...Baby One More Time
Britney Spears
Jive / Arista Records, 1999
REVIEW BY: Alfredo Narvaez
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 02/13/2001
I was wondering whether or not I should write this review using
the same language the young Ms. Spears was found using at Rock In
Rio. (You know, "f**k this and that"). However, figuring that most
of her audience is still too young to use said language, I think I
will just deliver the more classically demanded review.
Ah, how the years color our perception! There was a time when no
one knew where Kentwood, Louisiana was. It was a time before
teenage, bubblegum pop ruled the airwaves and boy bands brought
images of New Kids On The Block and New Edition-along with a few
laughs. Now we can't even consider there not being a Backstreet
Boys or *NSync, but there was a time when this was so. And this
lil' missy had something to do with that. By the time
…Baby One More Time saw the light of day, the teenage
girls of America had a new heroine to worship and emulate.
Granted, the idea of a former Mouseketeer dancing in a Catholic
schoolgirl outfit and singing pretty pop songs sounds rather tame
and unoriginal. Originality was not the point nor the goal here.
Britney Spears and her team of producers needed to strike it big
and make a case for her before the American public. So, they slowly
put out her debut video on secondary music channels like TheBox and
Much Music! All the hoopla over this sweet, innocent teenager,
dressed in her tiny outfit, helped make her album a success.
Eventually, her fan base grew to where big, bad MTV could not keep
her away and Spears became its de facto princess - a title she has
yet to relinquish.
So, what exactly did
…Baby One More Time have that made it so
irresistible? Was it the new step in the evolution of pop? Was this
new face the next Stevie Wonder or Madonna? Was this a great album?
Well, while time will tell on the second question, I think it's
safe to say the answer to the first and last questions is no. This
is not a great album. What it is then is a well-crafted lite-pop
album that works towards a single goal - introducing the young Ms.
Spears to the world.
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