'Blackout' less than stellar, but we're all ears
By Brittany Benjamin
It's been a turbulent year for Britney Spears, to say the least.
Between a botched MTV Video Music Award performance, an ugly custody battle, a shaved head and countless photos of her bare fanny circulating the Web, it would be enough to make any person want to "Blackout" and drink away her sorrows. But from Spears, these actions have come to be expected.
"It's Britney, bitch."
As if we really needed to be reminded.
That said, all the negative publicity has made "Blackout" arguably the most anticipated album of the year. It's been four years since she last released a studio album, and many are hyping "Blackout" to be Spears' comeback.
Like Spears' marriage to Jason Alexander, the hype will be short-lived.
Since it's a Britney Spears album, "Blackout" will undoubtedly be a hit. It's like attaching Steven Spielberg's name to any movie -- the movie may be awful, but people pay to see it entirely because it's associated with Spielberg.
As the album soars up the Billboard charts, the same can be said for Spears.
Meanwhile, the quality of the album is debatable.
Spears, who never had the range of fellow Mousekeeter Christina Aguilera, falls flat on vocals. Amid rumors that she lip syncs in live performances, she sounds mechanical and monotonous on the album, often doing more talking and creepy chuckling than singing.
Spears shows no growth in artistic style. The music and lyrics in every track are formulaic. Stylistically, nothing stands out or varies from each track to the next. It all just blends.
This is not to say that the entire album reeks of dirty socks.
With a steady solid beat, the album screams to be played at a dance party. No matter how much effort you put into resisting the urge, there's no stopping your feet from tapping in time.
In fact, the album becomes more enjoyable the more times you listen to it. Initially, your first reaction may be to run to the nearest toilet. After the initial shock wears off, somehow the sound grows on you. It becomes even likeable.
Call it brainwashing. Call it magic. There's no real explanation for the strange phenomenon; it just, somehow, happens.
Some songs stand out as catchy and enjoyable. These gems include "Gimme More," "Piece of Me" and "Ooh Ooh Baby."
"Blackout" is a far stretch from Spears' sweet schoolgirl days. Although Spears wrote none of the songs for the album, tracks such as "Piece of Me" and "Freakshow" ridicule the paparazzi and the media with lyrics such as, "I'm Miss bad media karma / Another day, another drama / Guess I can't see the harm / In working and being a mama."
With a good beat and decent lyrics, these songs are surefire hits both on Billboard charts and for Santa Clara students.
More often than not, though, the beats are repetitive and tiresome. Resulting from sheer boredom and annoyance, it's almost impossible to listen to a track all the way through without flipping to another song.
Other tracks, like "Radar" and "Get Naked (I Got a Plan)," are just so excruciatingly bad, they should be recommended to the U.S. State Department as a form of prisoner torture.
There isn't anything that sets "Blackout" apart from any other album.
In many ways, the album parallels the crazy lifestyle Spears has become so famous for in the public eye. It is entertaining, but it's something we've seen before.
Grade: C+
Contact Brittany Benjamin at (408) 551-1918 or brbenjamin@scu.edu.