On today's mix...
Britney Spears - Blackout (2007)
Yes, M.I.A. got even the non-indies dancing to some crazy beats, and LCD Soundsystem surprised everybody by baring some soul, but the real musical triumph of last year came from the hugest music star in the world. Of course, by the time Britney dropped Blackout, her music career was totally beside the point, and the album mostly eluded critical attention other than notes that it was “better than expected, given the circumstances.” But Blackout was more than that. It’s really more than anybody could ever expect from a star as big as Britney. It’s a full-fledged, ready-for-the-dancefloor masterpiece. And it’s probably the best dance-pop album ever.Every single track on this album is a rough, dirty gem. You've probably heard the singles. With its distorted come-ons and strip-club beat, “Gimme More” is the perfect primer for an album such as this. As this song came and went, what escaped notice was its uniqueness in this radio landscape of last year: even Madonna never made a song about how the best way to get off is to let everyone watch, and she certainly never inherited a beat this fresh. The more structurally complex “Break the Ice”—with its delightful falsetto lead-ins—might have been a safer reintroduction for the pop star onto the radio, but it would’ve hardly prepared people for this album. Somewhere, Justin Timberlake was releasing his seventh “Cry Me a River” clone and mourning. Blackout quickly follows with “Piece of Me”, smartly getting the elephant-in-the-room of Britney’s insane media presence out of the way early in a clever, memorable way. Even if the song seems a little disingenuous—anyone who walked through a grocery store checkout in 2007 could testify that Britney was decidedly not as in control of her shit as she puts on in this song—you have to admit that the “I’m Mrs. ‘Oh My God That Britney’s Shameless’” part is pretty clever. Plus… wait, was that Robyn I heard? Also, given the content, it’s also likely the most poignant use of vocal distortion you’ll ever hear on a pop hit.
“Piece of Me” is indicative of Blackout's most unusual asset: good lyrics. Thematically, we’re not exactly breaking new ground here, but the songs here show an impressive capacity for sticking to topic, and they come silly and fast throughout without getting campy or arbitrary. When Britney means to “Break the Ice” she makes sure to “hit defrost on ya” before she can “get it blazin’”. When Britney asks “Can I get a witness?” on the sing-a-long-y “Hot as Ice”, she not only gets a few but then cries out for a “preacher! preacher!”
The extraordinarily talented team of producers headed by Timbaland-protégé Danja and Bloodshy & Avant—the stunning Swedish duo behind “Toxic”—keep up the pace while delivering freshness by the barrel. On “Radar”, Bloodshy & Avant process Britney’s voice into a soaring army of cyborg hotties heat-seeking a hook-up over the album’s catchiest hook. “Freakshow” goes even crazier with the vocals while backing it up with some circus-y dubstep. And on “Toy Soldier”—likely the crowing accomplishment of the album—they pair up an incessantly danceable military drum roll with Britney’s quest to find “a really badass solder… who won’t be just ‘coming over’”. The results are irresistible.
Even with such talent on hand, Blackout packs another big surprise: Britney herself. She really got it together for the vocals here. The writing and production teams put it all together; but this is Britney’s party, make no mistake, and she’s sticking around till lights up. She’s never sounded like she’s having more fun than on “Ooh Ooh Baby”—when she hits the “baby, baby, baby”’s, you could swear this is her favorite song of all time. Even on “Radar”, where her vocals are so layered and distorted that they literally could’ve been phoned in, it’s her aggressively bubbly tone that hits the perfect note and makes the song such a rousing success. (If you don’t believe me, compare it with the otherwise comparable—but truly robotic—2008 Janet Jackson track “Luv”.) Further, not only does Britney not make an ass of herself rapping on “Perfect Lover”, she thrives. Really, I dare you, try to sing along to that bridge—it’s some tricky “Liza With a Z” shit going on there.
I could really go on and on about how every track on this album has something totally fresh to offer. Earworm “Hot as Ice” is a full on freak parade, complete with full-on soul backup singers “mm, mmm”-ing like the Supremes on Mars. As Britney rails on against all the “foolishness and fuckery”, she leaves behind a trail of the most bat-shit funk since Macy Gray dropped The Id in 2001. “Heaven on Earth”, meanwhile, takes notes from Paris Hilton’s underrated “Nothing in This World”, and the results are, well, heavenly. “Why Should I Be Sad”—the album’s sole ballad—proves that, while Pharrell’s shtick may have gotten tired when it comes to manufacturing party hits, he can still do one hell of a slow jam. And centerpiece “I’ve Got a Plan (Get Naked)” is the album’s most explicit appeal to get onto the floor and presents a strong case that student Danja may not only have outpaced teacher Timbaland, he's thrust teacher into pop music irrelevancy—following this, "4 Minutes" is, at best, a throwback to 2006.
More than almost any pop album since Aqua’s Aquarium, Blackout just wants to have fun. It’s ample proof that all celebrity trainwrecks are not equal, and that it might actually be worth it for Britney to get it all back together. Six months later, it sounds as fresh as ever, and I highly recommend giving it another spin the next time you’re plotting a trip to the clubs or maybe just looking for some new work-out music.
10/10
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