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

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

FOUR STARS

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I just downloaded the first zipfile Google threw at me which claimed to be Blackout - am getting sent a copy but won't get it until Monday night! But I can't listen to it because of illness, everything sounds underwater right now :( Am really looking forward to it though.

The dance-pop direction might impress USians MORE than Europeans as something they haven't heard done by GA, R Stevens et al for years now. And it's not as if the USA is kneejerk anti-electro sounds - it just takes an artist of sufficient stature (eg Madonna, Kanye; not eg Hilarity) to make them pay attention.

AP's review did make me realise that both Justin and Xtina's last albums, while I enjoyed them at the time, just haven't stood up to repeated listens in the way that Britney's last two have.

How much tabloidy meta humour is there on the album? The more the better for me obv, which is why I luv luv luv 'Hot As Ice'.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

I wonder if the Guardian is simply playing catch-up. The Times got the "exclusive" "first review" on Wednesday (Paphides, 4 stars, basically saying the same thing as the editorial + drops in 'The Lex meme' for good measure). This week, it's de rigeur for the broadsheets to praise Britney? [/cynical]

Jeez louise, the first half dozen comments on that editorial... :(

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

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

Whuh? It is a GREAT title!

[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.

OK, finished listening to it now

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

That was SENSATIONAL. Well done Britney! Album of year, popstar of year, rockstar of year, media presence of year, person of year. Round of applause!

And now I am going to listen to it all over again.

[koganbot]

Also, though it's not in the same genre, its scratchy murk reminds me of Kelly Clarkson's My December (a mostly excellent album which got relatively savaged from the reviewers, like shouldn't Kelly know better than to challenge her listeners!). I was saying to skyecaptain over on Bedbugs that if Britney'd ended with a coda of her mellower lounge-blues outtakes (which were also quite good) this and the Kelly album'd be a nice match.

Gack

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

I feel a bit like I'm fourteen chasing the cool kids in school by d/l-ing this... oh well. guess there's no question who'll top last.fm charts this week :)