Britney Spears: Britney CD Track Listing

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Britney Spears Britney (2001)
Originally Released November 6, 2001\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: The title says it all -- that this third album is where it's all about Britney. Actually, the titles say it all: Britney is "Overprotected," she pleads "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman," tries to let us all see "What It's Like to Be Me." All three songs are pivotal moments on Britney Spears' third album, the record where she strives to deepen her persona (not the same thing as her character, of course), making it more adult while still recognizably Britney. That much was evident from the selection of the first single, "I'm a Slave 4 U," a sultry Neptunes-produced salute to Prince that is so far removed from the big, glitzy Max Martin productions that are her signature that at first it sounds awkward, even wrong. As it grows, it sounds like one of her best singles -- a skittering, spare funk number that is a perfect next move for her teasing, unformed sexiness. Such a departure seems to signal a full album of surprises like that, especially when teamed with the aforementioned title, but Britney isn't that bold -- after it opens with the Neptunes' retro-future funk, it delves right back into Martin territory with "Overprotected." At first, that's a disappointment, but then the small, yet significant, changes become apparent. Rhythmically and melodically, the whole album is sharper, tougher than what came before. What used to be unabashedly frothy has some disco grit, underpinned by Spears' spunky self-determination that helps sell hooks that are already catchier, by and large, than those that populated her previous two albums. While there's no denying that this reinvention and statement of dogged individuality is no doubt a calculated move (and a brilliant, timely one at that), there's no denying that it's effective, in large part because Spears is committed to making this record work. She's co-written more songs than ever before, and these are strong selections, whether it's the hard-edged "Lonely," the sweet "That's Where You Take Me," or, especially, the neo-disco "Anticipating," one of the pure delights on this record. These are small steps forward -- really, the most overt steps forward are the collaborations with the Neptunes on "Slave" and "Boys," which are the sexiest sounding cuts she ever did -- but most of the Martin productions sound fuller (particularly the Dido-written ballad "I'm Not a Girl"), and Rodney Jerkins offers some welcome rhythmic invention on many of his contributions. This isn't a perfect record -- Martin stumbles on "Bombastic Love," Jerkins drops the ball on "I Love Rock N Roll" (this year's entry of the now obligatory cringe-inducing classic rock by Ms. Spears) -- but it does sound like the work of a star who has now found and refined her voice, resulting in her best record yet (and rivaling Mandy Moore's eponymous album as the best teen-pop record yet released). It's enough of a reinvention to suggest that Britney will know what to do when the teen-pop phenomenon of 1999-2001 passes for good. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nWhere Britney Spears's first two albums hewed to the early-'60s formula of one strong single plus a stack of filler--a fair bit of which ended up on the radio anyway--her third justifies itself as a full-length listen. Led by the single "I'm a Slave 4 U," a Neptunes-helmed piece of electrofunk that promises she'll do anything you want as long as it's dancing, the album continues through superior versions of Spears's poses. Calculated frustration with the adult world? Calculated independence? Sheer celebration? Check, check, and check: "Overprotected," "Let Me Be," and a cover of "I Love Rock & Roll" that brings to mind its bubblegum roots. Even without the joyous disco tribute of "Anticipating" and the not-icky ballad "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" providing symbolic respite from the rest of this machine-tooled music, Britney is one of the most human discs of the current teen-pop boom. If it spins off the deserved string of radio/video smashes, it may even buy this superstar a second 15 minutes. --Rickey Wright \n\nHalf.com Album Credits\nThe Neptunes, Contributing Artist\n\nAlbum Notes\nThis is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Includes a Quicktime video for the song "Overprotected" with outtakes from Britney's first major motion picture relase.\n\nPersonnel includes: Britney Spears (vocals); Brian Kierulf (various instruments); Max Martin (guitar, background vocals); Esbjorn Ohrwall, Nile Rogers, Isaac Phillips, Paul Umbach (guitar); Josh Schwartz, Thomas Lindberg (bass); Rodney Jenkins (programming); Corey Chase (scratches); Daniel Savio (turntables); Jennifer Karr, Jeanette Olsson, BossLady, Ann Marie Bush, Sue Ann Carwell, Tyler Collins, Deann Dover, Albert D. Hall, Damien Hall, Nana Hedin, Annika Tornkvist (background vocals).\n\nThe Neptunes: Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo (various instruments).\n\nProducers include: Wade J. Robson, Justin Timberlake, Brian Kierulf, Josh Schwartz, Max Martin.\n\nEngineers include: Max Martin, Rami, Jamie Duncan.\n\nBRITNEY was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Album. "Overprotected" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.\n\nWell, the question is no longer whether she's a little girl or a woman--Britney Spears has obviously been the latter for some time. The question now is how long she'll be able to pretend at keeping us guessing, and how long we'll pretend not to know the answer. With BRITNEY she continues the dance of corrupted youth and innocence to the delight of both her female fans and dirty old and young men everywhere.\n\nWhile it's by no means the best song on the album, the ballad "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" typifies her commercial appeal (interestingly, though she writes several songs here, this one was written for her). The songs that ring truest here are those penned by Spears herself, such as the Chic-influenced "Anticipating" and the R&B flavored "Lonely," which play down the innocent girl/tart predicament in favor of presumably more realistic scenarios such as checking out her lipstick in the former and relationship dilemmas in the latter. Elsewhere she convincingly reduces Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'N' Roll" to its bubblegum essentials, while her interpretation of main squeeze Justin Timberlake's "What It's Like to Be Me" is arguably BRITNEY's finest moment.
This rock cd contains 13 tracks and runs 67min 18sec.
Freedb: 9b0fc40d
Buy: from Amazon.com

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