★ ★ ★ out of 5
The legendary Miss Britney Spears has come a very long way since her school girl pop debut back in 1999… with a few highs and lows woven throughout her extensive career. From the provocative In The Zone, to the edgy, pristine Blackout and beyond, one of the our generation’s most successful female artists has continued to entertain the masses with her diverse music projects... some good, some bad.
One of those categorically bad efforts, 2013s Britney Jean, a commercial and critical disaster, seemed to mark the unfortunate end of the road for Spears. The music was forced and dated, the vocals were lazy and altered beyond recognition, yet she continued to fight and march on. Today’s official release of Glory, the artist’s ninth studio album, got off to a rocky, unpromising start, however, one must admire the spark and determination buried within the iconic, superstar persona.
Preceded by the sultry yet lackluster "Make Me...", a collaboration with rapper G-Eazy, followed by a one-two-three release of mediocre promotional singles ("Private Show", "Clumsy", "Do You Wanna Come Over?") that didn't seem to match the level of Spears' instantly catchy previous efforts, the album was quickly on its way to be nothing more than a repeat of the chaotic derailment that played out three years ago. With sex at the forefront, the album is vapid, with a couple of surprises thrown in to keep the new effort afloat.
Appropriately titled opener “Invitation” works to seduce and lure listeners into a collection of tracks that will hopefully balance the artist’s playfulness and new found assertiveness. She makes it clear that indecisiveness is not her ideal first impression of a potential suitor. The approach to the production tempo captures the sense of heat rising, of clothes dropping all over the bedroom, and creates an effective introduction to a potentially bold era.
Lead single "Make Me..." was a snooze-fest that had many wondering if Spears was even taking her ninth studio album seriously. The subtle R&B vibes of the track were a step in a new direction for the artist, the cheekiness was welcomed, yet the entire package just wasn't enough to warrant a desperately needed radio single. With G-Eazy playing it to safe on his guest verse, and problems behind the scenes with its music video, the song didn't make an impact at all.
The first true misstep found on the album comes in the form of the confusing, childish and messy “Private Show”, a track that doubles as Spears’ latest fragrance theme. Besides the outlandish, practically unbearable vocal delivery the artist and her team decided to toy with, the basic premise of working a stripper pole just does not translate to an effort worthy of Spears’ caliber. She’s having fun, but someone needed to tell her the truth of the song’s flaws.
“Man on the Moon” thankfully steers the album back in the right, world-dominating direction. There’s a dreamy, weightless quality to the overall production, a quality that allows the subtle, somber emotion in Spears’ vocals to come through. “I can't compete with the stars in the sky, I'm invisible, invisible, I open the window to clear up my mind, but it's difficult, so difficult,” she sings of loneliness before the chorus comes around and the artist finally embraces the man of her dreams.
As she states herself, Spears keeps it fairly simple on “Just Luv Me”, a tamed experiment with its sights locked on the nearest dance floor. However, instead of the explosive beats and euphoric tone of a few of her charts toppers, the new track brilliantly succeeds by keeping the synths and effects low key. It’s how the lead single should have been treated. With passion carrying her breathy vocals, it easily becomes one of the artist’s strongest performances in a long while.
Promo single "Clumsy" is just that. The chaotic production affair aims to get listeners on their feet, but in the end, struggles to accomplish the feat. The three-minute track is the most energy we have received from Spears since "Work Bitch", which is commendable. However, more of an instrumental effort than a showcase of vocals or songwriting abilities, the disjointed beats and awkward effects will likely leave more scratching their hands than bopping along with the technicolor strobe lights.
Another preceding teaser, “Do You Wanna Come Over?”, found Spears upfront about her late night intentions, with a confidence that had been missing from her previous album release. The attitude and slight abrasiveness is appreciated, the clearly apparent ode to sex highlights intriguing instrumentals and a carefree vibe, perfect for her fans to fantasize along to. The song should not be taken too seriously, it's a good time, what else do you want?
It's far from surprising to hear Spears singing of sex. She's made a career of it. "Slumber Party" is an explicit anthem of frolicking in between the sheets. However, instead of the blunt approach, the artist chooses to play the role of an inexperienced high schooler. "Let's fill up this clawfoot bath with bubbles, loving me so hard it's causing trouble, if the seven minutes in heaven make it double, triple," she coos, balancing that aforementioned playfulness and maturity.
Spears catches her man in action with another woman on "Just Like Me", an attention-grabbing album addition that toys with the possibility of being a full forced country effort, that slowly morphs in an bare electro-pop track. Think of the betrayal and sound expressed on "I Know What You Did Last Summer" by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello. It's a direction Spears could easily venture into more moving forward, it short length is the only negative.
“Love Me Down” unfortunately suffers from too many voices involved in the recording and creative processes. From the big, fat bass overpowering the intro that unexpectedly transforms into a subdued reggae beat, the production is all over the place as Spears vocally struggles to keep up with the pace. At times, seemingly working to give her best Gwen Stefani impression, the end product has originality going for it, but that’s really about it.
Preceded by a Middle Eastern beat, “Hard To Forget Ya” finds Spears hooked on a feeling. That feeling is growing and seemingly consuming the artist’s thought process. “Since I tasted you I got a craving, shaking in the heat of the night, oh, yeah, baby you got me misbehaving, and I don't even know what is right,” she admits before the repetitive chorus comes through the speaker. Spears properly conveys the lovesick emotion with her performance, something just seems to be missing.
The standard edition of the album closes out with "What You Need", another attempt to mask her vocal flaws with cabaret-like noise that just doesn't fit her persona or musical style. Yes, there's energy, the artist actually sounds alive and involved, but the track sounds like something that would accompany a local news program, not a tune worth the place on a self-described "comeback album". It leaves a bad taste in the mouth, coming off amateurish instead of seasoned.
Glory is being praised for the noticeable effort and energy given by Britney Spears, an artist who honestly hasn't had to try too hard to earn herself a successful single, with the exception of recent years (we can’t just pretend "Perfume" and "Pretty Girls" never happened). While it does sound like the artist is having a good ole time in the recording studio for once, that fact should not allow the album's main defaults to go unnoticed. Overall, the ninth studio album suffers from a lack of a cohesive thought or genre influence, even though many are pointing out the scarce R&B inspirations. When an entire album is barely hanging together by the theme of sexual deviancy, it doesn’t make for an incredibly thrilling or worth-while experience. This is not Britney’s anticipated Erotica moment, it just sort of takes the sting away of her last mediocre release.
Tracks to Hear: "Man on the Moon", "Just Luv Me", "Do You Wanna Come Over?", and "Just Like Me"
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