I have so much to say about Britney's new CD that I will never get it all out at once. This probably seems really sad. Keep in mind that I was never a Britney fan, or a fan of pop in general; I can't stand most of the shit prior to her last 2 albums. I don't listen to Top 40 or anything like that, and only have a few pop artists that I own music for and listen to.But something has been happening with Britney lately, and I like it. As someone who considers himself somewhat of an, albeit it shitty, musician, I try not to think about her as a creator of music. Rather, I look at her as a creator of a fetish, of an icon, and of a product. What she really is is an amazing saleswoman, one who takes "sex sells" to the max and uses her life as a billboard. Not only is she very talented at this, but she also has some of the best producers in the world on board, without which these last two albums would never have been made.
Here are some thoughts on some of the tracks:
#1: Womanizer
I've written about this already. Watch the video if you live in a fucking cave and haven't seen it. It's probably the second-best song on the album.
#2: Circus
This is the second single and it's not bad. The video is out today - again, it's not as good as Womanizer, but I like it. It's definitely catchy and is keeping with the "comeback theme" of "Gimme More" and "Piece of Me" - it addresses issues of celebrity and performance, which has always been one of her strong suits (looking back to similar motifs in "Lucky" and "Me Against the Music").
#4: Kill the Lights
Best song on the album, and - I suspect - the next single following Circus. It has really bad-ass horns thing going on, and starts out with one of those "Hey guess what Britney's gonna sing" intros that overpopulated Blackout but that I still love. I think this is an even better single than "Womanizer" in that it's slightly more generic and more relateable - it's just about dancing and going crazy, something easier to meld with at a club or party than a song about a dude who sleeps around.
#6: If U Seek Amy
I didn't get this song for the first 10 listens. Everyone wants to hang with this woman, Amy, at a club but no one can have her or even find her, apparently. The words of title "If U Seek Amy" was in the song many times, but didn't make sense and seemed like code. Was it about drugs? Fame? Date rape? Finally I realized that you have to play Mad Gab when the chorus is on: "Love me, hate me, say what you want about me / But all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to If U Seek Amy." If U Seek Amy. F-U-C-K me. Yeah. That's right. Now I am fucking in love with it (no pun intended). Also, doesn't she sound like she's channeling "Bathwater" by No Doubt in that intro? You know it.
There are other good dance songs, too, like Mannequin and Lace and Leather, the latter of which sounds suspiciously like every goddamn song on Madonna's last album, Hard Candy. And the slower songs ("Out From Under," "Unusual You," and "My Baby") are not anywhere near as painful as the sole ballad from the last album, "Why Should I Be Sad," which was a self-answering question. I actually really enjoy "Unusual You," which is the only one with any single-release potential.
Overall, it is a much more diverse album than was Blackout, which is good and bad. It shows her ability to sing songs that sound, ya know, different from one another, but it's also less instantly recognizable as cohesive and a full product. In other words, you can't just put it on and dance or work out right on through - there is more here than just songs for the club. Even after a few days, however, this is already turning into a big plus. Whereas before I had to be in a very particular mood to listen to Britney, this new one appeals to multiple moods and that can be nice.
And let's face it. The fact that she is even capable of making records is kind of a Madonna-sized miracle. And I mean the Mother of Jesus in this case, not the faux-British pop granny.
