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Britney Spears- Changing Face, or About Face?
Written by: Carolina Taylor
From Justin to Madonna, this girl is still touring with sizzle-
Britney, Britney, Britney...Spears hit her critics right between the eyes on Tuesday, with the opening of her Onyx Hotel Tour, which opened on my home turf, San Diego CA. From the crazy traffic, to the insane press and media everywhere, you knew the pop princess was on her way and that's even before you got to the stage, which was alight with bathtubs, beds, gyrating men and women, and one pink-bra-wearing temptress. There were also lights, videos, and an ala mode of sexy talk.
In her new single "Me Against The Music," which also features her idolized mentor, Madonna, she has been praised for intuitive use of rhythm, and her visible growth creatively. While many critics question her newly-emphasized loose use of sexuality, both in her videos and onstage, many can also say she is coming into her own. She's gone from Mousketeer to Teen sensation, to burgeoning young talent. In the news recently for her quickly annulled, joke-gone-wrong nuptials to Jason Alexander (no, not the funny as heck, Seinfeld side-kick who is now touring Broadway and Hollywood, but rather the hometown-wouldn't notice him in a crowd side-kick who is now touring the tabloids). Tuesday night, after an exhaustingly lip-synched number, she gave a shout out to all the young boys, saying, "Who knows? Maybe if you're really lucky, I might marry you."
I have to admit, when my daughter begged to see her, I wasn't thrilled. With lyrics like "I'm a slave, for you," put to the video clips of men circling the sweating, sensual antics of Miss B, I wondered whether I should even be encouraging my daughter's latest form of "self-expression." It smacked of the generational drama that followed '80s and '90s chart-topper Madonna's famous exploits on stage, replete with innuendo, and raw sexual acts, laid out on stage, on film, and on radio; like a virgin indeed. So what would Britney say to detractors? Does she feel she is losing her main demographic, pre-teen girls, the parents of which may feel inclined to censor her risqué stage antics? "I feel like I've hit a great new stride as an artist," she says with pride. "I've worked hard and I feel like I've grown on so many levels."
As part of her "stride," Britney is being hailed as the new "Material Girl." Personally, I say the girl has more than just the body, PR, and ambition of the "True Blue" girl she has modeled her career after, she also has quite a set of husky, breathy pipes. She also seems fearless in her desire to change her image, her sound, and her musical influence. Within the confines of her Onyx Hotel Tour, she is branching out and testing new vocal tracks. She's flexing those diaphragmatic muscles as well as collaborative ones; using her songwriting skills, as well as her soulful inspirations, and her newest hit album virtually pulsates with it.
She co-wrote seven of the project's 12 variable new compositions, mixing it up with such heavy hitters as Red Zone ("Me Against The Music"), "The Hook Up," The Matrix ("Shadow"), Moby ("Early Mornin'"), and Cathy Dennis ("Toxic," "Showdown"). Also contributing hit-worthy material to the album is R. Kelly ("Outrageous"), and the Ying-Yang Twins on (I Got That) Boom Boom.
The 15-song, seven-costume fanfare performance she pumped through breathlessly on Tuesday is only the beginning she says. "It's about the intensity with which people approach music. It's about getting totally lost in the music and pushing yourself to the edge in every way you can imagine. I love thoroughly immersing myself in music and I wanted to capture that intensity in a song."
Britney's musical perseverance and her evolution from a teen renegade into an engaging young woman are undeniable throughout "In The Zone," her fourth Jive Records collection. Britney says this tour is about her stepping out into a new phase of that evolution. Many say it's the beginning of her taking the metaphorical baton from Madonna, as shown in the video "Me Against the Music," when we see Madonna "disappear," just as Britney reaches her. Britney is not shy about her work with the icon. From recording on video and CD with Madonna, to kissing the blonde bombshell on stage at the MTV Music Video Awards this past fall, Britney shares, "The experience was beyond words or description," she says. The two forged what has become a powerful alliance while rehearsing for their now-notorious performance. "As we were working together, there were moments when I simply could not believe that I was standing there on stage next to her. It was never even in the realm of fantasy for me. There is only one Madonna --- and there will always only be one," she says. The chemistry and flow the unlikely duo share, is evidenced throughout their spliced track.
However, Britney wants to forge a path that is uniquely her own, stating emphatically, "My goal is to have a career that is equally as special, but one that is completely unique to who I am."
Album highlights include the rowdy jam-packed (I Got That) Boom Boom, which features the Ying Yang Twins, and Everytime; a sparse, powerfully moving remembrance of her very public relationship and heartbreak with singer Justin Timberlake. Through the variation of this album, we see that Britney has grown into a fierce contender in the pop arena. "Those songs are particularly special to me, because neither of them sounds like anything I've ever done before," she says. "Boom Boom is so rough and edgy and fun, while 'Everytime' is so raw and spare. It's me stripped to my core as a singer and as a songwriter. It's as honest as I've ever been in my music."
Well, honesty comes with a price. Will it be a commercial one, or simply a change in the metamorphosis of this fearless artist? Some wonder if she's not "lost in the game," and when she reaches new heights, if it will be worth the fall she may take to get there.
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