britneyspears-blackout music reviews Virgin Media
Britney's make or break comeback lives up to its title by obscuring all but a trace of the star's real presence
Public image - trashed. Live shows - bombed. Relationship - over. Kids - forcibly removed. Hair/underwear - binned. What, exactly, is left of America's favourite fallen idol? Listening to this fifth studio album, Britney's first in four years, that question remains unanswered. Shielded behind an impenetrable wall of studio wizardry - ice cold synths, machine drum beats, layered vocals - and propped up by an army of producers and writers ranging from Pharrell Williams to Timbaland protégé Danja, Britney's contribution to this album seems little more than a footnote.
That said, as a piece of facelessly collaborative, ultra-modern synth-pop, Blackout is undoubtedly a success. A convergence of pop, electronica and R&B - territory already occupied by the likes of Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, Nelly Furtado and Rihanna - these 12 tracks blend voguish studio gimmicks and vocal hooks with, crucially, finely-crafted melodic structures. Most gratifyingly, it all feels like a cohesive whole, avoiding the compilation feel of most multi-producer pop albums.
But what about Britney? Well, her "personal struggles" have clearly provided abundant lyrical inspiration, notably on standout potential single Piece Of Me. Musically, though, this track belongs to Swedish popstar Robyn, whose distinctive support vocals and peppy delivery make for a song which could have been lifted directly from her own recent album. Likewise, it isn't Britney who owns the slightly sinister Get Naked (I Got A Plan), but producer Danja, whose squashed synths and pitch-twisted vocals dominate. Elsewhere, the bass-wobbling, crunky Freakshow - the first of only two tracks on which Britney shares writing credits - feels more like a studied hybrid of Robyn, Ciara and electro-pop newcomer Uffie. Pharrell collaboration Why Should I Be Sad is the closest we really get to the album's star, its pared-down, slinky soul vibe affording a little more breathing space, just as the record draws to a close.
It's hard not to wonder whether a new, more passionate artist with the talent to make this album really feel like their own should have filled Britney's shoes. Still, if modern pop is all about the artifice, the transformation of the flawed and ordinary into the polished and desirable, then perhaps Blackout is the genre's apex.
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