Spears 'Blacks Out' and makes an album

After a three-year absence from the recording industry (if her 2005 album B in the Mix: The Remixes is excluded), Britney Spears has finally returned to the music scene with the freshly cut Blackout. In contrast to her previous fame, her current music career has been over-shadowed by her destructive personal life; it has made her a running joke in the media. On top of it all, Blackout was leaked on the Internet weeks before its release, forcing Jive to push up its release two weeks prior to its scheduled Nov. 13 date.

For her new release, Spears has gone more urban than ever, much like the rest of the pop music market in the face of declining sales. She has nixed the ballad altogether (a good thing, since she can't carry them) and recorded a slew of up-tempo dance and electronic music.

There's no doubt why Jive chose "Gimme More" as Spears' first single: It's the hottest cut on the album. While it isn't the best for one's listening enjoyment, it is successful because of its catchiness. It has an enthralling beat that made it a club staple before the song ever reached its peak on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 3.

She's provocative. She knows how to have a good time. In "Get Naked (I Got a Plan)," a duet with Danja, Spears finds herself wanting to leave a party at 3 a.m. with a man that she has been noticing. She sings, "Baby, I'm a freak and I don't really give a damn / I'm crazy as a motherf- / Bet that on ya man." While she boarders on pornographic in that track, she hits gold with "Freakshow," which has a well-developed beat. As a track, it mirrors Fergie's "Glamorous." She sings, "Let your inhibitions go / It's a crazy night / Let's make a make a freakshow … / Me and my girls bout to get it on / Grab us a couple boys to go."

What's most appealing about the whole disc is that Spears gets more personal than she ever has. Her track "Piece of Me," which is nicely unraveled around a sickly eclectic beat, dubs herself as "Miss American dream since she was 17." The song turns out to be a send-off to the media and paparazzi that have taken over her life. Spears laments, "I'm Mrs. 'Most likely to get on TV for strippin' on the streets when getting the groceries, no, for real. Are you kidding me?" What makes this track work so well is that it has a sassy attitude that its listeners can't help but respect. Later on in the album, Spears sets the record straight on her marriage to ex-husband, rapper Kevin Federline, in the Pharrell-collaboration "Why Should I Be Sad." The drawback, aside from this is she doesn't have many profound issues on her mind.

Let it be restated, however, that Spears' vocal talent does little to surpass that of William Hungs'. It's interesting that the modern technology in recording studios has hardly been used to enhance her voice. Her producers' solution: Blare loud synthesizers over her vocals in order to drain them out. This leaves listeners questioning the injustice that exists in the world - why does her small voice deserve to make records when there exists an infinitely more talented pool of starving singers? Britney is no artist, but does her value as an entertainer transcend this?

In essence, Spears is the perfect example of the evolution of today's music industry. Talent no longer matters. Record studios find individuals who fit a certain look and package them by having them record with the industry's most talented producers. Artists who are producing hit records, such as Rihanna, aren't that talented. But their producers are. Spears owes whatever success she finds on this album to her own producer.

Although we all secretly want to hate Blackout, it actually isn't that bad if it's viewed as a dance album. Spears has managed to package a nice collection of club grooves, enough to keep a glam New York or Los Angeles club occupied for an entire night. It isn't art; Spears is no Shakespeare and never will be. But, Blackout is a fun, well-produced album full of eclectic rhythms. Maybe, just maybe, Spears can come back. B-