Published on Jun 6, 2000
Sophomore jinx. The very words send chills up and down the
spines of music executives. Many are the artists that burst big
unto the music scene only to dissapear when their next release
shows up. In the age when success is demanded daily, a slip or two
will mean that many an article will shout the end of an artist or
band. Remember Hootie & the Blowfish? Gin Blossoms? Dishwalla?
Belly?
It is often the case that, to prevent from such a case, artists,
producers and executives will redouble their efforts and overpush
an album. This tends to eventually create some sort of backlash
against the artist and his or her work. But now I am getting ahead
of myself.
While Britney Spears’s first release,
…Baby One More Time, saw the light of day to little
fanfare and had a slow climb to the top of the charts, there was
never any doubt as to how her second album would be greeted. Fans
mobbed the stores, MTV’s studios, the Internet, anywhere to get
first listen to the teen diva’s new music. In an age where there’s
never a sure thing in music, this was sure: Spears’s new release,
Oops!…I Did It Again, was destined to start at the
top.
So is this the second coming of…Britney? Yes. Is it the next
great album? Hmmm, nope. But let’s look at the album itself.
The first thing that struck me is that this sounds very
well-crafted and composed. In fact, it reminded me of the work a
certain Swedish group released close to 20 years ago. This moves
and feels a lot like the work from ABBA, believe it or not. What do
I mean? It is smartly arranged, composed, organized and performed.
The work of the myriad of writers, producers and musicians is all
well-polished and has a gleam and a sheen that most other albums
rarely attain.
Among the stronger tracks are the danceable title track,
“Stronger,” and “Can’t Make You Love Me.” Each one is mixed and
remixed and almost seem cut and spliced. In this day and age,
there’s nothing wrong with that. The tracks are enjoyable and
should find their place in the hearts and minds of the young and
the not-so-young sets. Eventually, I’m guessing that the title
track will be forever attached to compilations.
There are a few signs of maturity in here, amazingly enough.
“Lucky” deals with some young, popular star that feel alone. Also,
“Dear Diary” – penned by Spears herself – sweetly deals with some
of her own daydreams. Spears may have found some familiarity with
these topics. After all her life is often plastered in magazines,
radio, TV, Internet and her own fanzines. Meanwhile, “Don’t Let Me
Be the Last To Know” and “One Kiss From You” are tender ballads
that will definitely be in the dances throughout next year.
Still, the album can’t escape its own pop trappings and
expectations. “Don’t Go Knockin’ On My Door” suffers from one remix
too many – a shame because the song has some good. “What U See (Is
What U Get),” “Where Are You Now” and “When Your Eyes Say It” are
all standard pop fare – not great, not bad, just average. The
producers’ sheen and added cutesiness – through the spoken skits –
cannot mask the forgetfulness and shallowness of much of the
album.
Then there’s “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” One question: Why?
Why?
Why?
WHY?
I think we should start a cover moratorium – only certain
songs get to be covered by certain artists. If she had covered
“Dancing Queen” or “I Feel Love” or even “Like A Virgin,” I would
have had no problem whatsoever. But she goes and picks an
internationally-known song and completely reshuffles and recreates
the song. I hate to say this to my brother – and the rest of his
generation – but Spears’s cover of that old group’s song
S-U-C-K-E-D!!!
(Calming down, calming down. Breathe in, breathe out).
So, how to judge this album? In today’s age, this album will be
a success and a massive one at that. No one will be amazed when
this CD hits 10 million sales. As to how it shall be seen in the
future, I doubt that it will be held in high regards. As such it
succeeds in its charge as a pop album. It is music of the moment,
for the moment – future be damned. Therefore, if you’re one of the
many teenagers who likes this, I say go ahead. But don’t be shocked
if its cuteness and sweetness dissipates with the years. You’re
just recognizing the lack of meat in that dish.