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BRITNEY SPEARS - BLACKOUT (JIVE RECORDS) |
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I know, I'm behind the times putting in my two-cents-worth on this album and some readers might even question its presence here. But I've just discovered it, so I'm going to talk about it. Sure, it's Britney Spears, so why is she on a DJ-heavy review site all of a sudden? Well, her music is danceable. It's hemoglobin for clubs. Right? So it's not separate from what we do here at DJFix.com and Raves.com. And it just happens that "Blackout" is a DJ-heavy CD. Pop has become an overly disparaged genre, and for quite a while. The attitude may span back to alternative music's shattering of 90s pop dominance. Pop actually boasts stars who are creatively potent, whose own true personality is wrapped up in their music. Consider Pink, for example, and even Christina Aguilera, both involved in the compositional side of the industry, not just the performance side. And then there are those who, whether in reality or not, seem to be Performance with a Capital P voices, those who give their faces and voices to the image while somebody else crafts the music to be the beneath-the-skin bloodflow. This may not be true at all. Spears may be quite creatively involved, but her seemingness is that of a young woman who sings and looks pretty and does a damn good job of using both skills to bring to life the work of a songwriter or producer who will never be as known as the Spears name. Her shallow image is actually something Spears explores on the single "Piece of Me," which boasts lines like "They still gon' put pictures of my derriere in the magazines," "Guess I can't see no harm in workin' and bein' a mama," "I'm Mrs. Oh-my-God-that-Britney's-shameless" and such. With talk of a controlling manager and Spears' willingness to step up and break the fourth wall in frank confrontation of her media nightmare, we want to believe the manufactured dream that Spears is a real human being with flesh and blood and real feelings who has her own brand of talent even if the catty (such as myself on occasion) wish to denounce it in their stubborn, elitist ways. And even if it's not a manufactured dream, it's expression on this manicured pop construct lobs it into that territory. And therein lies the paradox. We know its a shameless, shameful pleasure and we believe in its power even if its power only holds because we gnaw on its gummybear spin on electro-static synthpop industriothrust in the pure, fleshly delight of its sweetness. Britney Spears' "Blackout" is her next-to-most-recent CD, right before the current "Circus." It's a pure blitz of pop. Its vapidity is also one of its most appealing virtues, strangely. Spears puts her full Marilyn-Monroe-breathy sung huff into her I'm-hot-and-I-know it preppy sex power and it reeks deliciously across tracks like "Gimme More," which pounds like the thing promised but forever untouchable from the cocktease glitter of the succubus. Its ferociously libidinous presence snarls into songs like "Break the Ice," which suggests you are already her friend and assures you with vixen's honor that more awaits. A bit of bubblegum vs. mainstream house kicks in with "Heaven on Earth" and deepens left-field with the bassdog rumble of "Freakshow," evolving further with the proggy texture-heavy heady-hooked thrill of "Toy Soldier." "Radar" offers us the sweet delusion of Britney's accessibility, and not just that, but also her proactive willingness. Look out, you're on her "Radar"! Absurdly catchy is the blowing bubbles zest of me-sexy winking in "Hot As Ice." "Ooh, Ooh, Baby" is, well, giggle and take a guess. "Perfect Love" marks a resurgence in the moody sultriness alreay refined by a number of tracks on this disc. Closing out is a surprisingly refreshingly R-and-B track, "Why Should I Be Sad" that is future & back all at once. And I can't go without mentioning my favorite track on the album, "Get Naked (I Got a Plan)" - it's one of the sexiest songs ever! "Blackout" is a real thirst-slaker. And much of the credit for that goes to the behind-the-scenes folks who have a huge hand in the final product, to the DJ and production work. This album is a showcase for how electronic pop that rocks hard can be brought to me. Sure, it's hard not to think of it as a guilty pleasure. But it is a pleasure. True pleasure. It's good music. So why should it be guilty?-- review by Kristofer Upjohn
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