25 Albums Every Gay Guy Should Hear

From: Next Magazine

Britney Spears

Blackout

I think Blackout just so epitomizes Britney. And I feel like it’s got her best songs on it. Oh god, the pop stars that exist in our minds can identify with a lot of those songs. I mean, everybody thinks they’re this superstar: “You want a piece of me?” The kind of thing they have going on in their fantasy-gay-boy life. So we can all sort of identify with that. I mean it was a really disturbing time that was this magical Britney moment where she was just such a fucking mess! But this really good album came out of it. She was a disaster with that VMA performance, but the album was solid! Much more solid than her last album. Does she have a lot to do with her albums? I don’t know! But it seemed very parallel to her life at that moment. And it’s just good pop music! —JB

Blackout is the fifth studio album by American recording artist Britney Spears, released on October 26, 2007, by Jive Records and the Zomba Music Group. Opting to re-establish her music career after her fourth record In the Zone (2003), she began planning the project in 2006. Work continued into 2007, during which time Spears' much-publicized personal struggles, including several instances of erratic behavior and her divorce from Kevin Federline, overshadowed her professional endeavors.

Blackout represents a musical departure from Spears' earlier work, featuring a foreboding and atmospheric tone in terms of musical and lyrical direction. She collaborated with producers including Danja, Bloodshy & Avant, Sean Garrett, and The Neptunes in several recording studios around the United States, including Spears' home in Los Angeles, with the intention of creating uptempo, high-energy music. Their efforts resulted in a primarily electropop and dance record, which sees additional influences from Euro disco, dubstep, and funk. The lyrical themes revolve around fame, media scrutiny, sex, and clubbing.

Upon its release, Blackout received generally favorable reviews upon its release from music critics, who complimented it as Spears' most progressive and consistent album yet. However, some suggested that its quality should have been attributed to the producers rather than Spears, and criticized her vocals for being overly-processed. The album has appeared on many end-of-the-year and decade lists, including reader polls by Billboard and Rolling Stone; The Times named it as the fifth best pop album of the decade. Rolling Stone described it as one of the most influential albums in modern pop. In 2012, the album was added to the library and archives of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Blackout was originally scheduled to be released on November 30, though it was ultimately rush-released by a month on October 30 after several unauthorized internet leaks. It was expected to debut at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, but debuted at number two with first-week sales of 290,000 copies after a last-minute rule change. Consequently, Blackout is distinguished as Spears' first studio album not to debut in the number-one position in the United States, although it was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for exceeding one million shipments. The record charted in the top-ten of several national charts internationally, and has attained several certifications worldwide. By the end of 2011, Blackout had sold 3.2 million copies worldwide.

Three singles were released from Blackout. Its lead single "Gimme More" peaked at number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and charted strongly internationally. Follow-up singles "Piece of Me" and "Break the Ice" respectively peaked at numbers 18 and 43 in the United States, and experienced moderate success worldwide. Unlike her previous records, Spears did not heavily promote Blackout; her only televised appearance for Blackout was a universally-panned performance of "Gimme More" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.