Britney Spears – …Baby One More Time

Umm really?

 

This seems like less of a review of her first album, and just a retrospective piece. Wish more than two songs were mentioned. I remember being introduced to Sonny and Cher by her cover of The Beat Goes On.

In any case, better than I could have written. Just trying to provide something constructive!

 

(It ... is a retrospective piece.)

 

I guess I don't understand, since the title states this is a review of the album specifically. I guess I should have stated that it seemed more like a retrospective piece on her early career rather than on the actual album. Even though, of course, this album started her career. Just my two cents

 

We run retrospective pieces, this is one of them.

 

Pretty sure this album is what turned me gay. I was such a Britney stan from ages 10-12. It was supposed to be my first concert (Oops I Did It Again Tour at Red Rocks in 2000, but the date was canceled). It wasn't until 2002 when I went to the Pop Disaster Tour (Green Day and Blink) that I snapped out of my "teen popstar phase". Still gay tho...

 

Not sure why you're trying to argue semantics on what a retrospective is. All I did was suggest that an album review (retrospective or not) should focus more on the actual songs, of which only two were mentioned.

And now I'm having an argument about Britney Spears in 2019, so I guess we'll just agree to disagree on this one

 

I’m not arguing semantics, I’m saying we have a reocurring “retrospective” feature on the website around album anniversaries.

We’ve run these for like 5+ years when albums turn a certain age. They’re the author using the career mark/anniversary to write about the artist/album/and usually reflect on themselves what’s happened since:

The Killers - Day & Age • chorus.fm
Butch Walker - Sycamore Meadows • chorus.fm
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade • chorus.fm

Sometimes they act as “re-reviews” but usually not. It’s usually a way to reflect back on the passage of time and the mark the album made on the author/culture.

This one’s probably my favorite so far, and it’s only a little about the music:

Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger • chorus.fm

 

I enjoy the retrospective series, it's actually one of my favorite features on the site. I always take the time to read through them whenever they get posted. Day & Age was my favorite, a close second being Black Parade because that record came out at such an important time in my life.

But back to my original point, 10/13 songs on the album are mentioned in Glass Passenger retrospective. On The Black Parade, every song on the album is mentioned. Same with Day & Age, all songs. On Sycamore Meadows, 9/13 songs. For this one, it's just 2/11. That's all I'm trying to say.

 

Never thought I would see this review on here.
I would be more interested in this review if it spoke about more than two songs.

 

There was a staff member specifically writing pop reviews back on ap.net. Can't recall his name, but I remember his review of Carly Rae Jepsen's Kiss in 2012, so it's nothing new.

That said, while her following albums are definitely much superior, this is an impressive debut considering her age at the time. The influence it had on the forthcoming 00's pop scene, both western and non-western, is undeniable. She was probably my first crush, as well as the first musician to make me realize music was my main passion.

 

Seriously? First, a nothing-special pop country album is #1 of 2018 and the first review of the year is Britney Spears? This site has changed so much since the ap.net years and I’m not sure I’m feeling the changes. Don’t get me wrong, my musical tastes have changed a lot since high school... but this is the shit that was popular and on TRL. So many of the news posts feel so mainstream.

Respectfully... is there an editorial board or musical vision that curates and shares interesting and compelling music for an audience? I feel as if this has site cast a net so wide that it has no specific musical identity anymore.

 

It's not a review, it's a retrospective.

 

Maybe not restricting yourself to one genre is a good thing. Maybe reading my post just above mentioning ap.net covering pop music as early as 2012 (and I have memories of articles about many other pop artists way before) is a good thing as well.

 

I’ve been with ap/chorus since 2006 and the vast majority of things on chorus do not feel mainstream. Also, mainstream is not equivocal to bad.

 

I happen to listen to a wide array of genres, but not Britney Spears. I’ve been a commenter on AP.net since long before 2012. Welcome

 

It’s me. The identity is me.

Just as it always has been.

Getting mad about Deanna wanting to write about one of the biggest albums and cultural moments in music in the last 20 years is just silly.

And that Kacey Musgraves album is incredible.

(And this wasn’t the first review of the year.)

 

You mean like blink 182

 

So, uh...I guess I'll take a stab at commenting on the actual tracks.

The title track, Crazy, and Sometimes makes sense as tracks 1-3 as they're probably the clear highlights here.

Soda Pop is a bit of a misstep, but I think the album's middle section is great. Born to Make You Happy is a little cringey lyrics-wise but I do like the song overall. From the Bottom of My Broken Heart is a decent ballad, and I Will Be There is a fun, upbeat track.

The international-only track Deep In My Heart is a really fun song, and I wish it was on the standard version. I forgot about I Will Still Love You (the duet) almost entirely, because it usually gets sorted separately from the rest of the album in my library. I just re-listened to it for the first time in a long time, and it was better than I remember. I didn't know about Don Phillip appearing on the X Factor when Britney was a judge, and I just watched that video the other day and was pretty entertained by it. Thinkin' About You is alright, I remember liking it more when I was a kid than I do now, but it's not bad.

Email My Heart is pretty laughable in retrospect, although I don't ever remember liking it much. The Beat Goes On is a solid way to finish the album.

Overall, I think after revisiting this album after all these years, Britney's "baby" voice bothers me a lot more now than I ever thought. There's some good songs here, as well as songs that I would probably say are filler. I think the 2nd album, Oops, had a similar trajectory - some great songs, but some that are largely forgettable. I don't really think she hit her stride until the third album, Britney, which has some of my all-time favorite Britney tracks (Cinderella, Lonely, and What It's Like to Be Me).

 

It's weird that people don't understand what a retrospective piece is and what purpose it serves. Whatever. This was a fun read about one of the most interesting and memorable pop culture moments of the past few decades.

 

It was so much easier scrolling past this article instead of writing off the entire site's editorial but okay

 

Anyone who thinks Golden Hour is “nothing special” has bad taste in music and can definitely take the first exit.

 

I am 95% sure I reviewed, in some fashion, Oops!... I Did It Again.