Britney Retrospective

Reading my review of Britney's new album Circus and last year's review of Blackout, you might think I dislike Britney. I really don't; I just think her career has seen better days. Here's a quick round up of her first five albums, most of which are better than what she's been doing lately.

...Baby One More Time, 1999 (4/5)
Britney's debut came when Jive was a powerhouse of teen pop music. Having made a fortune with the Backstreet Boys, they used the same Swedish producers, notably Max Martin, who became a superstar producer. The album opens with the masterfully perfect piece of late '90s pop, "...Baby One More Time," a peak from which poor Britney could only fall. Overall, the album isn't as strong as the similar material from the time, but "Sometimes" is a good mimic of the mid-tempo Backstreet sound, and "Born to Make You Happy" is great too. Ballads have never been Britney's cut of tea, but "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" wasn't bad. Check out the heavy use of keyboard effects. The guitar-backed "I Will Be There" is pretty good too, as is tuneful "I Will Still Be There," the duet with Don Philip (whoever that is). She misfires when it gets too cutesy, such as on "Soda Pop," her pointless remake of "The Beat Goes On," or "Email My Heart" (Email was still somewhat of a novelty back then)"Crazy" was better after its remix. Best: ...Baby More More Time, Born to Make You Happy, Sometimes, From the Bottom of My Broken Heart, I Will Be There, I Will Still Love You.

Oops!...I Did It Again, 2000 (4/5)
Having struck gold with her first album, Jive quickly got her back in the studio and just over a year later released a follow-up. The results are just as good, if not better than her first album, pushing her in a slightly more edgy direction. "Dear Diary" is too sappy for Britney, and her "Satisfaction" remake is unsatisfying. But other than that, everything else here works, despite much of it being poured from the same mold as her last album. The fantastic title track sounds like a remake of "One More Time," "Stronger" like a new version of "Crazy," and "Lucky" like a retread of "Sometimes," albeit with a trappings-of-fame story. Most of the rest is pretty decent, upbeat pop, like "Don't Go Knockin' on My Door," which sounds like it could have just as easily appeared on 'NSync's No Strings Attached. Best: Oops!...I Did It Again, Stronger, Lucky, Can't Make You Love Me, Don't Go Knockin' on My Door.

Britney, 2001 (3/5)
For her third album, Britney started moving away from bubbly Swedish teen pop to a harder R&B-tinged sound. Max Martin is still here, but he's joined by top-notch urban producers The Neptunes and Rodney Jerkins. It makes for a disjointed album, an uneasy blend of tarty beat-driven songs ("I'm a Slave 4U") and girly sweet ones ("Anticipating"). The best song here is surprisingly a ballad, co-written by Dido of all people. "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman," is a lovely song, and perhaps unintentionally captures the struggle this album faces between Britney's teen sound and trying to find a more adult pop sound for the then 19-year-old. Best: I'm Not a Girl Not Yet a Woman, I'm a Slave 4 U, Anticipating.

In the Zone, 2003 (4/5)
For Britney's fourth album, she ditched Max Martin altogether in favor of more cutting edge producers like Bloodshy & Avant, who delivered "Toxic," her biggest hit in years, and Tricky Stewart who helmed the underappreciated Madonna collaboration, "Me Against the Music." Big names show up too, like R. Kelly on "Outrageous" and Moby on "Early Morning." If she wasn't quite a woman yet on Britney, she certainly is on In the Zone, cooing sexily on the throbbing "Breathe on Me," another fantastic track, or the Matrix-produced "Shadow." Although not wildly better than her first two albums, this may qualify as her best work. Best: Toxic, Breathe on Me, Me Against the Music, Everytime, Outrageous, Shadow.

Blackout, 2007 (2/5)
Not a complete disaster, but certainly the most disappointing entry in her catalog. Chock it up to a really bad year and a phoned-in performance. Where it's saved, on energetic tracks like "Piece of Me," "Break the Ice," or "Heaven on Earth," it's because of the great producers she manages to attract. Best: Piece of Me, Gimme More, Heaven on Earth, Break the Ice.