In the Zone - Spears, Britney (Cassette 2003)

When I received In The Zone two weeks ago, I was beyond excited. Would Britney write a stick-it-to-you song to her ex? Would there be more collaborations with people like Madonna? Would the sound of the cd be different from her first three?

Full of anticipation, I unwrapped it, took a deep whiff of the cd booklet mmmmmmmmmmmmm...I love fresh ink and popped the cd into my player.

My first impression. Hmph. What is this? I was confused. It was weird. I listened to it all the way through and I was still perplexed. I forced myself to listen to it one more time and then, I walked away.

I wouldn't say that I was freaked out but okay - I WAS FREAKED OUT!!! I couldn't process it. Where was the Max Martin tunes?

Gasp!

I was suffering from cognitive dissonance. I even told someone (*ahem*) that I wasn't sure I liked it. Oh no! A week later, I put it to the ultimate test.

I had this deadline from hell. When this occurs, I need music to keep me moving forward so that I don't lose momentum. And it can't be just any ole music. I need to have something that one side of my brain can latch on to while the other side gets to the bottom of corporate BS. Otherwise, I go crazy.

It stayed in my cd player for eight straight hours, repeating over and over again. It became so ingrained into my being that I found myself looking for OTHER work to complete so that I could keep on with the music. Yes, I am a sick individual. It's not like this is news to you.

So how could I go from a so-so feeling for it to an I-want-to-never-let-it-go feeling? My problem was that I wasn't listening to feel, I was listening to analyze. That's a sucky way to evaluate music and if I find myself doing that again, I may have to kick my own ass.

People, the sugary crap that put her in the same league with chicks like Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore is gone. POOF! No Max Martin tracks - either written or produced by him. That's a big deal. He's been like a big presence on her past three cd's.

Okay. So you may not be surprised by that development.

Instead of following the trend of pop-cross-over-to-hip-hop, she takes the road less traveled and that should at least jar you if only for a moment. This is one of the reasons I was so freaked out! I think I was expecting her to do what Justin and Mariah and Christina have done. But no. Fortunately for Britney, her voice does not afford her the opportunity to follow this trend. It's too high-pitched and thin to fit in with the traditional, cookie-cutter pop-hip-hop formula.

So what road is she traveling for In the Zone? It's a road made famous by the likes of Kylie Minogue, Prince, and her idol Madonna. In fact, whether accidental or on purpose, Madonna's influence can be found in almost every nook and cranny of this cd. Squeals with delight.

By now, you've heard the first single, Me Against The Music. This collaboration with her idol was a great marketing ploy and I'm sure that Jive had an instant orgasm over it. Probably multiple. The track is a solid studio arrangement. It's almost a throw back to some of the stuff I remember from the late 90's in that it features a canned drum machine, a sparse bass line, and lots of keyboards and synthesizers.

PLEASE, do not even begin to think that the rest of the album has the same look and feel as this first single. Out of all of the tracks, I would rank it as something in the middle to bottom. It's still great but I think it's safe when compared to the rest of the material.

So where's the real Madonna influence? You can find it on several tracks but specifically take a listen to Breathe On Me, Touch of My Hand, and Early Mornin'.

You remember that controversial cd called Erotica, dontcha? Well, I hear splashes of that cd in these three tracks. Breathe On Me, Touch of My Hand, and Early Mornin' all have elements of that ethereal, heavy pulsating feel, much in the same way that Madonna's Erotica, In This Life, and Thief of Hearts have. In fact, I yearn to be in a dance club. I crave that environment where it's dark and with the exception of the lights that reflect the mood of the bass line, you have no clue if anyone else is out on the floor with you..

Breathe On Me is my absolute favorite track and when Britney gets to this one part in the song, just put your lips together and blow..., I turn into a quivering mass of goo.

So masturbation. Been awhile since anyone has sung about that, right?! Well, Britney feels the need to make sure that you've not forgotten about the idea of self-love (i.e. Touch of My Hand). I love myself, it's not a sin. I can't control what's happenin'. While Britney tends to stay on the electronica side of dance pop most of the time (on this cd), this track slides into the whole Asian side of dance. And let me tell you, Brit makes it sound good.

So where's that Prince sound? It can be found in Brave Girl. If you take Hoku's single from the first Legally Blonde movie (Another Dumb Blonde) and gave it to Prince, this would be the result.

(I Got That) Boom Boom has a lot of kick to it (pun intended). I'm sure that Justin hears this track and is jealous at how good it sounds. Featuring the Ying Yang Twins, the bass line drives the entire dance-enhanced track. Forgive me father, for I'm about to sin. Ying Yang Twins most certainly have that same southern sound to their rap/hop that Nelly does. I rather enjoy it and they mix well with Britney.

I'm absolutely anti-reggae. I mean, it's like everyone does collaborations with Sean Paul (cough Beyonce cough) and basically, it sounds all alike. I had no idea one of Britney's track would have any hints of reggae. What makes it work is that she slices and dices it with a strong electronica/synthesizer riff that turns this into one massive, grinding, dance track. Please, hose me down now.

So where's the Justin f*ck you song? Tsk tsk. You're not going to find it here. Everytime, which is really the only track that really qualifies as a "ballad", alludes to the pain she feels with the absence of Justin from her life.

You seem to move on easy - a definite acknowledgement of his last one billion relationships (including the current one with the ditzy bag).

But this next set, just makes me wanna grab and hug her.

I may have made it rain
Please forgive me
My weakness caused you pain
And this song is my sorry

Ooooh! You know that is a direct response to Justin's, Cry Me A River.

And just because I know that Britney and Justin read every word that I write, I want to say for the record that these two are meant to be together and I'm not just saying that because I'm a hopeless romantic or because I'm always right about this kind of stuff. Remember, you read it here first people.

Alright. Let's recap the pertinent points.
* No Max Martin
* Near perfection production
* Sugar-free
* Madonna Madonna Madonna
* Dance and Grind in the ethereal kind of way
* Better than any of her other cd's
* Will be in my top ten for the year
* Will debut at #1
* Will make Justin re-think his relationship with Cameron Diaz

Tracks
Me Against The Music (****)
(I Got That) Boom Boom (****.5)
Showdown (****)
Breathe On Me (*****)
Early Mornin' (*****)
Toxic (****.5)
Outrageous (****.5)
Touch Of My Hand (*****)
The Hook Up (*****)
Shadow (****)
Brave New Girl (****)
Everytime (****.5)
Me Against The Music Remix (****.5)

And Now - A BUNCH of Links for You

Starting today (November 11, 2003), you can stream Britney's new cd here (free of charge of course):
http://mtv.com

Cd's
Baby...One More Time
Oops...I Did It Again
Britney
You Drive Me Crazy (Cd Single)
Oops...I Did It Again (Cd Single)
Lucky (Cd Single)

DVD's
Britney" The Videos
Crossroads
Britney Spears: Live In Hawaii

Britney Spears Official Site
http://www.britneyspears.com