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Britney Spears may have titled her
new single "Me Against The Music," but she has
rarely been more creatively in tune than she is
right now. "I feel like I've hit a great new stride
as an artist," she says with pride. "I've worked
hard, and I feel like I've grown on so many levels."
In truth, "Me Against The Music" is hardly about
declaring war against grooves. "Actually, it's about
the intensity that people approach music with,"
Britney shares. "It's about getting totally lost in
the music and pushing yourself to the edge in every
way you can imagine. I love thoroughly immersing
myself in music, and I wanted to capture that
intensity in a song."
Britney's musical intensity and her evolution from a
teen renegade into a provocative young woman are
undeniable throughout "In The Zone," her fourth Jive
Records collection. First and foremost, the project
shows her flexing notably strong and mature
songwriting muscles. She co-wrote 7 of the project's
12 sterling new compositions, collaborating with
such heavy hitters as Red Zone ("Me Against The
Music," "The Hook Up"), The Matrix ("Shadow"), Moby
("Early Mornin'"), and Cathy Dennis ("Toxic," "Showdown").
Also contributing hit worthy material to the album
is R. Kelly ("Outrageous"), Ying-Yang Twins on “(I
Got That) Boom Boom.”
Perhaps most significant is the appearance of pop
icon Madonna, who lends her voice to the single "Me
Against The Music." Collaborating with one of her
all-time greatest musical influences was a dream
come true for Britney. "The experience was beyond
words or description." she says. The two forged what
has become a powerful bond while rehearsing for
their now-notorious performance on the MTV Video
Music Awards this fall. "As we were working together,
there were moments when I simply could not believe
that I was standing there on stage next to her. It
was never even in the realm of fantasy for me."
The musical union of Britney and Madonna within the
taut, classic-funk groove of "Me Against The Music"
is quite real, though, and it reveals each of them
at their most kinetic and soulful. The song's
accompanying video clip, directed by Paul Hunter,
shows Madonna enticing Britney through a maze-like
underground club, only to disappear into thin air
when Britney gets close enough to touch her. The
clip is rife with symbolic gestures of Madonna
passing the baton pop power to Britney --- an image
that the young artist finds exciting, humbling, and
perhaps a bit premature.
"There is only one Madonna --- and there will always
only be one," she says. "My goal is to have a career
that is equally as special, but one that is
completely unique to who I am. I'm honored by all
that Madonna brought to this song. I really love the
flow we share --- both on the track and as friends.
I think you can feel the chemistry and positive
energy we shared. It's completely natural and
relaxed."
The natural and relaxed vibe of "Me Against The
Music" is indicative of every note and beat
comprises "In The Zone," an album that runs the
stylistic gamut from streetwise hip-hop and
electro-trance to new-wave-etched rock and well-crafted
pop. From top to bottom, Britney effectively expands
the parameters of mainstream musical consciousness
with songs that lure listeners with infectious hooks,
and then captivates them with layers of clever
lyrics and deft instrumentation.
"Putting this record together was an incredible
journey for me," Britney says. "I had the freedom to
explore and experiment with some of the most
exciting people in music. In the end, that allowed
me to make a record that is a pure reflection of
where I am right now."
What we learn from album highlights like the
rambunctious "(I Got That) Boom Boom," which
features the Ying Yang Twins, and "Everytime," a
stark, delicate collaboration with Guy Sigsworth, is
that Britney has grown into a fearless artist. "Those
songs are particularly special to me, because
neither of them sounds like anything I've ever done
before," she says. "'Boom Boom' is so rough and edgy
and fun, while 'Everytime' is so raw and spare. It's
me stripped to my core as a singer and as a
songwriter. It's as honest as I've ever been in my
music. I loved working with Guy on that track. He
made me feel comfortable and safe enough to go the
full distance, emotionally and as a performer."
Britney also has high praise for Moby, who worked
with her on the mid-tempo "Early Mornin.'" "He's
such a pure-hearted guy," she says. "He's so cool.
He played me a really cool track, and I thought it
was brilliant. It's turned out to be one of my
favorite songs on the album."
She describes "Early Mornin,'" which unfolds with a
deceptively insistent, easy-paced dance groove as a
day-after-the-party jam, which balances some of the
more assertive, dance floor-friendly cuts on "In The
Zone." "Some songs are generally about going out and
wanting to have a good time," she says. "One of the
things I did while working on this album was write
about a lot things like going out with my
girlfriends, everyday experiences that I was going
through. 'Early Morning' is about just going out and
feeling bad the next day." Elsewhere on "In The Zone,"
Britney shows her sultry side, particularly on the
steamy, turntable-ready "Breathe On Me," a Mark
Taylor production that she characterizes as being "very
vibe-y, trance-y. It's about being with a guy and
not even having to really be with each other, but
just the intensity and the anxiety between not
saying anything. You don't even have to touch me,
just breathe on me."
Among the more sensual songs on the album is "Touch
of My Hand," on which Britney seductively floats her
voice atop an arrangement of pillowy strings and
languid, Middle-Eastern-kissed guitar lines. "It's
tastefully done," she says of the track. "And I
think it's real. It's nice and it's real. It's
whatever your take is. Some people may think it's a
little much, but that's where I'm at with my life.
... It's not freaky freaky, it's just a little
freaky." Stepping out on a creative limb has been
the basis for Britney's entire career. Dubbed by MTV
as "one of the last teenage pop superstars of the
20th century," Spears enjoyed her breakthrough
success at the end of 1998. She appeared in local
dance revues and church choirs as a young girl, and
at the age of eight auditioned for The Mickey Mouse
Club. Although she was too young to join the series,
a producer on the show gave her an introduction to a
New York agent. She subsequently spent three summers
at the Professional Performing Arts School Center.
She also appeared in a number of off-Broadway
productions as a child actor, including 1991's "Ruthless."
She returned to the Disney Channel for a spot on The
Mickey Mouse Club, where she was featured for two
years between the ages of 11 and 13. Her demo tape
eventually landed in the hands of a Jive Records
executive who quickly signed her to the label. She
toured American venues for a series of concerts
sponsored by U.S. teen magazines, eventually joining
"N Sync on tour. It all added up to 1999's wildly
infectious "...Baby One More Time" album to make its
bow on the charts at No. 1. The set not only spawned
a smash hit with the title tune, but also scored
with the charming ballad "Sometimes" and the funky
"(You Drive Me) Crazy." Before the album finished
its impressive worldwide attack of the charts, it
garnered Britney 4 MTV Europe Awards, including best
pop performer, and 4 Billboard Music Awards, most
notably female artist of the year.
The massive demand for new Britney material was
satisfied when her 2000 sophomore collection, "Oops!
... I Did It Again," was released to a
Spears-starved world in May. Once again, the title
cut flooded radio airwaves, as did the anthemic
"Stronger" and lovely "Don't Let Me Be The Last To
Know." She also racked up more awards that year by
taking home an American Music Award as favorite new
artist, a Billboard Music Award as album artist of
the year, and 2 Teen Choice Awards. Britney would
later earn Teen Choice Award honors in 2001 and
2003. Ever-prolific, the artist returned in 2001
with "Britney," a spirited, assertive collection on
which she began to reveal her mettle as a tunesmith,
not to mention as a vocalist of increasingly soulful
depth. She earned high praise for the wickedly
sultry "Slave 4 U," as well as for the forceful
"Overprotected" and the gentle "I'm Not A Girl, Not
Yet A Woman." The album's was quickly followed by
Britney's motion picture debut, "Crossroads," which
proved that she has the talent and box-office pull
to be a multifaceted superstar. "One of the true
joys of my life and career has been trying out new
things," Britney says. "I've loved every step of
this journey I'm on. I love singing and dancing and
acting and songwriting... it all energizes and
inspires me." It's that philosophy that has sent
Britney "In The Zone," a project that shows this
ever-growing and ever-exciting at her absolute
best... or as she would say, "for now." "I can't
imagine ever reaching the point where I've hit the
wall," she concludes. "There's always something new
and challenging to tackle. I can't wait to see what
happens next.". |
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