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by R.M. Nayhowtow * * * Britney's third studio album "Britney" opens with the Neptunes-produced "I'm A Slave 4 U". The song showcases a subservient Spears, in all her reverse psychological splendor, as she bursts the bubblegum pop bubble that made her the star she is, at once commanding her listeners' attention by proclaiming she's more than capable of getting "dirrty", long before any of her peers did, and finishing with a chorus that is more of a whisper in the ears of all those interested. The song was more than just risque - it was a bonafide reinvention and risky publicity move from Spears, one that paid off as an individual moment but in the context of a high-concept studio album was rendered otherwise impotent.
As soon as the jungle bass-sparse "Slave" finishes, the album goes into all-too-familiar terrain with the Max Martin 'Crossroads' tie-in "Overprotected", the Darkchild styling of "Black Cat"-inspired "Lonely" and the Dido co-penned, also 'Crossroads' tie-in, "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman". A decent enough ballad, but all of it sounded mostly like her earlier material. Had her fans simply outgrown her, or was her shtick getting old? The album seems stuck between playing soundtrack to Crossroads (it also featured a cover of Joan Jett's "I Love Rock N' Roll"), playing Lolita in "Let Me Be", "Bombastic Love", and "Cinderella" which were casual throwaways and actual musical growth in the understated sugar-high brilliance of "Anticipating" and "That's Where You Take Me" - ultimately failing to convince listeners of any of these incarnations. "Britney" the album seems like a missed opportunity as a concept, instead playing like a barbie-doll CD companion to an MTV reality show. Spears plays her parts but is either unable to relate to all of her material or just not enthused enough to sing it. Though in some parts of the album something, sweet, sexy and sophisticated is realized, Britney has a very eclectic range and her collaborations with the Neptunes only further this notion. The album simply feels like a concept, unrealized. Three steps forward, two steps back Britney.
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