Reviews (page 6 of 8)
When this came out I was living in Australia with a Papua New Guinean roommate named Eugene who loved Britney Spears. One afternoon the video for "BOMT" came on and he ran squealing into the TV room in his bathrobe and stood four inches from the screen kind of bouncing on his heels. "Oh brother, she makes my thing do like THIS," he screamed, and then he did a sort of uppercut motion with a closed fist. A month or so later, after our other roommate Clint, an Australian who could identify any aircraft by sound, had failed to do his dishes for an entire week, Eugene got a hammer and smashed every single plate, bowl and glass we owned on the back deck of our townhouse. Even the clean ones.
Meh. A few incredible songs and i feel like i ought to love this, but it’s just.. i think it’s just not for me lol. No hate tho im not qualified to do so. TWO!
1.7 I remember this coming out, it was MASSIVE. Listening back now is quite amusing. The main track is actually not as bad as I remember. Pure bubblegum pop, somehow more poppy than other pop artists (Backstreet Boys etc.) of the time. However the rest of the album is pretty shit let's be honest. Soda pop, email my heart etc., need to be banished from this earth. The only other bearable song is the one cover at the end.
Inoffensive bubblegum pop that has no substance and no staying power and does not belong on a list like this. I couldn't make it through the album from boredom and partly from sheer embarrasment. What are the thinking? 2 srars
catchier than i thought it would be but not catchy enough -fav track other than the hits: "Thinkin' About You"
There are some fun songs on here, don't know if it's nostalgia from my mom listening or if they are genuinely good. The rest of the album is typical teen pop, but not the worst I've heard. 4/10
Just really didn’t need to listen to that again - as a 53 year old.
Fine, but not my preference
has not aged very well. Fun album though with some questionable lyrics. Feel sorry for poor old Britney though, the industry (and family...) really does treat people poorly
The title track is a great song. The rest is forgettable. Not sure why it made it to this list.
So, I love 90's music. It is my favorite decade, but I think that late 90's pop is some of the worst music ever written. This however, isn't that bad (besides soda pop). I don't think it is great, and I will never listen to it again, but it isn't unlistenable. The ballads are really boring though. High 2.
Pop!
...I don't want more babies.
I mean, apart from the title song, there aren't any songs that I should have listened to before dying. It just made me realize more that most early Britney songs sound the same. But like ... it isn't BAD per se. 4/10 fav songs : Baby One More time & (You drive me) Crazy
Teeny-bop pop. Ugh
This album is like totally awesome.
While she has a couple of good pop hits, this feels more like teenage girl pop and I couldn't finish the album.
Why in the world is this on the list? I really tried to keep an open mind, but it just confirmed why I don't listen to pop music.
Even trying to be completely objective, the songs just aren’t there
Ja… was soll man da groß sagen 😂 Die Anfänge von Britney halt
Of course there's the title track, but Sometimes felt like it could have been a 70s ballad. Soda Pop feels like a cheesy bubblegum pop song, definitely reminds you this was an album by and for teens. Born To Make You Happy feels like it was made for the credits of a 2000s teen movie. From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart: I didn't expect so many sad pop songs, I figured there would be more like fun party stuff. I Will Be There is more 2000s teen movie music. I Will Still Love You: I definitely expected a bit more energy to this album, a lot of it is much slower than I expected. Email My Heart is the most 1999 teen girl thing I can think of.
1 %hit 99%skips
The title track is oh sooo good, but the rest of the album is utter garbage. It’s bubblegum, supper sappy. If it was not for how good the title track is, this is a great example of a 1* album.
#freebritney
I wanted to give this time of day and review it objectively and I have. Sadly even without prejudice it's an overlong set of formulaic teeny pap songs dropping off the teeny-pop factory conveyor belt that could have been composed for any boy/girl/manufactured band/singer of the 1990s/2000s. I'll give her this though - she does have a good voice and delivers them well.
Let's face it Britney Spears was the female version of The Backstreet Boys. At least that's what I kept hearing throughout this album. I guess what really gets me as far as my appreciation is that I am really just not that into the General sound of the '90s boy band. Maybe with the exception of Hanson but that's another story. Honestly other than the two really big singles, the title track and "(You Drive Me) Crazy", there wasn't really much that I could sink my teeth in to or even really appreciate. "Sometimes" wasn't so bad but nothing I put on by my own free will. And as far as bottom of my own "From The Bottom of My Broken Heart" isn't really my kind of ballad. I think the B side "I'll Never Stop Loving You" was a slightly better ballad. The rest of the album to me was basic '90s pop that I can either take or leave, but mainly leave. I did not, however, like the cover of "The Beat Goes On". They tried to update it, but it just didn't really work for me. 5.4 ★★½
A few classic hits, but mostly teenagers pop by the numbers. 2 stars
I'm not sure why this album is in the book. Even by the standards of Britney Spears' discography, I don't think this is her best work. The title track is a pretty catchy track with some nostalgia value, "Sometimes" is okay, and the cover of Sonny & Cher's "The Beat Goes On" is probably the most palatable thing here. The rest is generic late 90s pop filler that's as timeless as a glass of milk. 2 stars.
So this one has sold as many copies as Queen’s Greatest Hits and Eric Clapton’s Unplugged but perhaps is fair to say hasn’t held up quite as well. The title track is a totally iconic, classic, perfect bit of pop that is head and shoulders plus a few pigtails and sexy schoolgirl uniforms above any of the other songs here. Probably a whole high school as well. There are a few other singles near the start that are somewhat decent but to be honest once the rancid raga of Soda Pop happens the album becomes irreparably shaky and even though the tracks after it aren’t quite as awful it sort of collapses into real characterless, generic teeny pop bilge and then more crap at the end with Email My Heart and Beat Goes On cover. The bonus track Autumn Goodbye is actually a pretty killer bop and I would select the single version of Baby One More Time with its remixes and B side of Autumn Goodbye over the full length debut in terms of being more essential and loaded.
Bland
++: ...Baby One More Time, (You Drive Me) Crazy, Soda Pop, Deep in My Heart, Thinkin' About You, The Beat Goes On +-: Sometimes, From the Bottom of My Broken Heart, I Will Be There, I Will Still Love You, E-Mail My Heart -: Born to Make You Happy 5,5/10
This is pretty much the definitive 90s/00s pop album. It was manufactured almost in a lab-like way: come up with catchy hooks, write the songs around them, include generic but relatable lyrics, find an attractive, marketable star to sing them, and then release it on the world. And it worked, incredibly well. I'm not really a fan of this type of music in that I don't listen to it regularly, but I do enjoy enough of it when it comes on. Even so, I find the formula to be irritating. It's a type of pandering that turns art into consumable goods. Respect to any musicians that are successful and profit from their work, but that isn't the point of music. Rant aside, it's easy to critique this album from a musical standpoint. Being a pop record of that era, there's not really much emphasis on anything other than the hooks. A lot of the compositions are similar and sound similar. I really don't remember much at all of the music on this album, other than the iconic intro tones on ...Baby One More Time. The voice is good, but not really an all-time great. As I mentioned above, the lyrics are generic, but still somewhat relatable. All that said, its impact and staying power have to be commended, and I agree with it being on the list. Somehow, there are still some pretty good songs on there, at least from an earworm standpoint. As a 90s kid, I can't tell you how many times I heard the singles on this album growing up. And I still know most of the lyrics to all of them. You can sing along, or just sit back and enjoy the ride. Millions (maybe billions?) of people have had that experience in one way or another, and BS may be the most iconic celebrity of the early 2000s. She's still a cultural icon today, even though I have no idea whether she still makes music. So, how to rate an album that's value comes only in the least meaningful way from the actual quality of the music? For me, it's not very highly. While this is a fun listen, it's not much more than that. I know what you may be thinking ("Leave Britney alone!"), but holding this up against equally-successful efforts or some of the amazing musical works that have had only a fraction of the success shows that it's really just not great artistry. At least, in my opinion. Overall: 2/5
I was extremely unexcited when this album came up today. I am, unfortunately, tangentially VERY familiar with this one because I had a sibling who was a huge Britney fan. We all even saw her live in Chicago at one point. I also watched a lot of TRL in ‘99/‘00. All that to say, for someone who was/is not at all into this kind of music, I know way too much of this album already. Nevertheless, here we go… The beginning of this album (“…Baby One More Time” through “Sometimes”) will not be new to anyone who lived through the Y2K crisis. They were big ol’ pop hits and I don’t have much to say about them. Next up are the real time capsules… “Soda Pop” is so late-90’s it hurts. Why are we skatting here? Didn’t we get enough of this with Mmmbop? Apparently not, much to Shaggy’s delight a few years after this. Next is the equally late-90’s “Born To Make You Happy”, which gives me big yikes in 2025. This is probably still celebrated as a Trad Wife anthem in certain circles, but I want nothing to do with it. Next, I think “From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart” was also a single, or maybe it was just a local favorite in my house. Either way, and that track helps reset things a little bit. But after that, the rest of the album feels remarkably unremarkable. “Email my Heart” is the the possible exception, but only because its premise is too corny to ignore. I know she didn’t write any of these songs, and was only ~19 when they were recorded, so I won’t fault her too much for the questionable decisions here. This isn’t an album I’ll be revisiting, but it was kinda fun(?) to force myself to give it a full listen all these years later.
I was so excited for a full on pop album but it just lacks energy. Some good moments but it drags too long
I completely agree it should be on this list. But it isn't really my taste. There were a few songs I liked though.
More significant than enjoyable.
Hilarious first pick. I remember over 15 years ago my good friend who is a virtuoso guitarist broke down Britney's Blackout Album, from a production standpoint. This is a man I still to this day greatly respect, and I always held reverence for Britney due to this, and this kick-started the choke hold pop music has on me now. As a Death/Black/Doom metal purist (at the time) I remember finding it rather interesting. I believe it was the same year that I discovered Lady Gaga (as we all did) in 2008. From there I've been a fairly steady fan of pop, especially in 2017 when I discovered Carly Rae Jepsen, but it began with the Blackout Album and The Fame (from Gaga). This album was released just after she turned 17, so she was 16 when she recorded it. I'm keeping that in mind. Baby One More Time - Classic, 10/10, no notes, don't even rub two sticks together, just play this one. Classic Britney, forms the Britney Trifecta (Baby One More Time, Oops I Did it Again, and Toxic) (You Drive Me) Crazy - You can not convince me this is not Hit Me BabyOne More Time 2.0, the end of the hook 1000% sounds like it's about to say "Hit me baby one more time". Max Martin really copy/pasted this one. It's like watching Saw 2 after watching the first one; it's not bad, but maybe give it some space. If it was later in the track list it would've have hit harder. The very end of the pre-chorus gives Madonna vibes, which are not really felt elsewhere in this album, as far as I can tell. Sometimes - This single cover is very early 2000s core, but the song is mid. Soda Pop - wtf is happening, lol no, this lowkey turned me into a lib, wtf is this. This is genuinely horrible. Born to Make You Happy - Instrumental too wavy, guitar with the OD delay for no reason but it's crispy though. Kinda wild subject matter for a 16 year old? Bridge has these kinda obnoxious keys, very artificial (I definitely would have drowned these in reverb because cloudy), but the hook and production is 10/10. Use of layering and background vocals for emphasis is VERY well done, especially in the hook. The layering is insane, from an engineering nerd aspect. "I don't know how to live without your love" sounds INCREDIBLY lush. I would give a $100 bill to see what effects and side-chaining/buses were used to make this happen. I Will Still Love You - Sounds like they tried to make a Sheryl Crow song for teenagers, also idk wtf a Don Philip is but it's a no. Deep In My Heart - What in the Mario Kart/Wii music is this? Sounds like something you would hear at a bar/cafe/club type thing next to the ocean in a Final Fantasy game. It also somehow vaguely sounds like a Christmas Song on a cruise ship while also shopping at a mall in the future. Thinkin' About You - Mid/bad song overall, but the phrasing of the chorus is hilariously bad, especially the "thinkin about you". Autumn Goodbye - This is literally Final Fantasy Music. Upon second listen this is actually kinda fire, but I will never listen to this song ever again. Best: Baby One More Time, Born To Make You Happy Worst: Soda Pop (also kinda offensive) Overall: 2.5/14, But those 2 are FIRE; I'm giving (You Drive Me) Crazy a half a point because it's literally the same as the intro/title track.
Strange pose for the cover. Pleasant hits, with lots of filler.
How did she ever make it big ?
Recognizable, poppy
This is kinda tough to review. I mean, is it dead simple corny bubblegum pop? Sure, but that’s what it says on the box. Reasonably catchy, a bunch of hits that were as big as anything. Billions can sing along to the singles here. I have to say Britney’s staying power is a riddle to me. She’s not the best vocalist or anything, and the production was somebody else’s responsibility. Nevertheless she has staying power that contemporaries like Christina Aguilera don’t have. Call it two stars.
Helt ok, lite störande ibland.
Too popish for my taste 3/10
Title song is a clear outlier. Rest of the songs are very boring and sound the same. Bubble gum pop, which is weird for such a popular artist
I like my fair share of white girl music, but this is not it
Two stars because of Soda Pop
Ummm....no
This is LONG. Like impressively long. I can see the title track having some cultural significance, but did the rest of this album need to be on this list? Maybe it was influential due to the fact nearly every song seems to have a key change?
I don't get it. Even today.
Sorprendentemente aburrido
There are some ok songs but this isn’t good as an album
A collection of pop ballads, some quite good. All a bit samey though as it goes on. 2.5 stars
Starts with 2 complete bangers, but the rest is throwaway
Better than Coldplay.
2 great songs (title and You drive me crazy) but the rest doesnt really lift up
Appears to be on here more for its commercial success than critical acclaim. Which tracks because overall as a full record its pretty lackluster. Britney sounds quite mature for being just 17, but the songwriting plays way too much into the "desperate girl longing for a man in her life" trope which in general I dislike. 4/10
2-3 great tracks and then it declines
Title track is great, but not the rest of the album
2/5
Very corny. It was interesting to hear some of the other songs on the album other than the singles.
Weak stuff ⭐⭐
Some good songs and you can tell why it was so big when it came out, even if it feels dated and is not really my thing. I have an old co-worker who calls this "teeny-bopper music" and at least in this instance, he's totally right. Britney's voice, specifically the choice of vocal stylings at times, gets annoying while listening to a full album. It's almost too clear that it's a teenager playing at being an adult. It's really interesting to see 25 years on how these songs and others by the primary songwriters on here get new life in the form of Tenacious D's awesome recent version of "...Baby One More Time" and the really fun stage musical & Juliet.
Teen boppy pop to the max. There are bright spots that are energetic and fun, but boy does this album get worse as it marches on. Everything after “Thinkin’ About You” exists just to reach the track threshold for an LP. What was worse, “E-mail my heart” or the Cher cover? Hit me baby…. Maybe never again?
Meh
It's formulaic and created to be precisely what would appeal to the largest audience possible (is that an oxymoron?). The greatest songwriters and composers in history mastered a formula, then transcended it. Britney's team is obviously not operating at that level here, but there is something to appreciate in their absolute command of the pop formula. Is every song about teen love and heartache? Yes, and that isn't particularly appealing, but I still can't help but be pulled in by the chorus in "Baby One More Time" or the cheesy ballad "I Will Be There." "E-Mail My Heart" might be my favorite track on the album just because it's hilarious. Baby One More Time is half pop bangers and half skippable filler songs. I have to wonder why this album was included on the list when there are certainly better Britney albums. I guess it's because Britney broke the mold in a way with Baby One More Time and became a pop star when people thought there would never be another Madonna. I would've preferred listening to one of her later albums.
Exactly what I thought it would be: teeny bopper music for year Y2K. Points for trying some different things with "Soda Pop" and "The Beat Goes On."
the hits are hits for a reason, but the same can be said for the non-hits
"E-mail my heart" :D alun hittien jälkeen puhti loppuu nopeasti, ja aika vaikea kuunnella kun tietää, millainen koneisto tämän tuotti (ja miten Britneytä kohdeltiin). Tässäkin kannessa 16-17-vuotias?? 2/5 koska hypertuotetun karkkipopin uranuurtaja.
I purposely avoided listening to this album my entire life until today. Britney finally busted my cherry, and I’ll never be the same again. I feel dumber and gross. Never again.
Despite being old enough to have experienced this album come out originally I never actually listened to the entire thing because I was not a pop music fan. It was enjoyable Sunday morning listening. Hit a little bit of nostalgia and I think I have a better idea of where a bunch of samples that I've heard in other songs came from.
I’m not sure what to do with this one. Some of it is catchy but I mostly feel sorry for Britney. She was only 16 when this came out and the way it was marketed says a lot of sad things about the industry.
Some catchy stuff on here (title track, soda pop), but too much filler/dull ballads to get over the two star mark
Let's be honest
de eerste twee zitten vastgebeiteld in mijn kop...dus die vallen mee... rest is te catalogeren onder de K van koeiedrek
Sometimes is a highlight. Good pop but probably won't listen to again
I don't care
far too poppy for me - was about 30 mins longer than I could reasonably stand. cover of the beat goes on was the least worst song on here
Some classic, sing -a -long late 90s pop but some awful and dated tunes too. Was surprised at how many of the words I remember but there are lots of very forgettable tracks too. It was fun to play to the kids but I can live without listening to it again
Important? Sure. But so was Mussolini. Certainly not as evil or abhorrent, but can you make 90s pop music that is? If so, it would at least be more interesting than this. Aside from a couple tracks, this album feels like an attempt by the production team to prove they are competent musicians. Really no shade to Britney, because if anything is to blame for the mediocrity or schlock on this album, it's the everlasting wisdom of a label. Christgau said it best. Madonna next door. 3.5/10 Favorite Song: ...Baby One More Time
#542. Like the Christina Aguilera one, this album is very of its time, which is well past its expiration date. 2/5: not for me
Probably enjoyable if you like that kind of thing, but still not the worst pop album I ever heard. 6.9/10
I have no idea what to do with this. The only thing I can say is, it's amazing that this was written before AI generated music. Or perhaps this explains AI music? "Email my heart" - worth listening just for that title and the earnestness of a song that surely should be a spoof!
Eh? 3/10
I thought the nostalgia would make this more listenable, but I didn’t even recognize more than 2-3 songs. While I can tolerate bubblegum pop as standalone songs, a whole album of it definitely tries my patience. “E-mail My Heart” is pretty funny, though.
I’ll admit, at times I can enjoy cheesy manufactured pop, but it’s still cheesy manufactured pop.
Although I was excited to get a different album vibe than what I’ve been getting for the past 3+ weeks, I have to admit that this kinda sucked and was a huge disappointment. I’ve never listened to a Britney album in full, and I don’t think I need to again. Other than the first song, I don’t really get it. And I definitely wouldn’t say this is an album I have to listen to before I die… I get it’s fun and I’ll give it that but I don’t know.
This only has two stays because of the title track which is a stone cold classic pop song that is a total ear worm. The rest of the album is teenage diary poems drivel lyrics. No one needs to hear anything other than the title track.
Because is pop and for the 1st song
I don't really know what to say here. There are some complete classics on this record which have managed to survive for decades due to nostalgia and popular culture. I cannot recount how many time I went to weddings or parties where the DJ pulled out one of the popular tracks that are on this album. Baby One More time is forever engrained in my mind and I never actively listened to it at all. Does it make the music any good due to the perpetual pop propagation? I am not quite sure but it's evident that some of these songs hit a Zeitgeist for teens back in the day. Objectively, the latter of half of this album is entirely forgettable with grating production and utterly braindead lyrics. Hoenstly, it all sounds super dated and it's a product of this time I don't know what to write here.
As much as Britney basically revolutionized pop music, an album musician she is not. I get why it’s an essential listen but… not much going on here just yet in the Spears career.
Who cares? And not worth trying to remember why anyone ever might have. Gives pop music a bad name, really.
She kinda has one song (except for the beat goes on that's unique and awesome)
It was fine.
I think this albums inclusion perfectly exemplifies what is wrong with most of the 21st century picks for a list like this, even if this album is before the turn of the century. The list was first made in 2005, and that causes a lot of (at the time) recent albums to have no time to sit and see if they truly are something worth sticking around for. Instead, it felt like the author needed to fill out the list with recent big artists to sell copies of the book; albums with one major hit, but not a lot of staying power otherwise. This strategy has worked in the lists favor since, just look at the Kendrick Lamar inclusions, but many of the albums don't feel like "albums" you should listen to before you die, but rather one hit single and ten to fifteen other tracks, and it really makes it the dullest part of the list, in my eyes. There is no wonder that this album (among many others) got removed to make room for new albums that fall into the same issues. Rinse and repeat. This album on its own merits is fine enough. The hit is decent but overplayed, and most of the other songs range from fine to okay, with only some true stinkers, but Spears has better albums, and if we were going to go with an album that had a hit on it by her before 2005, why not make it In the Zone and include Toxic?
Average pop album
It gets 2 stars because there are probably only 2 songs I’d listen to again. It’s throwaway pop that is long gone but an important milestone in the direction of music in the late 90s. Glad it’s gone though.
I have a similar problem with almost all late 90s/early 2000s pop, which is that it sounds super dated, and often there's only one good song on the album and the rest is filler that's just a worse version of the good song. Also the albums are usually a lot longer than they need to be
You know, usually I get one of these pop albums and I'm not too excited about it, but it ends up being much better than I thought it would be. Not so with this album. The hit songs are still good, but everything else feels super generic. Even the production of this album feels uninspired. In retrospect, I feel justified in not giving a crap about this album in 1999 2/5
Noh...
+1 for the e-mail song which a beautiful time capsule. Honestly learning about Max Martin and his relationship to the English language makes some of these songs make a liiiiitle more sense. But as always with pop albums, can i please skip the middle 8 tracks of boring love ballads.
the hits are the hits, but the filler is some of the emptiest pop music ever recorded
the hits were the hits but the rest of this album felt like being an archaeologist, unearthing never before seen britney. i will never get over how funny "e-mail my heart" is
That opening song is still pop perfection. Everything after that I can’t get into. 2/5
You know what's the killer and what's the filler. Just go listen to a greatest hits album instead.
Seriously? I guess it was popular and catchy enough...
Why? Why on this list? Oh well, it’s not reprehensible enough to get one star, but I’m giving it the bare minimum for not being awful.
Big pop with a lot of moans
…Baby One More Time is a pop junk food feast—a Big Mac with extra cheese, fries, and a milkshake of pure pop bliss. Max Martin’s hooks hit like a sugar rush, while Britney’s star power barely keeps it from falling apart. The title track is undeniable, but most of the rest? Filler bloat. Musically forgettable yet culturally untouchable, it’s a time capsule of late-’90s excess—greasy, over-the-top, and impossible to ignore.
It's brittany
I don't know where to start this review, but I guess I never expected to be sitting here thinking to myself that I have many thoughts about Baby One More Time by Britney Spears of all albums I listened to because of the generator. The main thing is well: this era of teeny bopper, turn of the century music is for the most part... not great for an album but has always a great single or a great song hidden in between all the fluff of the album (or the songs that I don't enjoy at least). I'm not gonna say this album is great since I find a lot of the songs to be either melodramatic power ballads or dance pop tunes which the former gets grating because it reminds me of those live action TV movies from Disney Channel and the latter IS very fun and I wish there was more of it instead of the former. Yet, I still can find something in those cheesy ballads in how they remind me of being like 10 or 12 watching those old Disney Channel TV movies and find some nostalgia in that era of TV that I remember pretty vividly and then just think "well it isn't great and isn't my kinda pop but it's really cute and even making me feel good??" Which is wild because again, I thought I'd be sitting here saying it's teen pop with the one good song and move on (and I mean yeah, Baby One More Time overshadows the entire album except for The Beat Goes On which kinda sounds like a very simple attempt at doing the sound of Debut or Post era Bjork and I'm still so surprised by it). I don't think I will sit and relisten to this again (unless I get dared to dive into her discography) but I feel it gave me a good enough time that I can't ignore that or avoid that it reminds me of a bunch of things I enjoyed once. So yeah, thanks Britney.
the Pop Princess starts well, but then drops into generic sounds
Even if you try, it’s hard not to have heard about Spears and her struggles. What I’ve read about her conservatorship issues makes me respect her on a human level. As far as this album goes, though, it sounds to me like what happens when you try to sexualize a former Mouseketeer for cynical commercial gain. There are a couple moments where you catch glimpses of sincere talent, but not enough to justify an hour-long pop album.
Like chewing one of those cheap 90s bubble gums. Overly sweet, so much so that there is nothing to actually taste but sugar. Then it's just instantly bland. Zero nutritional value. You also get the nausea and disgust that comes with overstuffing yourself with candy. The album certainly has its relevance if you want to comprehend a very specific feeling of a very specific time period, but it still hurts to listen to all of it.
It's pure pop. It's dense. It's dated.
Iconic. But it does feel a bit like a hodge podge of sounds. Just throwing some things at a wall. Soda pop? Wth is that. 2.5
Peoples opinion on this is clouded by how hot they thought britney was 2/5
I mean... its a bog-standard pop record with a couple (or at least one) standout song.
не очень
There's simply not enough here to carry an album. The opening is great, the middle is almost okay, and the closers are a waste of time.
I guess this was an influential album, but it's pretty hollow and helped inspire decades of similarly hollow music. Still, listening to it is incredibly easy.
For better or worse, this album is now part of the fabric of pop music. I couldn’t find many redeeming qualities on a personal level, this is generally pretty bad, annoying and cringey. The low point was E-mail My Heart, and that’s when I decided I couldn’t listen to it again.
Shocked how many of these songs I knew. Shocked how terribly cringey they are.
Leave Britney alone. In seriousness, I hear a lot of Michael Jackson in the production here. Too bad I don't like Michael Jackson. I suppose the album belongs on the list, but not for good reasons.
My expectations were high because it's Britney hello?? Girl was slaying since the late '90s with her singles -- which I actually like. But I guess she's another one of those great-singles-but-terrible-albums artists ://
Early Pop superstardom. Ok. [whatever happened to that cute girl on the cover? Man did her life spiral.]
She has a good voice, but for a pop album, there's a lot of boring songs on here. 2/5
Nope
Some well written hits, and some dull and generic 90's pop share an album
I guess this is why I missed this decade for music. Way too poppie for me
Not for me. I know, and don't particularly like, Britney from the singles; a whole album doesn't make it better. It's well-produced (possibly over-produced) bubblegum pop, largely inoffensive, although I don't like Britney's nasal, adenoidal voice, but some of the songs, like the duet with Don Phillips, are really poor. Apart from Baby, Hit Me... the best song is probably the cover of The Beat Goes On... and that pales in comparison with the Sonny and Cher original.
Is this music for me? Not really. I didn't listen to it at the time and the only reason I know some of these songs are that you couldn't escape them (honest). However, seeing as this is a debut album of one of the biggest pop acts of a generation you probably should listen to it. Also, now I'm older, I can openly admit "...Baby One More Time" is a banger - even the late Darius couldn't wreck this tune. Best Tunes: ...Baby One More Time; (You Drive Me) Crazy; Sometimes
Will not be listening again sorry Britney. BOMT remains a classic - everything else is forgettable and sounding pretty dated. BOMT drags it to a 2.
It is a crime against humanity that Baby One More Time makes the list but BLACKOUT is omitted. Called the "Bible of Pop" by critics and fans alike, Blackout is considered Britney's greatest musical achievement, was imitated for years, and was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's musical archive only five years after its release.
omgg niin pikku kouloutyttö mutta niin sensuaalinen omg...ihq... alkaa uskomaton bänger, sitten alkaa ollakkin jo aika hankalaa kuunneltavaa. mainostyyppistä musiikkia :() vois ehkä ostaa jotain tuotteita rn emt.. voi kuunnella puolikas biisiä ja sitten mennä seuraavaan koska heh kuultu koko homma jo (periaattessa näin...).... länsimaailmanvalta loppuu noin tässäkohdin maailmanhistoriaa, kun ruvettiin tälläsiä pimpsakoita fanittamaan huohhoijjaa... rise of china. 願榮耀歸給天上的父，願祢的旨意行在地上，如同行在天上。求你赦免我們的債務，作為我們日用的食物， 如我們也赦免了我們的債務人一樣。王國、權力和榮耀，直到 nice quad stretch ....................baby one more tejime
Bit meh. Didn’t realise beat goes on was her song originally 5/10
una buena escucha, no la pase mal pero tampoco me gustó demasiado, las letras no me gustan, bastante decepcionantes y la mayoría de las canciones no destacan demasiado. Eso si Baby One More Time canción es un clasicazo. Total del álbum: 65 2estrellas
I got my first boner from seeing hit me baby on MTV
Tiene un par de hits pero meeehhh, queda viejo, demasiado formula-noventosa- que ya me da un poco de cringe a esta altura
Великая заглавная песня, еще пару приличных песен, и куча такого-сякого филлера. Хочется сделать комментарий: современные поп-дивы гораздо лучше в этом смысле. Лучшая песня - ...Baby One More Time.
Extremely front heavy album. It starts with two, dare I say, bangers and the rest is mediocre. It really shows that it's from the era of pop that had some really popular singles just to sell an otherwise forgettable album.
This is clearly a meme inclusion and I probably shouldn't dignify it with a full review, but while I'm here there are a few cool things about this album: 1) it's by Britney Spears, who is an icon I generally like (even on her less critically acclaimed records that get lots of play in gay spaces i.e. Work Bitch, Womanizer) 2) I used to be obsessed as a kid with this Olly Murs track called "Troublemaker" in the mid-2010s, which happens to be a near chord-for-chord ripoff of (You Drive Me) Crazy. Unfortunately this version doesn't have a Flo Rida feature like that track does, because it easily would've boosted the energy. 3) Max Martin's legacy as an all-time producer in pop just about started here, and without him I would not have my favorite album ever Found Heaven. So thank you Max. Even if we haven't met on the fairest terms here. What's the most heartbreaking part about this inclusion is it's a peek into the early era of poptimism, when journalists weren't QUITE there yet. If they had only waited a few years, maybe they could've predicted Blackout becoming the cult classic instead and this review could be way more interesting. But alas, I'm stuck talking about this one. In one ear and out the other... 4/10
Not a Britney fan. Not a great album either.
I've never been the target audience for this record, in fairness there's some big hits on it, just not the kind of thing I'd listen to out of choice
Although the basic thrust of the album hasn't aged well, you can't deny she's a star and this album rampaged through American culture like a bill in a china shop. So this album does deserve a spot on this list. I never listened to the whole album back in the day; the whole endeavor -- the album cover, the Rolling Stone spread, the videos, her overall packaging for the male gaze -- bothered me in a way I didn't have words for then. Listening straight through now I can't say I like it much. Once past the hits it's really pretty boring.
I was a 16 year old boy when this album was released so was Britney, so needless to say I was a preeeettttyyy, pretty big fan, just not her music. So I wasn’t too excited to have to listen to this. That being said, the title track is an absolute banger, it’s undeniable. The rest isn’t good, however. 4.3/10
not my jam, teen pop. Understand it's historical significance.
Cheese. And oof, clearly some dude in a weird fever dream wrote “Born to Make You Happy.”
i miss toxic
Good stuff. I don’t know about top 1001 though.
It starts with a barricade of hits, carefully even if industrially crafted, but the thing is that, for a close to an hour record, the genius pop seems to completely fade byt the 4th track leaving the listener with only half decent songs for the rest of the album... it was ok in 1999 a time sadly more remembered in this case for the public and her environment mistreatment of Britney. Baby One More Time the track is timeless, but the true gem from this album is Sometimes. Weird times.
This starts and I'm like 'oh boy I forgot how GOOD this song is'; track 2 gets on, and I'm like 'oh boy I forgot how GOOD this song is'; track 3 begins and I'm like 'this is it, isn't it?' Yep, 2 tracks of absolute candy magic and the rest is pure filler. My favourite lyrics though were: " I bet you we can pop like we've never popped it before, Why we keep comin' back for more and more for sure (sure), It's cool Britney when we get down on the floor, yeah, And we go on and on until the break of dawn" At the time of recording, Britney Spears was 17...yeeesh
There’s not a world in which you need to listen to this album before you die Baby One more time is a great pop song but the rest is serviceable late 90’s pop at best and doesn’t have any lasting value
I've already heard the 1-2 songs on this album really worth someone's time, and despite having come of age around the time when this album came out I wasn't very susceptible to being pulled in by this one. There's not a lot in this album that has aged particularly well.
oh god
No more times. That was plenty.
the facehugger instar of poptimism
Definitely on the list because she’s a cultural icon, not because it’s good. Gave a star for an all time hit, but not much more there.
The title track is no doubt a paradigm-shifting pop sensation, but outside of that this album was just really difficult to get through. Some records have important lyrics that are difficult to understand because of the genre/singing/mixing/etc. but this was the opposite. "Born to Make You Happy" encapsulates this.
The title track is good, the rest is typical Swedish pop garbage that only belongs at Eurovision
Anybody else feel nauseous looking at this cover? Like is it just me or does it cause the word 'exploitation' to play over and over in your head? Just me? Anyway - this is kind of terrible. That first song is understandable as a pop hit but come on. 'E-mail My Heart'? These are not serious people.
I don't want to be too harsh; for all her popularity and accolades, Britney Spears has evidently not had the most straightforward path in life. However - this ain't it. Title track aside (and even that lacked oomph shorn of its video), this is an underwhelming confection crafted by a bunch of hack Swedish songwriters (go check the credits - what's the deal? A forlorn hope that ABBA's talent was somehow racially endemic?). Anyway, the rhymes are obvious, the music is bland and gusts of emotion are signified by key changes. Spears herself sings in a breathy, quavery voice that proved peculiarly influential; but it's the delivery of someone either seventeen or seventy. 'Soda Pop' at least gave me a laugh with its cod-Caribbeanisms and a backup singer who sounds fresh from doing Pato Banton karaoke. Pop of this era could be good (Aqua's 'Aquarium' is close to a masterpiece) and Spears would record better - 'Toxic' was top notch. This, though, is simply bad. Yesterday I was wrapping my brain around Pere Ubu, you know...
A banging opening but it’s not my vibe
It’s nostalgic. And still just as bland as it was in 2000.
Look. There are good pop albums, and there are just... pop albums. This album falls into the second one. It's hard to believe it's 25 years old. But listening to some of the songs and production, it shows how 90s-sounding the album is. Britney Spears is a fairly decent singer (Christina Aguilera has a better voice, IMO). It's just the material she was given to sing is just so... pedestrian. I mean, "E-Mail My Heart"? That aged well. The title track is still decent, but it can't carry the whole album. Next.
I figured this was coming. I mean, you probably have to include on this list the debut album of someone who (upon releasing it) instantly became a pop phenomenon and the biggest star on the planet. But that doesn't mean it's a good album. I still remember the first time I saw her video for Baby One More Time; I immediately said she is going to a huge star. Decent vocals but an image and look that would smash. If you know anything about Britney's life and career, that album cover says it all doesn't it? Innocent girl in an on-first-glance innocent pose that is much more sexually suggestive on closer inspection. That's exactly how she was marketed and exploited. A shame really. She had two smash singles - the uptempo and catchy title track and You Drive Me Crazy. I don't even recognize two of the other three singles - Sometimes (yes) and From the Bottom of My Broken Heart and Born to Make You Happy (nope) - all of which are pure schlock. And the non-singles are barely listenable. Then there are the lyrics on this whole album (umm, Email My Heart...ugh) - just dreadful. More thanks we can give to her record producers and the entire music industry at the time that was hell-bent on producing pop icons not talent and enduring quality. I don't blame Britney at all for this album. But given how big three of the singles were, this album is surprisingly bad. Still, it was a watershed moment in pop music history, for better or (mostly) worse.
I've tried to be open-minded in this whole 1001 thing. That was rewarded with discovering that pop artists like Madonna and Christina Aguilera weren't as bad as I thought. But this one - yeah, it's as bad as I thought. Her singing style makes me cringe - she sounds like she's trying to be sexy, but just...no. The music is cheesy formulaic pop. Absolutely soulless. Yeah, this is awful. So why a 2 rather than a 1? To me, a 1 is absolutely unlistenable. I don't like this, but I could tolerate it (and even had to admit some of the simple, formulaic songs are earworms). So, a 2 feels more appropriate. But barely. Tracks that had some redeeming value: Soda Pop, Born to Make You Happy.
This album was better than I expected. Musically it's not groundbreaking, but there's not as much filler as I expected. Or you could say the filler is not as bad as I expected. I didn't like the hits very much, but I didn't hate any of the songs. Britney was unavoidable at the time, so that alone is a reason to put her on the list. Favorite song: and the beat goes on, of the originals: soda pop, which doesn't really sound like her singing. Sounds more like Christina Aguilera to me.
Impossible to overstate how influential Spears was back then. I remember baby one more time being played all over the place and the girls at school singing and mimicking her dance moves. Britney was only barely 17 when this album came out and the adult themes of love that she sings about is... unsettling. Gross, even.
Vanishingly insubstantial, but, sure, glimmering with sweetness and freshness. And quite expertly packaged, too, in the way of the most cynical American pop culture products. Net-net, it's about as good as a precision-engineered 21st-century reboot of teen pop could be, which is to say pretty bad.
Menos ...Baby One More Time, no me ha gustado nada. Me ha decepcionado.
Wasn’t expecting a Britney album on here. I guess it was culturally huge. I didn’t care for it when it came out and I still don’t.
Iconic but not for me
Verschrikkelijke zoete popmeuk, weinig inhoud, en ook niet echt goede muziek.
2 good songs, 1 ok, rest boring pop ditties
Total shit apart from two songs (love u britney)
Could have used some more Max Martin.
I have to say 'Baby One More Time' is a great pop song. I also have to say it's the only track here I can bear.
The big hits of the time on this album, but also a lot of dross filler, don’t think this needs to be on the list.
Man, this shit just isn't my bag. The lyrics are vapid. The music is basic. It's somewhat catchy sometimes, but it inspires absolutely nothing in me.
Of all the Britney albums, this one made the list? Preposterous! Adult me says this is one stinker of an album. Grade 9 me probably would’ve given it a 5. Even though it sucks I sang every single stupid song because I actually owned the album and apparently use precious memory space for bad song lyrics.
Holy key change! I was prepared to give this a fair chance; I'm not averse to a bit of bubblegum pop. But beyond the title track and a couple others, the rest is formulaic blandness.
Not an album for me.
This is a joke right? I did it. I listened to the whole thing. I am now listening to 8 hours of Iron Maiden on shuffle to cleanse my ears.
Baby one more time is a huge nostalgia bomb. The rest is forgettable teeny bop pop.
…Baby One More Time (song) holds up. The rest of …Baby One More Time (album), not so much. Although that statement implies that the album was ever up in the first place. I actually don’t know because I never listened to the album until now. Britney was 15.5-16.5 years old when these tracks were recorded and had just turned 17 when it came out. Many of the albums songs involve the narrator desiring a love interest or lamenting heartbreak, which is strange coming from someone that age. Other than the title track, there isn’t much worth listening to here. Unless you enjoy hearing laughably bad tracks like Soda Pop just to know how silly and ridiculous music can get.
I feel so conflicted about this album and the context that surrounds it. On one hand, sure it's a fine pop album with catchy songs. But I felt so uncomfortable listening to it knowing that Brittney Spears was a child when this was recorded, especially with some of the lyrical content and music videos. I wish I could rate it incomplete if I could.
I mean, what can I say? I loved it when it came out when I was 9, but I’m nearly 34 now and this is just funny. Go ahead and Email My Heart, Britney.
No thanks… Girl pop/boy band is not my scene at all, and IMO the beginning of the music quality experienced today
In the beginning there are some decent songs, e.g., I like Sometimes. For the langer part the music leaves me either indifferent or irritated.
Jesus another iconic album of an awful era. Lotta overlap with the Timberlake album I listened to last round, but this one's way more interesting to think about, even just culturally. Both of those albums were dropped from later editions of the book, but imo they should have kept this one on there. Makes me really sad to listen to, knowing the injustice of what was coming up for her. Setting aside the paparazzi angle, though, I would have been 7 when this released, and I couldn't stand this music back then. It was interesting to revisit this, having picked up more literacy about what Music was doing during that era. It was cool to be able to detect "oh this is doing shit that Janet Jackson had already worked over 10 years ago." R&B repackaged for white people, there's a much bigger context that this is clearly a component of. Any case, I didn't really like this. I do like "Toxic" alright, but I never sat down with the album it came from, so idk if the rest of her stuff from that point sounded like that.
Menos ...Baby One More Time, no me ha gustado nada. Me ha decepcionado.
Opener is explosive, one of the best songs of all time. The rest of the album is pretty syrupy and generic but not wholly unpleasant. She weirdly sounds like Christina sometimes. I want to lift it to 3 because of the title track but it's a 2.5 through and through.
I wanted to like it but past the singles it’s horseshit!
The first two songs I think we singles from this and the sound very similar. There is a bit of variety in some other songs. I don't care for those so much. The production is really good here. Makes the album tolerable.
Ultimately, this is a manufactured pop album that could have been made by almost any female singer. Would it have been such a massive hit without that video for "...Baby One More Time" - I don't know. There's no real coherence to this album as it veers between dance and teenage love songs.
Mostly schlock, not Britney’s fault, there was some vibe here and there, but overall it was a difficult listen
No thanks
Aside from the title track (which is a certified BANGER), most of the songs on this album are saccharine and dated. It's a shame what the industry did to Britney. 4/10 Would I listen again? You'd probably have to hit me baby one more time.
2+
tennie-bob pop
HAHA that's so funny. Marisol and I ate at Pie Hole the other day and they had a paper plate taped to the cash register with a bunch of little magazine cut outs of Britney Spears face and text saying 'Tip me baby one more time". and here we are today with this album. LOL! I'll give it my best shot but not sure if I'll hang the whole time. Okay I can't finish it. lol
Can't listen to this one but I'll give it a 2 star
I just can't give bad pop more than a 2-star rating.
Beyond the singles this was actively terrible.
Menos ...Baby One More Time, no me ha gustado nada. Me ha decepcionado.
There's something very creepy about this album. You've got a 16? 17? year old girl singing about trying to keep her man happy, but the songs were written by think tanks. I don't know, it all seems very manipulative and skeevy.
Couple of hits. The rest was meh 4/10
Leave Britney alone.
I do not like this. It's not a style of music that I enjoy or think deserves much respect. But, trying to meet it on its terms, I can get it to a 2.
I get this speaks to an audience. It’s just not for me. The If I Were a Rich Girl bit was cute. Satisfaction? Bleh.
Britney Spears has certainly been historically mistreated by record companies, her own family, the press, and the public. Her career and image were carefully managed and manipulated and unfortunately the result is not great. This is unimaginative corporate pop designed to sell records and an image. Of course, it’s wild success is why this album is on this list, but this is not good music.
This was a huge hit and there are some very, very good... even great... pop songs on this album. The album as a whole is a vit disjointed and all over the place. For 1999 when people were still making (and listening to) albums, it feels like a collection of singles. It does deserve a half star more than I'm giving it, but not a full star mor, so I rounded down
There is a reason why this is pop and not classic.
Incredibly mid tween bubblegum pop. 2 or 3 decent songs and then a load of breathy dirge. 5ive should have taken Baby One More Time Just below middle of the road 48/100
I was a young teenage girl in the late 1990s when this album came out, so I remember well how huge the singles 'Baby One More Time' and then later 'Sometimes' and 'You Drive Me Crazy' were. Although I liked the singles at that time, I have never bought the full album or listened to it in its full length. After all these years, this album sounds a tad too dated. The hit songs are the best, but the slow ballads and other fillers on the album just drag too long (except for the 60-s inspired The Beat Goes On, which is a good ending of the album). It's also not genuine when 17-year-old Britney sings about broken hearts etc. Objectively looking at it, this album doesn't really deserve anything above 2. P.S. In hindsight I can only feel sorry for this girl - she was built up, she was used by both her parents and the whole entertainment industry and when troubles came she was thrown away. She seemed to be a naive but good-hearted girl when this album came out. She paid a big price for the success and millions of dollars.
Daar zit je dan, als man van 35, een serieuze mening te vormen over het debuutalbum van Britney Spears. Britney Spears is denk ik één van de objectief gezien mooiste vrouwen die ik nooit een lekker wijf heb gevonden. Ik weet niet wat het precies is, maar ik knapte altijd op haar af. Doe ermee wat je wil. De eerste 3 tracks zijn het meest bekend. Knetterfoute pokoes, 1999 was een rare tijd. We snakten naar luchtige muziek om het doemscenario van het Y2K probleem even te vergeten. Je hoort het succes van de Backstreet Boys terug in de muziek, daar moeten we (zeker bij die eerste 3 tracks) eerlijk over zijn. Die open hi-hat die steevast voorafgaand aan de snare op de 4e tel wordt ingezet is een duidelijke weggever. Tante Britt zet een gek stemmetje op, een beetje als een pornoactrice die ongemakkelijk vaak 'yass daddy' zegt. Dat vond ik toen al fout, al had ik toen nog nooit een pornoactrice aan het werk gezien. Op track 5 heb je nog 'Born to Make You Happy', wat ook weer fout maar wel lekker is. Helemaal aan het einde heb je nog een halve jungle dubplaat (The Beat Goes On) die wel verrassend is. De rest van de nummers op het album zijn 13 in een dozijn. Probeersels die niet aanslaan. 3,5 hit op een album van 12 nummers is een prima score, m'n album gisteren scoorde 0 uit 16. Het is bubblegum pop, het is fout, onbewust ken je van 3 nummers 98% van de tekst, met een beetje pech zit het de rest van de dag in je hoofd. Word ik hier enthousiast van? Zeker niet. Maar de hits zijn voor een keer wel te pruimen en ik kan het op zich wel waarderen voor wat het is: Een catchy tijdcapsule. Voor de hits zou ik (gerate naar stijl) een 3 kunnen geven, maar de 2e helft van het album trekt de boel wat naar beneden. Een 2 dus, want de tyfus wat is dit fout zeg. Respect voor iedereen die de albums op deze lijst in de auto onderweg naar het werk aanzet. Ik zou dat bij deze niet durven.
Started off strong but very mid after “Sometimes.” Every song kinda sounds like “I Knew I Loved You” by Savage Garden.
I am uncomfortable
Strong nostalgia here, but the music isn't my favorite.
there are plenty of examples of good pop music. this isn't one of them.
Britney Spears' debut album was a signaling for the new era of pop, as a core demographic (teenagers) would now be catered to with the likes of solo artists instead of boy bands and girl groups. It would still be distinctly dance-oriented with some R&B influence, but the product would look a little different. I am referring to Spears as a product here because, in the eyes of the industry and audiences alike, she was not a person. She was less than a person. She was a puppet. With no writing, production, or creative credits, Spears is only here to sing the lyrics and look the part. It is a particularly vapid role to fill but most of the blame ought to be placed on Jive Records for this shameless commodification of music as an artform. Riding on the strength of one single (two if we count You Drive Me Crazy), this album has little to offer. The ballads are uninspired, the hooks are weak, and the inspirations are shallow. Nothing about ...Baby One More Time, save for the title track, is worth remarking. As for the earworm single, it serves its purpose as a danceable pop song that performed well on the radio. It's good enough. The real importance of this album lies in it's cultural impact outside of music. Spears was the blueprint "pop star" in every respect, and other would follow with the likes of Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, and eventual K-Pop idols. It's a tale as old as time, since the teenager first became a marketable demographic with disposable income, but Spears' impact seemingly brought the pop star into a whole new era of commercialization. It's made people millions at the cost of her well-being. In truth, Britney Jean Spears deserved better.
I guess just not my cup of tea
I came into this hoping the album aged well, especially considering the revival of 90s R&B in pop music lately. However, my low expectations were not low enough. The production on many tracks can only be described as abrasive and downright irritating. Spears' vocal performances shift from 'seriously what are you doing' to excellent, but not enough to carry this album. I can understand why it was so successful at the time, but it doesn't stand up so well now.
I really didn’t want to be this person but my unfortunately my entitled expectations were correct. Really boring, nothing-y lyrics… I just felt sorry for her. Having a bunch of blokes sit around and write a song about ejaculation for a teenager to sing. I know it’s said to be an incredibly important and influential album but I can’t give it any more stars for that alone. At least there were some catchy moments here and there and the title track is objectively a good pop song.
Mmmm play once in a very long time
Outside of the opening two tracks, there is not a lot to recommend here. The production sounds decidedly of its time and the ballads really drag for me.
I realize this is quite a popular album and timeless in it's own right, but I didn't buy it when it originally came out and it hasn't swayed me to do so to this day. It's just not my cup of tea, personally.
Baby one more time is a classic 90’s pop song. All of the music is very dated. I don’t know if it’s looking too much into it, but it’s strange how one sided the love that is being sung about is. Also “born to make you happy” is a weird concept and sounds like she was born to be someone’s property (husband) and not her own woman. I don’t think it’s a good example for girls to strive to make other people happy above your own happiness. I don’t know…
Eh. I gave it an extra star because I can’t separate it from my childhood. But never again will I listen to this album.
This is the first album my toddler self really loved. It doesn’t hold up.
I could have done without 3 versions of the same song on this “deluxe” album. I was familiar with several of these, but I can’t say that I love this. Definitely preferred Christina Aguilera’s album.
I managed to listen to the entire album. I didn't think I could do it, but I did it.
I was ready to slam this with a 1 but some of the songs actually are a little catchy. It's all so very brainless though. I'll give it a 2 because I soiled many a tissue to Ms. Spears as a young man. I'm 2 years younger, I'm that creepy. I am creepy though. Don't care.
Not as horrible as I thought it would be, but definitely not good. I get why it’s on the list as it was extremely popular when it came out. 2 stars.
Adorable. I haven't listened to this since I was in grade school. I remembered turning on this and Christina Augulara and N'Sync once I found grunge in 6th grade. It was fun to come back to this as an adult. Unfortunately, that's where the fun stopped. Soda Pop is a ridiculous song and Sometimes is legitimately good, but everything is so forgettable. Like eating macaroni and cheese from a mediocre cafeteria. It's not exactly objectionable, but bland and unsatisfying.
This album changed the face of pop music toward teen pop, energizing yet friendly and accessible production using strong funk and soul influences. It paved the way for a wave of female artists, and with the likes of Avril Lavigne and Katy Perry, would indirectly shape music for decades to come. But despite that, it's more of a reflection of the cultural shifts of the time than a depiction of artistic innovation. It inspired a lot, but had little artistic value. Derivative of other pop of the time, a lot of songs fall into cliches with cheesy teen lyrics and cheap pop tropes to try to tug the audience's heart strings. The instrumentals feel very commercial and predictable. There's some diversity in there between tracks, but it only makes it more bearable to listen to. Most tracks feel like they're trying to highlight Spears' vocal abilities, her dynamics and range, especially with the excessive multi-tracking, and it comes off as forceful and lifeless. That being said, I actually do like the first 4 tracks. The title track is an incredible song that shows her potential and has a ton of power and emotion, with strong Sly funk in her voice and the guitar. "You Drive Me Crazy" is pretty good but forgettable. "Sometimes" was the strongest ballad but is also generic and forgettable. "Soda Pop" grabbed my attention but I wouldn't really call it good. Giving it 2 stars for the over-the-top production and some diversity. And many of the songs are ok, not necessarily awful.
I thought this might be a nice bit of 90s nostalgia but beyond the massive titular track, and to a lesser extent Sometimes, (You Drive Me) Crazy, and Born to Make You Happy there was not much to remind me of my youth. Yes, it's pop in it's purest form, but it's also a pile of wank in my opinion. Makes me wonder why Britney made it so big, so much of it is anodyne and saccharine sweet to the point of nausea.
This is not a good album. That said, I do understand its inclusion here. It's an impressive example of manufacturing-craft that must be admired in some ways - at least in terms of marketing, persona-building and crafting a phenomena. It's like cheap fruit-flavored bubblegum in more ways than one. It's clearly marketed toward kids and teens, it's overly sweet, mass-produced, entirely artificial, highly predictable while pretending to offer variety, not enjoyable to anyone with an ounce of discerning taste - and yet, it's an absolute best-seller, the taste of which is familiar to everyone. This is the first time I ever listened to more Britney than her big hits, which are admittedly amazing for karaoke as long as they aren't taken seriously. The rest of the album is exactly as I imagined it would be. One notable exception is Soda Pop - what in god's name is this auricular abomination? 1.5 rounded up for karaoke purposes.
süßlicher Kram
Didn’t love
I understand her contribution to pop music. I lived through the sensation that she was at the time. I know her importance to the queer community. I have all the sympathy in the world for her as a teenager who got ground up in the gears of the industry. I just do not like this music at all.
One star each for baby one more time and you drive me crazy, the rest, not so much.
Another one that is not my thing.
Son debut album. Album pop le plus influent. Ça vole pas super haut après la 1ère chanson.
Nawet nostalgia nie uratowała ;-)
Typical pop.
I won't deny that the opening/title track is a great pop song and it's what's keeping me from giving this one star. After that however it's just a series of diminishing returns. I think Soda Pop might be one of the worst songs I've ever heard.
Britney is a fantastic singles artist but yeah, unfortunately this gets pretty mediocre pretty quickly and just goes on too long. The (incredible) title track is the only real stand out
Opens with a banger then drops of into a pile of forgettable cheesy pop nothings. a good single doth not an album make.
Too repetitive, fav: Born to Make You Happy
I get why this is on the list, but apart from a couple songs there's not much here for me. Something about pop music from this era (Christina A, J Lo, etc.) makes me feel like I'm stuck in a stuffy doctor's waiting room on a hot day. "Born to Make You Happy" is such a problematic song, I can't even start. Given what we know now about how Britney was abused over the years, I really find it hard to enjoy this album at all
in the late 90’s, bubble gum pop was everywhere and the big debate was who was more talented, britney spears or christina aguilera. we’ll get back to that question shortly. while this album does contain songs that have a “stickiness” to them that make successful pop songs, it also has everything that i hate about the genre from that era… breathy “sensual” vocals, drum machines a’plenty, vapid and empty lyrics. and it falls into the trap that most modern day pop music falls into, the singer does not write any of their songs. it’s literally putting someone else’s words in your mouth. it’s the textbook definition of inauthenticity. anyway, going back to the question at the beginning of this review. while britney spears may have been more popular (from what i remember at the time), christina aguilera could sing circles around her. and it’s not even close.
It's hard to write about this album without discussing the absolute shitshow around it. We've had commercially produced pop for a long time, but this one really hypersexualized a child for profit, then kept the child from having access to that profit. This record is fine, not my music, but it's fine, but it's also a projector of the grotesque underbelly of the music industry.
Oh boy. The few songs I’ve heard are catchy but the rest is a bit meh.
Pop halt
It's Britney Spears, what else do you want to know?
I'm going to start this review by saying I truly feel sorry for this girl. I don't think she's ever received any true support from her family or those who were suppose to look out for a young child. Truly disgusting and sad. I'm am rooting for Britney Spears to have a wonderful life. As for the album, I really felt strange when I saw the album cover and actually listening to her music. Don't know why, it just felt weird. I really enjoyed The Beat Goes On. But I was thinking of the days of Sony and Cher and their TV show. Outside of that, just felt this was bubble gum, generic music meant for pre-teen girls. I can't believe this album was an hour long either. Rough listen and just not for me. But good luck Britney. 2
1.5 There was a song or two that wasn't quite as bad as the rest.
not gonna go through this
It's typical pop of the era, but in all honesty done very well. She's leagues ahead of the slightly newer equivalents ie Beyoncé and her ilk. Having said that, it's not my thing but I can still appreciate despite all the hype she does have talent, a mid 2
Nausea inducing. Just can’t stand her voice. Pop is not my thing, but even this cold old heart can be warmed occasionally by a nicely sung pop tune. We all have guilty pleasures right? Just not this bile. The closest to thawing me out was ‘Sometimes’. I’ll give 2 stars because it’s better than the other genres clogging up the bowels of the 1 rated albums.
Oh baby baby! I bought the single when it came out. Shoot me now or have I just got eclectic tastes? '...Baby One More Time' and 'Born To Make You Happy' are the standouts. 'Soda Pop' is a very low point. The rest just drifts along in a sugary sweet sort of way. So pleased there are no pop-Country songs which I was half expecting, some small blessings. It's not a bad first outing for the trailer trash which done good. A low 2.
What in the 1999 is email my heart?
Brittany taught me everything I know http://britneyspears.ac/lasers.htm
Drive me crazy and baby one more time are bangers. Rest of album feels dated and forgettable.
Grew up with it, not a huge pop fan. Some classics of course.
The first 5 or so tracks are pretty good, enjoyed the sparse rhythm and the drive of Spears' voice. The rest of the album didn't connect with me. The significance of her album driving the return to teenie-bop pop in the late 90's was a cultural milestone, but overall I found the album lacking as a whole. 2/5.
Interesting to hear the first record of an immense global pop star. Like what the hell were Soda Pop and The Beat Goes On? I guess she was finding her footing/personality but the singles carry hard (2.5/5)
Couple of classics but overall album wasn’t for me 5/10
35/100 Based on this scale: 1 star - 0 to 19 2 stars - 20 to 39 3 stars - 40 to 59 4 stars - 60 to 79 5 stars - 80 to 100 This is generic bubble-gum pop, with occasional catchy bits. I'll say this much; this is far from the worst album I heard this week, thanks to this list.
Email my heart is one of the most of it's era songs I could ever imagine. The fact that it is followed up by "beat goes on" is excellent too. Really variable quality here. Some undeniable all timer's , then some absolutely basic dirge. Although I tend to not review an album based on the deluxe version extras (in fact I usually skip them), shout out to the David Ospina Radio mix of ...baby one more time - a real Pro Evolution Soccer 6 menu music banger of a remix.
I mean what can I say about this album other than I was born in 1993.. I heard this album so much growing up and personally I'm a britney fan, at least her early days, I mean how could you not be? Especially being born in the era I was.. That being said this album ISN'T perfect no but it does has so many great pop songs on it.. to name a few I mean lets start with the opening track and one of her most famous songs, '...Baby One More Time', which is like saying the words "Pikachu" everyone knows Pikachu.. A great energy song, then we get 'Crazy' which has big psycho energy (early signs) but its such a catchy song.. then we have probably my favorite song on the album, 'Sometimes' its this like ballet-y kind of 90s song and it just feels good.. I love this track. I hated Soda Pop myself, this is what I meant by this album isn't perfect lol.. but then honestly, the later half of this album just was not it. I mean it definitely front loaded this thing but god like this album just kind of feels like a mess, a bunch of different sounds and not like a collective piece which I guess is fine, its pop music but idk, lets just say the second half has a lot of dollar general shopping music on it.. BUT that being said 'Born To Make You Happy' is my SECOND favorite song on this album, it was ALMOST my favorite but like the more I listened to it I thought, "God it's so fucking corny" lol but idk I just like it. 'From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart' is a great break up/broken up/sad song, its got a bit of uhh.. extra.. vocals on it, but its a decent song.. and then, honestly after that like it just gets bad in my opinion, I don't want to get too into the songs but I definitely think the goods on this thing are in the front/middle. Overall: 2.2/5
Surprisingly bad. 2 good songs and ouch
First things first, not my jam... I had to listen to this in headphones at the dead of night so no one would catch me. Obviously it's the monster debut album from the preeminent pop star of the 21st century, starts off strong with the title track but then dips when the second song "You Drive Me Crazy" comes in as it's not the far superior single version. Song three, "Sometimes", is pleasing enough for a mushy pop ballad but thereafter is far more misses than hits and full of emotionless generic pre-millennium pop beats that could have been lifted from a preset library. She would go into better things as far as her career was concerned, but was this as good as it got? It was definitely the biggest commercial success she'd experience but it just felt so empty out with a few fleeting moments.
Mostly boring pop
Si bien entiendo contextualizado lo que fue este disco, hoy en día es inescuchable. La producción es demasiado. La verdad que los únicos instrumentos que son tocados están puesto de forma que parecen irreales o están muy poco presentes. Entre scratches sin sentido, efectos que aparecen una sola vez y sintetizadores molestos que están muy al frente, hacen que decaiga mucho el disco. Obviamente lo único que unen y generan una línea de continuidad es la voz de Britney y las baterías programadas. Si bien existen buenas canciones, la producción muy de la época destruye todo. Hitazo: baby one more time Canción favorita: crazy Sorpresa: born to make you happy
love Brit but no, not to listen to
First song fine obviously knew that. The rest is just bland so bland
No... No place for this on this list
Genre defining 90s bubblegum pop. Although not something I would ever listen to on my own it seems pretty obvious why it is so popular. Repetitive angsty teenager lyrics that are easy to sing and simple 4/4 beats for dancing. The entire oozes a predictable premanufactured cheesiness.
To bangers, resten høres it som Boyzvoice
Made me want to revisit other albums of this time period. Full of nostalgia and I was surprised how many songs I knew. Still, the lyrics are pretty corny and the vocal style is distracting and doesn’t hold up.
innocuous pop for the most part. the slow ballad songs are forgettable, the big singles are kind of catchy, hard to pinpoint why it caught on so much at the time, 1999 was a weird time in music.
The hits are catchy, the rest isn't for me. Just feels like filler.
Pop music like this is not for me. I had to suffer through my sisters listening to this album over and over growing up. They aren't terrible songs, definitely catchy, but very over-produced.
Very nostalgic. First few (singles) were good. Rest of the album was only ok. Honestly felt like filler songs.
How can the singles be so good and the rest of the album so terrible?
One of the best selling albums of all time. It's pretty wild really. Hard to get thru but I recognize the pop sensation on a couple of these singles. I wonder how many of the nearly 20 MILLION people that purchased this album listened to more than 3 of the songs on it. Glad its over.
Largely forgettable pop album beyond the singles. Which may have been the strategy..
who the fuck knew brocolli spears did a cover of the beat goes on? wild. it's not even an altered version, it's just a direct singalong to the all seeing i version that was released a year earlier. were they trying to make her hip or something? anyway that aside, it's nice to see that churning 16 year olds through the 90s pop machine creates such stable individuals.
Pretty dated, and way too long. I mean, it's not unbearable, but I did not get a lot from this album.
ehhhhhh About 3 songs in, I was ready to write something like "This album is actually good and some people are just not ready for that conversation" Was ready for a good chuckle at the song "Email My Heart", but I have no recollection of hearing it even though I definitely put it on 10 minutes ago. I started to dissociate after track 5 At least "The Beat Goes On" is a pretty good finish HL: "...Baby One More Time", "(You Drive Me) Crazy", "Soda Pop" September 21, 2023
Vapid dance pop. Yes, some of the tunes are catchy but the lyrics are shallow at best. This is teenybopper stuff more concerned with what the video will look like than the actual music.
Ughh..how did this make it on the list. I understand it has cultural relevance for the time but so do bell-bottoms and cholera.
Kivan melodista, tai melodisesti kivaa. Mutta en voi kuluttaa musiikkia, jonka soinnilliseen luonteeseen suhtaudun ärtyneellä huvittuneisuudella.
As a teenager, I hated the singles off this whenever they came on the radio. Now, as an adult, I can acknowledge they are bops, well-constructed pop anthems. Unfortunately, the deep cuts on this album do not live up.
I dont understand why she can't pronounce the word baby correctly, when it is in the title of the album. Her inability to sing leaves me baffled as to why anyone ever liked this album. Not a fan.
A couple of killer tracks and then farts ‘till the end.
Baby One More Time is a great song. A lot of the rest of this album sucks though
A couple of hit singles at the start, which do take me back to when I was a younger fella. But on the whole this is dated, saccharine sweet pop music.