Britney Jean: A Longtime Fan's Semi-Passionate Appraisal

When it comes to high-fructose pop, it doesn't get any more diabetic than the one-and-only Britney Jean Spears. Decidedly among the most famous and most accomplished women of the pop universe, it was only a matter of time before the pop princess released an album that pays tribute not only to her diverse past, but also to her iffy present and, most vitally, to her questionable future as pop's reigning queen of slick studio production and undeniable public relations magic that have all been so instrumental in Spears' iconic, longstanding career. Having sold over 100 million albums worldwide - spanning seven full studio albums from 1999 to present, from a teen vixen's nervous debut, ...Baby One More Time, to 2011's explosive electropop extravaganza that was Femme Fatale - Britney has always had a knack for working with just the right people, and this time around is no exception. While perhaps not quite as anthemic, grandiose, or imaginative as her previous efforts, Britney Jean benefits from long-time Madonna collaborator William Orbit, producer of Ray of Light, along with a host of other downright famous-in-their-own-right songwriters and producers including the ubiquitous will.i.am, Diplo, Dr. Luke, and David Guetta. As always, Britney lets all the producers, mixers, and engineers do the heavy lifting, and by this point, she knows that's the way to go. 

In so many artists' careers, we see the damage - or progress and growth - inflicted either by finding a winning formula and sticking to it, or by evolving past the point of relevance in mainstream popular culture. Luckily for us all - but especially for hardcore Britney fans - she knows that the former option, formulaic dance pop designed to, let's face it, make the gays love her, is her cash cow. However, within such a framework, Britney and her team have found such clever methods of tweaking, morphing, warping, and pushing the boundaries of such a method, that - for the most part - only good things have come of it all. Britney Jean is the epitome of this methodology, and as such, is a solid effort that, while offering a few new classics, largely - to many's surprise - falls flat in terms of presenting a coherent, cohesive, or impactful pop record, at least for a Britney album.

In the Orbit-produced introduction, Alien, Britney provides us with a retrospective, almost soulful (yes, soulful) experience, addressing such universal human woes and joys as alienation, connection, stoicism, mystery, and finding one's place. Its simple, yet extremely well executed, beat throbs through Brit's typically vocoder-enhanced vocals, providing a fittingly cosmic, epic feel to what, in the hands of a less capable producer than Orbit, could have ended up an absolute disaster. The collaboration simply works wonders, however, and in no time flat, the listener is wondering what other audio spectacles await on this icon's next full studio effort. This effortless synergy of Britney's charisma as a performer and Orbit's undisputed skill as a master producer creates a sonic atmosphere that is never quite matched the rest of the entire album.

The LP's lead single, the fun and delightfully trashy Work Bitch, does its job as club-banger and attention-snagger for early marketing purposes and, upon repeated listens, has far more replay value than initially thought. Despite its truly prepubescent lyrics and utterly simplistic composition, the single is, well, just damn fun. Crank this one at maximum volume in your car on your way to work, and just enjoy it for what it is: fun, simple, catchy, infectious pop designed to appeal to your lowest - no, funnest - common denominator: your groove thang!

BJ's third track - and second single - Perfume, slows things down a bit. In this surprisingly charming and mature ballad, Brit longs for an explanation of her jealousy, insecurity, and vanity regarding a secret lover who, despite all her efforts, has his sights set on another woman. "Such a classic tale," she tells us, letting us know she's gonna "mark her territory" (presumably, her man) with her perfume, so that this mysterious other woman will smell it on him and know that this is Brit's man! Certainly not as memorable as other classic slow tracks such as Every Time, Perfume is still an enjoyable romp through one woman's glamorous desperation laid bare.

As we skate through the middle of the album's material, though, little can be said about the originality, pizzazz, or even overall musical capability of tracks such as It Should Be Easy, an underwhelming will.i.am creation, Tik Tik Boom, a mediocre club-ready banger with T.I. as guest, or even Body Ache, whose introduction is so sonically exciting, that the rest of the song is an absolute failure.

Things look up toward the climax, however, when Til It's Gone comes onto the scene. This Guetta- and will.i.am-created tribute to 90's dance anthems is a trip completely separate from the rest of its predecessors, producing a sonic environment that is enjoyably danceable, yet tinged - ever so slightly - with just the right amount of dubstep accents. I never thought I'd see the day when I could admit that the dubstep technique, when used minimally, could offer just the tweak needed to add an original flavor to a unique chorus, but for some reason unknown to me, Til It's Gone simply works. 

The remainder of the album afterwards really does come across as pure filler material, something that hasn't occurred in a Britney album in a very long time. It's unfortunate, too, with such potential displayed in the aforementioned tracks, that another gem on this album does not appear until the bonus track, Now That I Found You. This is one of those rare instances in which a bonus track far superior to much of the material on the original album, for some unknown reason, never made the cut. In essence, the synth-pop breakdown on Now That I Found You feels like you're galloping through an endless field of pink cotton candy in some beautiful rainbow of a nebula in some distant, unknown region of the cosmos - astride a glittering unicorn, naturally - in search of some epic, fantastical talisman that could save the universe as we know it. Its Avicii-esque catchiness is an earful to behold, and something to be experienced to be believed.

On the whole, Britney Jean is unlikely to win over any non- or lukewarm-fans of the teen pop idol, but for the sake of her fans, it's certainly nothing to be ignored. Release any expectations you may have of the pop legend and just enjoy the whole experience as it comes; you may just find yourself dancing in your seat on your way to work! A few gems, a few flops, but overall - something to experience.

FINAL SCORE: 82 / 100