Britney Spears
Britney

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ratings based on a 5 star system

1) I'm a Slave 4 U- Lead off track, not to mention the lead off single. I think Britney (her managers) decided to release this because it sounds so different. Other than that...it's not that good. (ooooh, she said hell!!!!) Do I hear sounds from the old Atari game Centipede??

2) Overprotected- MAX #1 - Awesome intro. The music reminds me a little of Britney's Pepsi commercial (although since this is Max, it's 100 times better) The second verse has some funky weird sections, and I love the strings. The bridge is new for Max - interesting.

3) Lonely - A song co-written by Brit-Brit. Pretty lame try for a Max Martin sound, but it's a good first attempt at songwriting. Interesting bridge (pizzicato chords and marching snare drum beat)

4) I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman- MAX #2 - Sounds like the breakthrough single from this album (not to mention it's the only one with lyrics in the booklet.) Slow ballad/girl-anthem song. And being from Max Martin, it's good! Co-writing credits belong to Dido (and of course Rami)

5) Boys - Ol' Dirty Bastard sounds pretty feminine/gay on this one...wait....this is Britney. Whoops, my bad. The Neptunes rehash ODB's Got Your Money right down to the bass sound, and fake hand-claps. Ugh, she's rapping. Poorest song on the album.

6) Anticipating- Britney's best co-written song. Pretty harmless lyrics, but you can just imagine driving down the road on a sunny summer day with your friends in the back.

7) I Love Rock 'n' Roll- Probably her best cover song (and that's not saying too much considering her versions of the Beat Goes on and Satisfaction were horrible.) But this one actually grooves. The drum machine actually sounds kickin'. Britney 'ad-libs' replace the familiar guitar solo. (oh yeah, there's scratching too...ugh)

8) Cinderella- MAX #3 - Uh....Woah. Besides the familiar Max chorus, everything else is new. Gotta love the Heart Beat Sensor intro, and that riff he uses is, dare I say...not minor. The bridge is great. Sounds like Max Martin is looking towards the future here, folks (without forgetting his past of course)

9) Let Me be- Britney's third co-writing stab. The chorus is fun if the verses are a little lacking.

10) Bombastic Love- MAX #4 - Old School Max Martin, and coincedently my favorite song on the album. He wrote a whole song around the choir singing breakdown from BSB's the Call.
"I know we're gonna get, know we're gonna get-get..."

11) That's Where You Take Me- Sappy Britney. Another co-written by Miss Thang.

12) When I Found You*BONUS TRACK* - Co-written by a Swede and an American (Elfsonn and Dan Hill) this slowish song is actually pretty fun. Love that talking guitar effect.

13) I Run Away *BONUS TRACK* - Brintey's co-writers from Lonely, Anticipating, Let Me be and That's Where You Take Me get a song all their own as a bonus track. Another slowish song, but again, a surprising treat.

14) What it's Like to be Me- Justin Timberlake (Britney's Boytoy) co-wrote this one with Wade Robeson (who else?) and sings back-up too. He makes a very generic song sound pretty cool with some interesting vocal effects.

Summary

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ratings based on a 5 star system

1) I Want it That Way - A #6 single, but has proven to be the Backstreet Boys' most lasting song. Their Stairway to Heaven if you will (and I'm sure you won't)

2) Everybody (Backstreet's back) - This is the one that got my attention. Everyone remembers this video. Hypnotic, chromatic bass line. Sets the trend for other Max dance songs like Larger then Life and the Call.

3) As Long as You Love Me - I dare you to find AJ McLean on this song.

4) Show me the Meaning of Being Lonely - Back to Max. Great slow song, confusing lyrics (and also the best BSB video)

5) Quit Playing Games (with my heart) - The song that started it all (in America.) A Max Martin medium-tempo, and the Boys' first #1 single. Has the catchy sing-along 'Na Na' chorus.

6) All I Have to Give - The second non-Max song on the album. Sounds a little dated now (seems like BSB agrees too, they have redone this as an acapella now.)

7) Larger than Life - The kick-ass album opener from the blockbuster Millennium. Side-note: co-written by Brian Littrel

8) I'll Never Break Your Heart - Great slow, love song. Non-Max. AJ sounds great.

9) the Call - Everybody part 3. Fun song, and includes an incredible acapella choir bridge.

10) Shape of My Heart - My two favorite BSB songs in a row. Both Max, of course. Can't ask for more than that. The only real hit from Black and Blue.

11) the One - A weak Max song, no wonder it is the second to last song. There's a story behind this single. Bye Bye Bye, the *NSYNC song, was a single at the same time Don't Want you Back, from the Millennium album, was to be released. But BSB's management thought they sounded too similar, so there was a fan vote to see if the fans would like it enough. But when Nick Carter called into TRL to say he liked the One better, all the girls changed their votes. By the way I voted for the One before Nick called in =)

12) More than That - The other dated song (even tho its new) on the album. Just not up to snuff.

13) Drowning *NEW TRACK* - Wow. After a non-hit, but great Max song (the Call) and a non-hit, scrawny song (More than That) the Boys return with this incredible new single. Surprisingly, not written by Max Martin.

Summary
I'm going to EXPLODE! Tons of Max Martin, but enough non-Max goodness to balance it out (too much of a good thing can make you sick.) There are many versions of this greatest hits floating around, and I decided to get the US version not just because it's the easiest to attain here in America, but because it roughly follows when I started noticing these guys (even tho Canada substitutes better songs We've got it going on and Get Down (you're the one for me) for the One) Great Stuff,
Get This CD!!