky. We like to call it the sister to ‘If U Seek Amy.’ Britney revisited the futuristic electro-pop vibe with the right amount of bass to strut your stuff on the dance floor. The track was praised by critics and the video was just perfect. What a way to summarize an iconic career.
Album representation: 10/10
Lead Single Choice: 10/10
‘3,’ is the only new track off Britney’s second Greatest Hits compilation and there was no need for any other. ‘3,’ was a perfect lead single and showed Britney’s fun side, her sex appeal, her girl power and her pop power. Grab a partner, break it down, or 3 or 4… on the floor…
HOLD IT AGAINST ME
Another year, another number one smash hit! Following a very successful, Greatest Hits release, Britney hit us with another game changer. Britney has always been extremely experimental, but this blew the critics and the fans away. ‘Drum ‘n Bass,’ (mainly popular in the underground scenes of the UK ) was a very experimental sound for a pop artist of Britney’s magnitude and a different sound for hit maker, Max Martin. It was like this duo could never do anything wrong. The marriage between Pop and Drum ‘n Bass seemed highly unlikely and somehow Britney managed to pull the sound off. ‘Hold It Against me,’ is a masterpiece, for lack of a stronger and more powerful word. Britney and the dance floor were already in harmony and who could have thought that there was more ground to touch for the untouchable Queen Of Pop. The song had just the right amount of grime and the dance break is to die for. The music video paid tribute to Britney’s entire career and at the same time sticking to the ‘end of the world,’ theme of Britney’s seventh (and sixth number 1 – only Blackout missed the spot due to last minute changes by Billboard…) studio album, ‘Femme Fetale.’The album followed to produce four brilliant singles, three of which hit the top ten! ‘Gimme something good, don’t wanna wait I want it now / Pop it like a hood and show me how you work it out,’ oh, we’re poppin’ our hoods alright….
Album representation: 10/10
Lead Single Choice: 9/10
‘Femme Fetale,’ was an album of beyond excellent, dance smashers! The only two songs that would have been the best choices for the first single were, ‘Hold It Against Me,’ and ‘Till The World Ends,’ so the choice could not have been any better. The album could have been played from start to end in a club and there would not be a single bum on a seat! The album definitely deserved more singles, a timeless album and should come with a warning tag, ‘not to be played whilst driving.’ Who would have thought that head swaying and singing at the top of your lungs would cause you to swerve your car off the road…
WORK BITCH
With a new Las Vegas residency just announced, Britney needed a hit that would scream ‘showgirl’ as a lead from her eighth studio album, ‘Britney Jean.’ ‘Work Bitch,’ delivered! The Vegas showgirl was in full force and at the same time sending the world to work! Following the super dance focused, ‘Femme Fetale,’ Britney kept to the winning dance formula, but this time with the winning EDM sound, extremely popular around that time. The song has sass, the song has sex appeal, it has girl power and most of all it has monster hit written all over it. Enlisting the production of the ‘Swedish House Mafia’ crew for the beats, this was a guaranteed club success. If this song is not on your gym playlist, you have been deprived. The motivational lyrics and the building beat gets your blood pumping and you cannot help but feel amped and ready to take on the world by the last drop! The music video was sexy and ‘danceney’ was back in action! Britney is possibly the only person in the world that can call you a bitch and you are guaranteed to find it endearing. Now where is that whip… wait.. did we just get a little weird in here? Oops!
Album representation: 4/10
Lead Single Choice: 10/10
‘Work Bitch,’ is the perfect single to kick off Vegas and hands down the best choice for a lead single off ‘Britney Jean.’ The song is an iconic dance anthem. Did it represent the album? Strangely, no. The album only had a handful of EDM numbers and the album focused on more of a pop vibe. Majority of the album was surprisingly slower than you would expect if you were judging it by the first single. Unfortunately, the album only brought out two singles…. heartbreaking, we know… Especially as there were at least 3 more tracks that would have been commercial smash hits. Unfortunately this will always remain Britney’s most under-rated album.
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