Ranking Britney Spears Albums: A (Subjective) Guide to the Princess of Pop
It’s Britney, b-tch!
Like many of my generation, I can almost assure, Britney has been present in my life since I was a toddler. Like almost no other star, her fame and influence has lived on all throughout this century. She is a star that remains and is here to stay. That is why I needed to do this ranking. Without her, pop music is not the same.
9. Britney Jean (2013)
Immediately at the beginning of this album, you can tell something is different. Britney does not even sound like herself on opening track Alien. But I think Work B — tch and Perfume give the album some credit. And, overall, I got to admit: it is not as bad as some people point it out to be. It looks bad under the personal context Britney was facing, but Britney Jean is as decent of an effort as the music most male DJs were putting out in 2013. Femme Fatale was the radio music you listened on the way to school in 2010. Britney Jean is the EDM festival which hype everyone was living up to in the early 2010s. Yes, the album does not showcase the full talents Britney has as a singer. Yes, this album is probably her straightest. But it lives up to its time, and it can even be within the taste of those people who are nostalgic for the EDM days. Just skip Chillin’ With You and you are set.
8. …Baby One More Time (1999)
The album that made Britney a household name, this album instantly lightens its listener’s mood. The singles are catchy and well-known, and they are meant to be sung and blasted out loud in the car. Sometimes, Born to Make You Happy, (You Drive Me) Crazy…, and, of course, the iconic title track that has been dubbed the greatest debut single ever by various magazines and publications. However, there is a surprise that is not as well known as this album’s singles: Britney’s vocals. Beyond the signature voice that we all from her in …Baby One More Time, the other songs in this albums show Britney sing in a deep, loud, versatile voice. I believe her vocal ability has been largely overlooked due to a reputation of lip-syncing. Yet, she is a very talented singer, being able to transmit different moods and emotions through her voice alone. That is not something a lot of artists can do.
7. Circus (2008)
The ghost of Blackout roams through this album. For one, Radar is also on the tracklist. Besides, songs like Kill The Lights, Shattered Glass and Mannequin evoke the same spirit. Sadly, that spirit is weakened in Circus. The strongest moments are the singles: Womanizer and Circus are classics, and If U Seek Amy is a legendary song that introduced bisexuality and carried sensual desires to the airwaves of radio-friendly pop. And I do not think people talk about My Baby enough — it is a beautiful song, worthy to be comparable with Everytime (and that is a lot to say). However, at its worst, Circus is quite underwhelming. It is her first album that is not a legendary influence in pop music. It is not bad, definitely not. But, for the first time in her discography, Britney is not making history. However, for an artist to say that until her 6th album, it only showcases her unique spot in pop culture.
6. Femme Fatale (2011)
Femme Fatale quite fits into the trends of its time. When I went through it, I was instantly transported to 2010 again. I Wanna Go, (Drop Dead) Beautiful and Seal It With a Kiss are radio-friendly EDM prototypes that Kesha could have easily released. Big Fat Bass sounds like a David Guetta collab. Yet, she completely took the genre and made it her own in the first two singles. Till The World Ends and Hold It Against Me are the utter definiton of euphoria, and they transmit Britney’s ability to remain an icon across different eras in pop music. Not as gay as Circus. Not as innovative and fresh as Blackout. However, the album is still decent, and it is worthy to be played whenever the 2010 EDM nostalgia hits right in the feels.
5. …Oops I Did It Again (2000)
Like its predecessor, this album relies heavily on 90s teen pop. However, Oops!… I Did It Again is more innovative in sound, bringing elements of rock, funk, and R&B. It is a more catchy effort than …Baby One More Time, and, perhaps, a more iconic one, in the sense that Britney brings out a part of her that is worthy to be compared to the edgiest rock, punk icons throughout history. There is even a hint of sexuality included in songs like Don’t Let Me Be The Last to Know. At its best, its 90s pop elements shine and get stuck in the listener’s head. Examples of this are the classic title track (which I always hear in every gay night out… 23 years after its release!), What U See (Is What You Get) and the foreshadowing Lucky. And when the album distances itself into a more modern sound, it is ahead of its time and it serves anthemic hits, such as Stronger. Walking into a new millennium, it was an improvement over …Baby One More Time, and it signaled that Britney was not a one-hit wonder: she was a true artist, and she was here to stay.
4. Britney (2001)
Coming out of her 90s teen sound, she was really between the Oops! and the In The Zone eras with this album. When it is closest to In The Zone, its funky, sexy elements signal Britney’s new provocative image. We can see this in I’m A Slave 4 U, Lonely, and Boys. When it resembles Oops! a bit more, Britney is catchy and it fills up the nostalgia, childhood, throwback feels. We can see this in Anticipating, the anthemic I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman, and the god-tier, culture-shifting Overprotected. It is not as edgy as In The Zone. And yet, it is one of the edgiest albums in the 21st century: it brings a new side to the superstar we have all come to love, and it defies the male, conservative expectations about how a woman should express her sexuality through her art. In a few words, Britney caused Britney Spears to transcend from a pop star to an influential artist whose legacy will forever live in music and culture.
3. Glory (2016)
After three conservatorship-period albums, I heard the opening track, Invitation, and my heart stopped. “She is back!”, I thought. “Fierce, genious Britney is back!” And you can instantly hear a shift in her voice. You can listen how the old Britney creeps back into this album. Yes, this album is not as iconic as In The Zone or Blackout, or even as some other albums ranked under this one. But it showcases Britney’s multiple talents as a singer and it lives up to its title: it is a glorious comeback after a string of controversial, least-favorite albums. Despite everything Britney was going through, she shone through adversity, which is one of the main reasons why we all admire her so much. Glory makes you dance, it makes you horny, it gives you jams to drive your car around and it lightens up your day as you listen. Glory is a gift, and people should enjoy it more. I hope this record gets what it deserves and turns into a classic someday. I am positive it is already on its way.
2. In The Zone (2003)
I think there is no skip-worthy song in this album. Some say that Me Against the Music is a disappointing dance track, but they are talking sh — t. The song is sexy, catchy and it opens the album with the mashup of two of the biggest and most influential pop stars on the planet. THAT’S how iconic this album is. Not only because of the legendary Toxic, but because of all of the songs that signal the full coming of age that Britney had been teasing for the past three albums. Last album, she was not yet a woman. Here, she fully takes her womanhood. She owns it to talk about sex (Breathe on Me, Early Mornin’, The Hook Up), masturbation (Touch of my Hand) and female independence and empowerment (Brave New Girl, Showdown). The Asian and urban influences complement the innovative sound on this album, and they set the sensual mood that is a signature of this record. And, of course, it wraps up with Everytime, the most beautiful, vulnerable ballad Britney has ever put out, and, probably, one of the best ballads there has been in the 21st century. In The Zone is the summit of how Britney fully fledged into a mature artist, and it is a testament of Britney’s longevity as a major cultural icon.
1. Blackout (2007)
Pure disco bliss. An auditory journey through the banal and iconic nights we picture the 2000s pop culture with. A fully fledged satire on celebrity status. The major influence on the sound pop music would follow throughout the next decade. The Bible of Pop itself. And that is not enough to describe Britney’s 5th studio album. Released amidst a personal crisis the world witnessed in 2007, Britney managed to shine and deliver her best body of work. Considered by many to be one of the best albums of all time, Britney makes us bring out our best dance moves and most sexy, horny selves. From start to end, this album sounds futuristic, innovative, and ahead of its time, even now, 16 years after its release. It is cohesive and it is a whole unique experience to listen to. Though it was severely discredited when it came out (snubbed by the Grammys, peaking at #2 on the Billboard 200), its legacy lives on. Blackout adds up to the million reasons why, even though we hope Britney does whatever makes her happy next, we also await for a #Britney10 that showcases her longevity and brings her back, stronger than ever. Meanwhile, we will cling on to Hold Me Closer… and these amazing albums.