skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Britney Spears, the self-declared living legend, has done it again by (somehow) managing to live up to all the hype and speculation surrounding her seventh studio album Femme Fatale.
It would be too easy to say that this album is representative of today’s pop music scene (for better or worse), rather, it’s more than that. It’s not a concept album. There are no thinly veiled (read: made up) political themes as a means to drive listens. So what is it then?
Femme Fatale is a high-octane, slickly produced dance album comprised of at least 10 potential single-worthy tracks brimming with ridiculously infectious beats and gobs of sexual innuendo. It’s heavy on synthesizers, light on substance, and will straight up assault your eardrums.
By now, we’re all well versed in “Hold It Against Me,” the Dr. Luke/Max Martin production that dissolves into a jaw-dropping dubstep breakdown as well as the Ke$ha penned “Till The World Ends” that is so similar to her own single “Blow” that there are moments where we can’t tell the two songs apart. But that’s OK because the difference is while Ke$ha can write an earworm-worthy song, she doesn’t have the clout to make an impact the way Britney Spears does.
In total, Dr. Luke and Max Martin are responsible for seven of the album’s twelve tracks, but it’s the Bloodshy produced “How I Roll” that elevates Femme Fatale above the latest albums from Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, and Katy Perry, all pop divas in their own right who have cashed in on the Luke/Martin gravy train. The song is unlike anything you’ve heard in Billboard’s Top 100 full of pops, sputters, hand-claps and hollow, robotic Britney vocals. It’s irresistible to anyone with a heartbeat and it could easily have been a b-side from Body Talk, Robyn’s 2010 standout album.
Then there’s the mid-tempo break-up-turn-one-last-romp song,“Inside Out,” which at first listen might appear to be the odd man (uh…song) out on the beat-thumping Femme Fatale, but it’s not. The song is masterful in its own right thanks to Spears’ hazy delivery. Stans will even get a kick out of the little nod in the chorus to the song that started it all, “…Baby One More Time” when she purrs “You know what I want right now/Hit me one more time it’s so amazing…”
Point being – it’s time we all come to terms with the fact that Britney Spears is the real deal regardless of how present or involved she is in deciding her career’s direction (jury is still out there). We’re all guilty of dismissing her talent (yes,talent), chalking her success up to being a great marketing tool (maybe in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s), but the fact is it’s now over a decade since “…Baby One More Time” changed pop music and her latest effort, Femme Fatale, is more progressive than its nearest competitor by a longshot.Source: The Round Table
New York, NY -- Britney Spears is gearing up for a week of appearances and surprise performances to promote the release of her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale.
First off is a special performance on ABC's Good Morning America from San Francisco's historic Castro district. This is the first time the show has filmed a concert from the location, and due to the time difference and logistics Britney will pre-tape the performance on Sunday, March 27th and the concert will air on GMA on March 29th. She is scheduled to make several appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show week of release and MTV is celebrating Femme Fatale with a Britney take-over day on March 29th. Britney is confirmed to participate on Nickelodeon's Kid's Choice Awards on April 2nd.
In between rehearsals, Britney is shooting the video for her newest song, "Till The World Ends" in Los Angeles. Ray Kay has been tapped to direct the video.
Britney is currently featured on the covers of V magazine and Out magazine's first ever "Ladies We Love" issue.Source: BritneySpears.comJust to be safe, it does not say she's performing on Ellen. Something to think about...
Do your kids like the new record? What have they said about it?
Yes. They definitely dance to it but its kind of funny because they are still confused …. It’s like, ‘who is this Britney Spears singer in contrast to mommy?’
How has your involvement in the record-making process changed over the years?
I have always been heavily involved in every album I have ever made. I’m very stubborn when it comes to recording and will only record songs I love, which is why it takes me a long time to make an album. I have to feel connected before I record and the song has to spark something inside me. Very few songs do that. I guess it’s a good process because I love all of my music. I know there are a lot of artists that hate songs they recorded. I don’t feel that way.
What was your idea for the overall sound of this album?
I wanted to make a fresh-sounding album for the clubs or something that you play in your car when you’re going out at night that gets you excited but I wanted it to sound different from everything else out right now. I also wanted to experiment with all the different types of music I love which is why you hear a mixture of pop, hip-hop and dance throughout the album. I also really wanted to play with my voice and change up my sound here and there which was really fun.
You hear traces of some real cutting-edge dance music on the album – for instance, the dubstep break on “Hold It Against Me.” How do you find new sounds?
I listen to a lot of different music from all over the world and I guess I just gravitate towards what sounds fresh and what makes me want to move. I really didn’t want to record anything on this album that could be mistaken for anyone else out there. I think my first two singles, “Hold It Against Me” and “Till The World Ends,” sound completely different from anything else and I think when my fans hear the rest of Femme Fatale they’ll see how fresh every song is.
Do you still go out to clubs? What kind of dance music do you like?
I don’t go out that much anymore but when I do, I definitely like to go out and dance. I’m a big vibe person when it comes to music so a song really has to make me feel a certain way in order for me to fall in love with it. I love hard pounding dance songs with really beautiful melodies over them. Those are my favorites.
What kind of music do you listen to at home?
I love the Peas but I also love Deadmau5. I guess I’m all over the place. Lately I have been listening to Robyn and Adele non-stop but I also love to find new artists that very few people know about. It’s one of my favorite things to do because it’s like being part of a secret. Friends and people around me are always showing me new artists that they love and that’s how I learned about Sabi and ended up working with her on “(Drop Dead) Beautiful.” I have always wanted to feature a new artist on one of my albums and she is really cool.
What led to your collaboration with willi.am? What was it like working with him?
The Peas make incredibly catchy, fun pop/dance records and I LOVE will.i.am’s style. I have always wanted to do a song with him and would love to work with him more in the future. He is so interesting.
Dr. Luke has become a big-name producer in his own right since your last album – is it different working with him now?
Not really. We have known each other for a really long time. Most people don’t know this but we actually worked together when I was recording “Blackout.” He was incredible back then and he has only gotten better over the years.
Dr. Luke said last fall that “I want [the sound] to get harder in some ways, and maybe a little more deep into electronic — grimier.” Did you have that same agenda for the album? Do you feel like you accomplished that?
When we first sat down to talk about Femme Fatale I knew I wanted to make a dance album that was ahead of everything else out there but unique to me which is why I was so picky with the recording process. I only wanted songs that I immediately connected to. I also wanted to make sure that this album was completely different from Circus or anything else I had ever recorded. I love Circus but I wanted something darker and edgier. I also wanted to make an album and didn’t want to just record a bunch of songs and put them together. I think Femme Fatale is really connected from start to finish.
What is it about Max Martin that makes you so comfortable collaborating with him? How much bigger of a role did he take on this album than he did for “Circus”?Max played a huge role on this album and he has been there since the beginning so there is such a huge level of trust. He gets exactly what I am saying when I tell him what I want and don’t want musically. His melodies are incredible and he is always coming up with weird sounds, which I love. The whistle on “I Wanna Go” still gets me every time I hear it. Who would have thought of that? There is nobody I feel more comfortable collaborating with in the studio.
How would you characterize the studio relationship between Max and Dr. Luke?
They are two peas in a pod. It’s a total bromance.Source: Rolling Stone
Blog
designed by Zaid
Britney Spears, the self-declared living legend, has done it again by (somehow) managing to live up to all the hype and speculation surrounding her seventh studio album Femme Fatale.
