Blackout

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Agreeing with Alexis Petridis' Britney review is surprise enough - but I'm even more amazed that the Guardian has devoted an ACTUAL LEADER COLUMN to go on about how good Blackout is!

In fact, even speaking as someone who really likes the record - the Guardian is overstating things a lot: this is really good, up-to-date, dance-pop and it'll appeal to Europeans more than Americans I guess because of that, but it's not an outrageous sideways step for pop or anything. It's no MORE fresh sounding than Madonna's Music or the first Girls Aloud album or Rachel Stevens' second one were when they came out - coherent, consistent, filler-free pop albums have been a regular feature of this decade, if anything Britney's catching onto that a bit late.*

(I don't necessarily want this to be a big Blackout thread tho cos lots of people haven't heard it yet)

*this is unfair - her last one was pretty consistently good but less coherent I think. Anyway Blackout is better.

Comments

[koganbot]

an unfortunate choice of title, given the nature of Spears' recent travails

A TREMENDOUS title, given the nature of Spears' recent travails. We had a long convo on rolling teenpop a while ago about who is being the better rock star - Lindsay, Paris, or Britney - and girlboymusic argued convincingly for Britney. I'd have to say that Britney wins it (even though this album, good as it is, isn't as good as Paris).

The album sounds way more hip-hop inflected than anything I've heard by Rachel Stevens or Girls Aloud.

[koganbot]

xpost

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Maybe so but it sounds a lot less hip-hop inflected than Britney did - I'm registering it as dance-pop not hip-pop.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Though looking at the Britney tracklist I have NO idea where I'm getting that from.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Yeeah it's a great, great title, though I am still disappointed she didn't use the Lohan one.

Also: OMG 'HOT AS ICE' WAS WRITTEN BY T-PAIN

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

the fuck-you all-over-the-place defiance and unexpectedly sharp wit I'm hearing on Blackout is making me think of America's Sweetheart - except a thousand times more listenable than most of that.

[koganbot]

You see. I was right in my interpretation of her Webpage. (Unfortunately she's taken down the brilliant anti-Hilary jibes and the umbrella fake apology, just has a link for advance orders of the album.)