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Britney Jean Hindsight Review

kfitz421

By kfitz421
in Britney Community

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kfitz421 Rising Star

kfitz421

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Ok, Ladies

Anytime a new Brit album comes out I love going backwards and listening to the album that came before. I think I do this because it is always interesting to see the growth/changes an artist makes from one album to the next. Looking back, I am now willing to say that with Glory, Brit showed us her soul, but with Britney Jean, Godney showed us her heart... and it was breaking.

 

Before you get into Britney Jean I think you have to understand what our girl was going through at the time. Our girl recently broke up with her fiance and this had to make her majorly depressed. Think about it - at this time she always just wanted to be married and have more kids. Jason seemed to have gotten along with the kidletts and I think Britney really loved him for that (which on Brit's part isn't the only thing to love about someone. I'm def sure she looked past his not so good traits because of that). Anywho, they breakup and Brit is sad. Her dream within a dream of the perfect happy married life was swept away from her... Again.

Besides all of this, Brit didn't seemed to keen on focusing on her career. She seemed that her heart was more set on escaping. It's hard to admit but she didn't give us life on the Femme Fatale tour but at least she gave us nostalgia. While all this **** was going on, I think the only person who gave her a new perspective on loving & making music was Will.I.Am. *******, say what you will about him but he no doubt made Brit interested in music again. With the lack of quality on some songs on BJ people like to blame Will.I.Am - but *******, Brit is an adult. She put in what she wanted into this album and left the poor guy to clean the mess. This also, however, isn't solely Brit's fault. I think at the time our girl was slowly emerging from having her mental health issues control her and into a new mindset that yeah she is now ****** up because of what happened years past but she's a survivor. 

 

Alien) this song shows us the fact that Brit was feeling alone and sad. It's a sad and beautiful song. I personally believe the cut in the vocals was done on purpose. Brit didn't want to do promo and the  jump cut caused a b(R)it of controversy. 

Work *****) the gays have inspired Brit to get her life back on track. We obviously inspire her to keep fighting and I do truly believe that this song is a thank you to her "Boyz". For the promo, I don't think Brit was uncomfortable with saying work *****, I just don't think she was used to the life and empowerment that the phrase had given her

Perfume) easily one of Brit's best ballads. She put her heart and soul into this one and it really comes across. Brit probably experienced the words of this song and really related. I believe it was a vulnerable moment for her. How about y'all BJ haters sing about a recent engagement breakup to the public and see if you feel like you're being personal or not.

- ******* can you even handle this T?

It Should Be Easy) say what you will about this song but I love it. I think it truly reflects where Brit was at the time. I think she was vocoder and auto tuned to show how in general people hide behind funny words or a mask when we are attempting to be vulnerable. Interesting to leave the chorus to Will - I think it's because she couldn't find the words to say of how she was feeling. Leave it to the guy who gave us "Where is the Love" to understand her.

Tik Tik Boom) ******* can go through a depression and still be ***** y'all. I love this song because it gives me major Rocky Horror Picture show Vibes. The let me get up on it/why you wanna flaunt it part is amazing and you know it. 

Body Ache) sick as **** beat. Brit just wasn't connecting with this one and I do believe Will did the most he could do. Y'all would be lying to yourself if you said the you make my body ache breakdown wasn't amazing and sickening as all get out.

Till it's Gone) very personal. And this is Brit y'all. She usually focuses on the dancefloor and doesn't let us into her inner psyche. I know she has Why Should I Be Sad and so on in her back catalogue, but I guess with this song she's at least giving us one reason why. Sad song with interesting beat. I think it shows how Brit was going to keep dancing till the world ends despite the **** going on in her life. And still them BJ haters gonna say this Album isn't personal. Okurrr?

Passenger) Slay me with intro, Brit. This song is beautiful. I know people think that when the big not comes it's not a natural Britney vocal, but *******, the song is about enjoying the ride and letting other people do the work - this comes across literally at this section which I believe adds to the theme of this song. Again, can you handle all this T? Anyways, this seems to be an uplifting song for Godney. Remember - at this time she was emerging from her mental health issues and turning her life around. Not her most signature vocals but it marks a turn for Britney where it seems she wants to start being more positive and into the music she is making. Her producers are there to help her along the way until she's ready for full control.

Chilling with you) just a cute song with Brit's little sister. We all know Brit is sober and doesn't drink wine, but ******* this song's verses are in the past tense. Y'all best be ready to hand out some kit Kat bars because Ima need you to give me a break with this one.

Don't Cry) Again, Brit was going through a major life transition and I think this song details that. 

Brightest Morning Star) a nice song about Brit's boys. They help her keep her head above water when things look grim.

Hold on Tight) personally, I interpret this song as Brit flirting with the idea of death. Not that she's suicidal but the thought of just releasing and letting go seems peaceful, and definitely less chaotic (no pun intended) than living the life that she lives. I think this is one of her most beautiful songs ever and it really details how Brit was in a not so good place but kept moving forward, which again, I think is the theme of the entire album. Also, sonically (forgive my whiteness) Brit had that tick-tick-tick-t-t-t-t-t-tick noise before most pop artists did. Slay me Brit.

Now That I found You) makes sense to me that this is the end of the Album. Brit has found hope and faith and is ready to move forward with her life. This song is amazing and anyone who says otherwise is cray-zay.

Anywho, I think this album is about a transition from sadness and despair into hope. It makes sense to me that (in the deluxe version) the cover is black and white but her name is up in lights. I think it shows that Brit isn't herself but she will never escape her name as it will always be the name of a star as well as a name that has been up in lights for most of her life. Britney Jean represents Brit the humanney, who isn't always Godney and isn't always the Holy Spearit. She has been in a slow but progressively up of an incline ascending from a troubled past. She overcame public scrutiny, heartbreak, **** addiction and losing her children all in the public eye and she never stopped throughout it all. If someone had just an ounce of her work ethic they should consider themselves lucky (no pun intended again). Britney Jean is the album of Britney Jean the human and she is a survivor.

That is all.

 

 

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Passengerney Collaborator

Passengerney

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It is personal but the problem is that obviously her label/team wanted some bangers there and the album is not cohesive at all. The first half is upbeat and commercial and the second acoustic personal songs which I think Britney wanted that organic feel but it's like a mesh of songs together and they don't go together well, for example from Work ***** to Brightest Morning Star (WTF) ???.

I do like the album, for me, it's a very sad album but at the same time beautiful. Passenger is in my top 10 Britney songs, it brings a lot of memories when I hear it's just really special for me. The album also represents a part of my life when I was lost and very depressed, and most of the songs lyrically are about hope or faith. It's very special for me, even if it doesn't have the best production or the best catchy tunes. 

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laurelhenessy Apprentice

laurelhenessy

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Personally I don't think Britney Jean is that bad. I think though that they sold the album as 'personal' which caused a lot of disappointment for the fan base.

I do like some songs from the album - Work *****, Tik Tik Boom, Don't Cry, Brightest Morning Star, Now That I Found You and Alien. I don't think the other songs are really that bad, but they feel like real fillers.

My main issue is the era, to be honest. They are clearly preparing for Vegas so instead of making it a personal album overall, they just focused on making it as close to Vegas as possible, with a few 'personal' songs. I seriously don't think "Tik Tik Boom," "Work *****,"  or "It Should Be Easy" are personal songs. But whatever. The era is a massive wake-up call after years of career neglect.

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SlayOut Master

SlayOut

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And what about Perfume (The Dreaming Mix)? :queenflopga:

I do appreciate that you took the time to listen to the album now that we have a new album/era, and glad you came to the decisions/realizations/appreciations that you did. Despite having favorites from the album – Hold on Tight, Passenger, Perfume, Alien, BMS, Don't Cry, WB, Til It's Gone – the messiness of her team, Will.I.Am, and pretty much that whole era just leave a sour note in my memory of the music.

But I do like some of the tea you served, although those sour notes (like I mentioned) still come through for me no matter what! :orangu: 

Thanks for sharing your opinion, sis!

Spoiler

I know you listened to BJ in hindsight, but have you reviewed Glory yet? :saycheese: I'd be interested to see what you had to say!

   

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BOBIBCFBG Mentor

BOBIBCFBG

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I'm at work so I can't read the whole thing but my opinion remains the same about Britney Jean as it always has. It's a decent pop album it's just not up to Britney's standards. It's fun - it has a few really great songs and some other good ones. Then there are some that are just kinda bad lol (Chillin With You, Brightest Morning Star, NTIFY). They probably would have been bonus songs if she recorded a lot of material for the album but I think she only recorded the 13 tracks didn't she?

It's just obvious that they rushed the whole album to get it out before Vegas to use it as promotion for POM. It was backwards than usual - they usually do a tour to support an album but this time they released an album to support a show. You can tell that the album doesn't sound finished - a lot of the production sounds half-assed and there are almost no bridges in any of the songs. In IABJ they barely talk about the album. It was all about Vegas. They were rushed with Vegas rehearsals and they were randomly like "oh yeah her album comes out that day" as if it was getting in the way of rehearsals.

Also - I don't like that they claim Britney co-wrote every track. I think they did that to brand the album as personal to Britney bc they kept talking about that. But Tik Tik Boom was technically a cover from GRL - some of the lyrics are different so I suppose Britney may have written some but it was almost all done. Also - Passenger was a leftover track from Katy Perry so I doubt Britney wrote on that. I guess there's a possibility she actually co-wrote on every song but it felt more like a marketing gimmick.

Part of me wishes they had just released the good tracks on an EP and then she could have kept recording the 8th album. She probably would have had enough good material by 2014 or 2015. Enough time to do it right.

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Here Comes the Master Newbie

Here Comes the Master

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On 9/15/2016 at 8:07 PM, laurelhenessy said:

Personally I don't think Britney Jean is that bad. I think though that they sold the album as 'personal' which caused a lot of disappointment for the fan base.

I do like some songs from the album - Work *****, Tik Tik Boom, Don't Cry, Brightest Morning Star, Now That I Found You and Alien. I don't think the other songs are really that bad, but they feel like real fillers.

My main issue is the era, to be honest. They are clearly preparing for Vegas so instead of making it a personal album overall, they just focused on making it as close to Vegas as possible, with a few 'personal' songs. I seriously don't think "Tik Tik Boom," "Work *****,"  or "It Should Be Easy" are personal songs. But whatever. The era is a massive wake-up call after years of career neglect.

Had she gone the FF route and just said that it's a fun album that you listen to before the club I think most people would've given her a pass. But calling it her most personal album was a HUUUUUUUUUGE mistake

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Harlow Collaborator

Harlow

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On 16/09/2016 at 2:05 AM, kfitz421 said:

Ok, Ladies

Anytime a new Brit album comes out I love going backwards and listening to the album that came before. I think I do this because it is always interesting to see the growth/changes an artist makes from one album to the next. Looking back, I am now willing to say that with Glory, Brit showed us her soul, but with Britney Jean, Godney showed us her heart... and it was breaking.

I agree with you. All the things you wrote, it speaks to me. Britney Jean is not a perfect album but it reflects where Britney was standing few years ago.

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paula24bs Apprentice

paula24bs

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when you market an album as your most personal ever, you better have at least half of the album about your life (at least is what the public expects)... the problem with Britney Jean is that we kinda relate to what we know about Britney, because we were told to....but if a person that doesn't know Britney listens to it it's going to be on the same level as it was before....the songs are kinda personal but very generic at the same time, so everything fits there....her life, my life, your life...

 

everybody needs love and goes through a heartbreak so you think "love should be easy"....when you breakup with someone you miss him so "you never know what you got till it's gone"....I love to dance so "i'm gonna dance till my body ache"...you find someone that helps you go through your heart break and you think "I thought that love was a hopeless case till I found you"....and I could go one...I mean these lyrics are straight from common sense, sentences that you hear everybody say but they don't really have a meaning, they're not personal...they don't come from a place that really reflects a deep introspection....hell "mood ring" was not even wrote by britney but I feel that she sees herself in every bit of the sentences...

 

Not to mention that she seemed so disconnected from the whole process...the sound of the album it's closer to will.i.am sound than to britney's sound, we know when britney is hands on on an album we get ITZ/Glory kinda of sound: ****, mysterious, funny and sweet - that's her personality right there....it was so personal that she didn't wanna spend time recording better vocals for some songs, I mean I love Don't Cry as a song but her voice cracks on it so much!!! not only here, but in a lot of songs on this album, and Glory came to confirm that is not her voice that is damaged, it was really britney that didn't wanna spend 5 more hours on studio...

 

as much as people try to support the whole "personal album" I don't by it...yes there's a few songs that I can feel that britney was involved more deeply but it isn't enough to call it a personal album...even less "the most personal album"

 

EDIT: forgot something....I know that Britney even when it's personal is very metaphorical (everytime, someday etc) I didn't expect her to write a song describing the day that she lost her kids for example, I just expected something that maybe it took me some time to fully understand what she really wanted to say behind the poetry...Britney jean has almost no metaphorical sense in any song, as I said, just straight common sense that everybody says to everybody, lacking any kind of deep meaning

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NotAPassenger Contributor

NotAPassenger

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Britney Jean is arguably the worst big pop album released in recent memory. The entire album is underbaked and it's not just Britneys fault. The album was supposed to be good, working with Mike Will Made It, Blood Orange and William Orbit etc... But there was serious conflicts behind the scenes that removed Britneys *****. Will was left to create an album out of 12 vocal takes for 14 songs that require 30+. 

 

Hold On Tight is the standout album being clearly Britney. Alien is vastly overrated, horribly produced the lyrics are nice however. Work ***** became a camp Britney Classic and was a small hit, still recognised. Now That I Found You was a personal favourite. Her vocals were nice on Perfume, at the time expected to be her best ever again- turns out she'd been holding out on us. 

 

The rest of it is ****, boring and generic. Sadly fans like to mould the album to fit this image they have of Britney; that this was a transitional record embued with heartbreak. In reality it was a bad album thrown together in 12 weeks in order to promote the bigger picture; the Britney brand. Ironically they underestimated how much damage it would do. 

 

I used to to like Britney Jean, it served itself as a wonderful album to listen to in a hungover state. But I have no desire to listen to it ever again knowing what she's now capable of. It's an insult. 

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it's so much Better Collaborator

it's so much Better

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2 hours ago, mauureee said:

There are some good songs but for me this ruined it all.

Also her documentary where she doesnt even know the name of "Passenger"

how do you know this in the video isn't britney herself?

and what documentary? "i am britney jean"? because i just can't find it to watch it... just a strange version in youtube with a lot of fan mades (?) videos from POM...

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