Blackout - Britney Spears
What the heck am I doing writing about Britney Spears new album? Well, I figure that she needs someone who's somewhat impartial, somewhat fair,
and dispassionate enough to be able to judge it without having any preconceived notions.
Okay, I had some, but I have to say that I
was pleasantly surprised by this album, which is called
Blackout.
I'm not sure where that title comes from, since there's not a single song on the album with that name, but regardless, this is a pretty good album.
Why am I calling it an album rather than a CD? If anyone who's reading this is from the days of albums, they will remember that an album was
considered pretty good if one side or the other was good enough to just keep playing over and over, even if there was no reason to flip it over to the other
side. With Blackout, Britney has done just that, as the first five songs on the album would make a great dance album on its own. The first song, which
is the first release from the album, is titled "Gimme More", and it's easily the best dance song on the album. It's bouncy, lively, and Britney does
just enough with it to make it feel like a classic for its time. The next four songs merge well, and will keep you bouncing and feeling pretty free for at
least 20 minutes or so. The only real dog on this CD is the sixth song on the album, called "Get Naked"; I could have done without that one.
Still, there are so few perfect albums that we can forgive her the one dog.
The final six songs aren't all that bad either, though nothing really jumps out at you until the final song possibly. That one, "Why Should I Be
Sad", is a definite shot at K-Fed, her former "himbo" husband (I should be ashamed of myself, but I'm not) who wishes his album could have been a
tenth of what this one is. This isn't a deep song lyrically, but it doesn't need to be; it tells it like it is, from her perspective, without naming names, but
we all know who she's talking about. Four years ago I wouldn't have thought she had this type of thing in her; for some reason, it's actually quite
appealing to know that she does.
Now, the truth of the matter is that Britney is not the best singer in the world; then again, neither is Janet Jackson, whom I love. What she is,
however, is a professional who knows how to touch an audience in some fashion, at least from a studio. At the time I'm writing this, the album has
just been released and is at #3 on the Billboard album charts, no small feat when one considers all the bad press she's been receiving lately.
Blackout is a testament to the fact that this is a pretty good album that can stand on its own, probably pretty well against any of her previous
albums, and if we cut her some slack and only look at the music for a moment, she hasn't lost her touch on what people will shake their money
makers for.
