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Britney Spears

In The Zone

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Release date: 17-11-2003
Format: CD
Number of Discs: 1
Catalogue Number: 82876576442
Label: JIVE

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Nov 2003

Having enjoyed a relatively long reign as the world’s number one pop kitten it’s no secret that Britney’s star has faded somewhat over the past few months. However, whether or not it was time spent in the company of a past mistress in the shape of Madonna that has made the difference is unclear. Whatever it is, it’s worked, as Britney’s new ‘In the Zone’ set is positively bristling with new pop intent. And sex. The ‘Me Against the Music’ duet with Madonna sets the pace – all urgent and steamy vocals over pumping production and ‘I Got That Boom Boom’ continues the trend. With a banjo. ‘Breathe On Me’ is up there with anything Kylie can do whilst ‘Outrageous’ is a sinuous proto-dancehall workout and ‘Toxic’ is a stop-start, Bollywood-meets-Bond dancefloor epic. Other guests on the set include the Ying Yang Twins and the album includes the Desi remix of ‘Me Against the Remix’ from Rishi Rich.

'In The Zone' is Britney's fourth album and the follow-up to her eponymous 2001 release. More varied than its predecessor, fusing ethnic beats, down-tone dance, trip hop and R&B with soul and funk influences. The lead single 'Me Against The Music' feaures Madonna and was written by desi beats maestro Rishi Rich. Other tracks on the album feature writing credits from amongst others The Matrix, Cathy Dennis, R. Kelly, Moby and P. Diddy.

In the late 1990s, Madonna had long since become a mature artist, turning her back on the carefree dance-pop of her early days. Teenage singer Britney Spears picked up on this specific Madonna era, albeit with a more girl-next-door approach. Her coy mix of innocence and sensuality (and infectious songs) made her a superstar, and helped inspire the teen-pop phenomenon that soon dominated pop music. By the early '00s, Spears was casting about for a more adult image, and remade herself into a vixen, experimented with acting and reality TV, and had two children with the controversial wannabe rap star Kevin Federline. While her personal life preempted her musical output for a while, she seemed on the road to artistic recovery after the 2006 birth of her second child. A critically lambasted appearance on the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards and a very public custody battle with Federline worked against her, but her concurrent album release BLACKOUT bought her some credibility with the fickle music press.