Spears revitalizes sound on new album

Coming off the heels of her 32nd birthday, Britney Spears is continuing with the winning dance-music formula from 2011’s Femme Fatale.

Spears’ last album produced three top-10 singles with “I Wanna Go,” “Hold It Against Me” and “Till The World Ends.” All three songs were successful collaborations with will.i.am, who executive produced Britney Jean. Will.i.am and Spears crank out more upbeat, dance-style and electronic dance music-inspired tracks on the new album, showing Spears’ attraction to the club music scene.

Britney Jean also serves as a transitional album for Spears. Some tracks explore modern EDM and dubstep territory, while other tracks recall the sounds of Spears’ past. By mixing up styles but still staying true to her fundamental musical persona, Spears delivers an album that is strong overall, proving that she still has plenty of ideas for fresh material.

The strength of the album is only slightly affected by the confusion that results on some tracks due to the overwhelming use of auto-tune and EDM sounds, but the strongest tracks have enough impact to stand successfully above the weaker ones.

The months leading up to the album’s release have been fairly leaky — the two singles “Work B—h” and “Perfume” were leaked online days before their intended releases in mid-September and early November, respectively. Likewise, a low-quality version of “Alien” and 30-second snippets of the entire album went viral within several days of each other in late November.

“Work B—h” is a typical Spears-will.i.am collaboration that follows in the footsteps of the Femme Fatale tracks. Co-produced by will.i.am and Swedish House Mafia’s Sebastian Ingrosso, the song is clearly EDM-inspired and geared toward countless club remixes, with a pulsating beat and electronic sound. The message is pure Britney Spears as well, with a chorus that says, “You want a hot body / You want a Bugatti / You want a Maserati / You better work b—h,” by which Spears seems to be speaking to her hard work as the reason for her success.

Not a bad message, Brit, and one that can certainly be appreciated in a society increasingly obsessed with overnight success stories.

The message in “Perfume” is also timely, as are her vocals, which shine through without the excessive auto-tuning that her will.i.am-produced numbers often exhibit. Her second single, released in early November, reveals a more vulnerable side of Spears that her electro-pop dance songs keep hidden as “Perfume” discusses fears of her man seeing another woman.

The song has a great progression, starting out delicately as Spears expresses insecurities and slowly building as she gathers strength and shows off some pretty good vocals with lyrics that say, “I put on my perfume / I want it all over you / I’m gonna mark my territory.”

Inspired by 1980s power ballads, this cool, modern pop ballad, strengthened by her stripped-down vocals, is nostalgic, beckoning memories of the “Stronger” and “Lucky” Spears of the past. “Perfume” has substance to it and is refreshing and powerful, especially standing next to the upbeat and light electro-pop tracks.

Britney Jean also emphasizes exposure in “Alien,” which likewise makes a strong impact without going the electro-pop route. Spears’ voice once again takes center stage and the lyrics are at once boldly confident and airily celestial — “There was a time when I was one of a kind” and “The stars in the sky look like home / Take me home / And the light in your eyes lets me know I’m not alone.”

The song’s lyrics again exhibit a more vulnerable Spears exploring new territory. The sound strikes a more reflective tone than typical Spears material.

A notable and strong Britney Jean track that did not fall victim to the leaky pre-release period is “Tik Tik Boom” featuring T.I. Not to be confused with the similarly named Ke$ha track, Spears’ song is like a slowed-down club jam that shows off her vocals and boasts a strong beat. The background instrumentals and electronic undertones hint toward EDM style without letting it overwhelm the track. T.I.’s portion of the song is also strong and complements Spears’ vocals. “Tik Tik Boom” appears to be the front runner for radio success at this point.

A few of the album’s tracks should follow “Work B—h” and find success in the club scene. “It Should Be Easy” features will.i.am, whose vocals actually overshadow Spears’, and makes that track near a duplicate of the duo’s 2012 “Scream and Shout” collaboration. The song will most likely spawn countless remixes, however, her other EDM track “Body Ache” probably will as well.

“Til It’s Gone” features slower verses and an explosive dupstep chorus that give the song a more impactful sound than the aforementioned two by highlighting Spears’ vocals in the verses and creating a playful dance tone with the EDM chorus. One of the better of the EDM songs, this track strengthens Spears’ venture into various styles.

Overall, Britney Jean makes a strong statement that Spears is taking on new challenges and exploring new varieties of music. The album has a smattering of different styles from EDM to ’80s-inspired ballads that simultaneously show the strong, confident Spears that everyone knows and loves while also revealing a lesser-known Spears with insecurities. Spears is one of those rare and lasting people who has been able to endure the constant stream of pop “it” girls and still has something to say.

Britney Jean humanizes Spears and proves to listeners that she is not only still the pop persona that fans have seen on stage for more than 15 years, but perhaps also a real woman with a lot more to say.

 

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