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It'd be more fun if she just did porno. Can't
you just see that ass writhing up and down?
Mick
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, January 02, 2000 6:45
AM
Subject: [Sndbox] Sex On Brittney's New
Album
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Britney Spears
Photo: Wire Image
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| The early buzz on the new Britney Spears album was that it would
be adventurous, atmospheric and above all, adult. Two out of three ain't
bad.
Sure, Britney has a bit of a trip-hop vibe on her upcoming album,
just not enough to justify her love for her mentor Madonna's latter-day
direction. In the Zone is by no means Britney's Ray of Light.
Instead, Spears' fourth album jumps stylistically all over the place, from
techno to hip-hop, even to reggae, with thumping, tribal dance songs being the
predominant flavor, save for a touching ballad or two. The only thematic
connection is the recurring topic of sex, sex and more sex. Oh, and some
partying, too.
"Me Against the Music" aside, Spears sings that she's
got the beat when she pairs up with the Ying Yang Twins who urge her to get
crunk Atlanta-style on "(I Got That) Boom Boom." Not that she needs
encouraging � Britney's dead-set on getting her groove on in party-hard songs
like the bubbly "Brave New Girl," and partied-too-hard songs like the more
brooding "Early Mornin'," which features a shimmering, percolating beat from
Moby and subdued vocals from Spears (see "Britney
Talks New Album But Remains Coy On First Single").
"Brave New
Girl," formerly called "Brave Girl," on the other hand, is backed by choppy,
electro-funk beats and features Britney singing in a bouncy near-rap: "She's
going to find her passion, she's going to find her way, she's going to get
right out of this/ She don't want New York, she don't want L.A., she's going
to find that special kiss."
As innocent as that sounds, it's not just a
kiss Britney wants on the rest of In the Zone, which she uses to
unleash her libido in as many situations as she can dream up. In the
beat-heavy R. Kelly booty-call track "Outrageous," she whispers and moans
about "my sex drive" and how her underwear feels in her "sexy jeans" with a
snake charmer melody giving the song an exotic feel. She continues to entice
on the Bloodshy & Avant-produced "Showdown," which, with its bubbly beats,
is about fighting and making up with carnal relations: "After the screaming's
at an end/ Why don't we do it all again ... I don't want to be a tease/ Would
you undo my zipper please?"
Not all the sex is good sex, though.
"Toxic" bemoans being addicted to men who aren�t good for you � like, oh, say,
married men? But even less than desirable situations can provide good
memories, as in the Matrix collaboration "Shadow," which talks about how
reminders of a lover can still linger after he�s gone. The same effect exists
in "Everytime," the ballad Spears previewed on "Saturday Night Live," but to a
more haunting end since the lovers have parted for good.
Even if the
lovers never touch, as in "Breathe on Me," the narrator's desire fills the air
(see "Britney
Gets 'Just A Little Freaky' On In The Zone"). Of the songs on In
the Zone,"Breathe on Me" most earns the trip-hop comparisons, and despite
not being as overtly sexual, it's the most sensual: "Oh, it's so hot, and I
need some air/ And boy, don't stop 'cause I'm halfway there � just put your
lips together and blow."
A girl can only take so much unfettered
frustration, so Britney shows herself a little love on "Touch of My Hand,"
which also features a Far East influence: "I will be bold/ Going to the places
where I can be out of control/ Don't want to explain tonight/ All the things I
try to hide."
By contrast, "Everytime" is her most innocent, and
perhaps her most personal, song on In the Zone. Though she's denied
having a response to Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River," the lilting
piano-accompanied tune comes closest to a plea for forgiveness for
inadvertently hurting a former lover. In the song she sings, "What have I
done? � I may have made it rain/ Please forgive me/ My weakness caused you
pain" (see "Britney
Previews LP, Denies Rumors Of 'Cry Me A River' Response").
Through
it all, Spears is as self-referential as many hip-hop artists, getting her
featured guests to give her shout-outs and dropping pop- star tidbits as if
they were come-ons. The reference to "my world tour" on "Outrageous" is moaned
with the same ecstasy as "my sex drive," and the cumulative effect seems like
it's designed to put the listener in the lover's shoes � taking full advantage
of the aural male gaze. If the technique works, In the Zone will make
the most of Spears' latest maneuverings to graduate from pop princess to pop
pin-up. The other possibility is that she's just dropping a litany of
diary-like entries. Regardless, this is her life, she seems to be singing, and
criticism be damned � sex is gonna be in the mix.
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