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Blackout is the fifth studio album by American recording artist Britney Spears, released on October 26, 2007 by Jive Records, four years after her previous studio album In the Zone. Spears started writing songs for the album in November 2003, and began experimenting with a more acoustic sound. Following her marriage with Kevin Federline in 2004 and the birth of her first son the subsequent year, she began recording the album in 2006 with producers J. R. Rotem, Danja and Kara DioGuardi. She gave birth to her second son and filed for divorce in late 2006, after which she continued working with producers such as The Clutch and Bloodshy & Avant.
Recording sessions took place at various studios around the country, including at Spears' home in Los Angeles. Some of the producers claimed to be impressed with her work ethic and professionalism, despite all her problems in her personal life. Spears wanted to make a fun, danceable album with uptempo, high-energy music. Blackout is mainly an electropop and dance album, which incorporates elements of several musical genres such as funk, Euro disco and dubstep. The themes of the album range from fame, sex, love and dancing. The cover sleeve and images were shot by Ellen von Unwerth. The centerfold pictures, which feature Spears and a priest in suggestive poses in a confessional, were condemned by the Catholic League.
Blackout was to be released on November 13, 2007, but it was moved up to October 30 due to unauthorized leaks. Zomba Label Group sued Perez Hilton for posting at least ten leaks on his gossip blog; the parties reached a settlement in June 2009. Blackout received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Most called it her most progressive and consistent album yet, but others argued that its quality should have been attributed to the producers rather than Spears, and also criticized her vocals for being overly-processed. Blackout was set to debut at the top of the Billboard 200, but debuted at number two due to a last-minute rule change. The album topped the European Top 100 Albums and the Canadian and Irish charts, while peaking inside the top ten in another thirteen countries. By the end of 2008, Blackout had sold 3.1 million copies worldwide.
Three singles were released from the album. "Gimme More" reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a top-five hit in fourteen countries. "Piece of Me" reached the top-ten in twelve countries, including Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Unlike her previous albums, Spears did not heavily promote Blackout. Her only performance to promote the album, "Gimme More" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, was universally panned by critics. Blackout has appeared on many of the end of the year and decade lists including reader polls by Billboard and Rolling Stone, while The Times named it as the fifth best pop album of the decade. In 2012, the album was added to the library and archives of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
User Album Review
Since 2003’s In The Zone, memories of Britney Spears - the musician - have been fading fast. The spell-binding "Toxic" is now just another ringtone, her sexy, sweaty live shows are locked in the video archives and names like Rihanna, Shakira and Beyonce all roll off the tongue before that of the former pop princess.
Impeccable timing, then, for a comeback album that came out of nowhere. For most of 2007, Britney’s return had been nothing but a whisper, then suddenly her record label are shouting from the rooftops… and for good reason.
With the backing of producers Nate ‘Danja’ Hills, Sean Garrett, Bloodshy & Avant and Pharrell Williams, Blackout hasn’t exactly been rushed onto the shelves. Quite the opposite. This is highly detailed electro-pop, so produced it’s almost distracting. Much will be said of Britney’s processed vocals, and admittedly they grate on "Radar" and "Break The Ice", but they are in keeping with the album as a whole. Hip hop, dance, crunk, RnB and electronica all get tapped up on a record that feels like a relentless party; make of that what you will.
Lyrically, it’s hardly challenging. With a wide supporting cast of writers, the same ground often gets covered. Sailing close to the wind on "Get Naked", "Hot As Ice" and "Perfect Lover", Spears goes into lust overdrive. She then tackles critics in "Piece Of Me", before a thinly veiled attack on ex-husband Kevin Federline with the shaky "Why Should I Be Sad". To avoid too much embarrassment, moans, groans and third-person soundbites are drowned out amidst beats, bleeps and computer game glitches that are genuinely exciting.
There’s much to love on this action-packed feast of an album. The electric "Gimme More", the frantically addictive "Freakshow" and the spooky-sassy "Get Back" are clear signs that Spears still has star appeal by the barrow-load. If she can successfully co-ordinate this magic live on-stage, fans will soon be in for a treat.
After a year that she’d surely rather forget, Blackout marks a cool and calculated return for Britney. Rather than put her troubles to one side, she and her army of producers have served them up in a raunchy and, crucially, fun record. Its success should distract her doubters for a short while at least giving Britney – once again, the musician - another five minutes of fame.
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