In The Zone

Performer: Britney Spears
Artist: Madonna; Ying Yang Twins
Engineer: Chris Fudurich; Sean Magee; Brian "B-Luv" Thomas; The Matrix; Brian Kierulf; Bloodshy; Abel Garibaldi; Josh Schwartz; Mark "Spike" Stent; Mark Taylor; Matrix; Moby; Pablo Munguia; Sean McGhee; Avant; Rich Tapper; Andy Gallas; Ian Mereness; Brad Gilderman
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Personnel includes: Britney Spears (vocals); Madonna (vocals); Ying Yang Twins (rap vocals); C "Tricky" Stewart, Moby, Bloodshy, Avant (various instruments, programming); Roy "Royalty" Hamilton (various instruments, background vocals); Guy Sigsworth (various instruments); Roy Gartrell (guitar, banjo); Jimmy Harry (guitar, keyboards, programming); Donnie Lyle, Gary O'Brien, Henrik Jonback (guitar); Steve Anderson (keyboards, programming); Kendall Nesbitt (keyboards); Thomas Lindberg (bass); Penelope Magnet, Courtney Copeland, Emma Roads, Roxanne Estrada, Chyna Royal, Black Cell, Cathy Dennis, Emma Holmgren, R. Kelly, Bud, Tricky, Kyron Leslie, Lisa Green, The Matrix (background vocals); Bollywood Strings. Producers include: Trixter, Roy "Royalty" Hamilton, Mark Taylor, Bloodshy, Moby. This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Personnel: Britney Spears (background vocals); Roy Gartrell (guitar, banjo); Brian Kierulf, Jimmy Harry (guitar, keyboards, programming); Donnie Lyle, Josh Schwartz, Henrik Jonback (guitar); Stockholm Session Strings (strings); Steve Anderson (keyboards, programming); DaCorna Boyz, Kendall D. Nesbitt (keyboards); Chris "Tricky" Stewart (programming, background vocals); Bloodshy, Abel Garibaldi, Moby, Avant, Ian Mereness (programming); Roy "Royalty" Hamilton, Roxanne Estrada, Courtney Copeland, The Matrix , Kyron Leslie, Wizardz of Oz, Penelope Magnet, Chyna Royal, Emma Roads, Emma Holmgren, Kara DioGuardi, Matrix, R. Kelly, Ying Yang Twins, Blackcell, Jennifer Karr, B.U.D. (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Sean Magee; Niklas Flyckt; The Matrix ; Mark "Spike" Stent; Mark Taylor ; Matrix; Mick Guzauski; R. Kelly; Sean McGhee. Audio Remixer: Rishi Rich. Recording information: 3:20 Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Battery Studios, New York, NY; Decoy Studios, Studio City, CA; Metrophonic Studios, England; Murlyn Studios, Stockholm, Sweden; Olympic Studios, London, England; Pacifique Studios, N. Hollywood, CA; Record Plant, Hollywood, CA; The Chocolate Factory, Chicago, IL; The Dojo, New York, NY; Triangle Sond Studios, Atlanta, GA; Westlake Audio, Los Angeles, CA. Editors: Sean Magee; Sean McGhee. Photographers: Patrick Demarchelier; Ranjit. Arrangers: Chris "Tricky" Stewart; Steve Lunt; Roy "Royalty" Hamilton; Penelope Magnet; Bloodshy; Jimmy Harry; Avant. If 2001's Britney was a transitional album, capturing Spears at the point when she wasn't a girl and not yet a woman, its 2003 follow-up, In the Zone, is where she has finally completed that journey and turned into Britney, the Adult Woman. Like her peer Christina Aguilera, Britney equates maturity with transparent sexuality and the pounding sounds of nightclubs, but since she's not as dirty as Xtina, her spin is a little different. Where Christina comes across like a natural-born skank, Britney is the girl next door cutting loose at college, drinking and smoking and dancing and sexing just a little too recklessly, since this is the first time she can indulge herself. And that's what In the Zone is -- Britney indulging herself, desperate to prove that she's an adult. She has been freed from her musical parent, Max Martin, who is absent for the first time from a Spears album, choosing instead to play the field and work with a bunch of different collaborators, including Madonna, Moby, the Matrix, Trixster, Roy "Royalty" Hamilton, Bloodshy & Avant, and R. Kelly. Since she's so determined to be a woman, not a girl, she has completely shed the sugarcoated big hooks and sappy love songs that drove her stardom, concentrating on music that glides by on mellow grooves or hits hard with its hip-hop beats. It's all club-ready, but despite some hints of neo-electro and the Neptunes, it doesn't quite sound modern -- it sounds like cuts from 1993 or Madonna's Bedtime Stories and Ray of Light. Production-wise, these tracks are not only accomplished but much more varied than any of her previous albums -- in particular, Moby's "Early Mornin'" has a sleek feel, Mark Taylor's "Breathe on Me" is alluring, and the Bloodshy & Avant productions, "Showdown" and "Toxic," are irresistible ear candy in what is surely Britney's most ambitious, adventurous album to date. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine On her 4th album, the omnipresent Britney Spears--with the aid of numerous collaborators and producers--has crafted a virtual soundtrack to her wild, club-hopping nights. Following up the media frenzy of her televised Madonna kiss, Britney kicks things off by unveiling a full-on collaboration with the Material Girl, "Me Against the Music." This party-fueled, dance-floor-ready anthem bookends IN THE ZONE with a bonus Bollywood-tinged remix, and both versions are emblematic of the album as a whole--energetic, assertive, and sexy. On the saucy "(I Got That) Boom Boom," Britney makes a stop in the Dirty South to visit "crunk" rappers the Ying Yang Twins. The innuendo-laden hip-hop and R&B carries over to the sultry "Showdown," the Moby-produced "Early Mornin'," and "Outrageous," featuring production and backing vocals by R. Kelly. Of course, Britney finds time for a little quiet introspection on the string-soaked "Shadow" and the piano ballad, "Everytime." Although IN THE ZONE showcases Britney as a carefree party girl, these latter songs highlight the softer side of the pop superstar.

Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.198) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...There's no question that Spears wants IN THE ZONE to be erogenous, so she lays on the heavy breathing and offers herself for hookups on and off the dance floor..." Spin (12/03, pp.130-1) - "...Spears hits paydirt on 'Toxic,' holding her own against a wall of drum breaks, strings, and James Bond surf guitar that warps and struts like it's been fed into the Matrix..." - Grade: B- Q (1/04, p.122) - 3 stars out of 5 - "It's a sprightly collection of provocative pop showing she still knows exactly which buttons to press."

In the late 1990s, Madonna had long since become a mature artist, turning her back on the carefree dance-pop of her early days. Teenage singer Britney Spears picked up on this specific Madonna era, albeit with a more girl-next-door approach. Her coy mix of innocence and sensuality (and infectious songs) made her a superstar, and helped inspire the teen-pop phenomenon that soon dominated pop music. By the early '00s, Spears was casting about for a more adult image, and remade herself into a vixen, experimented with acting and reality TV, and had two children with the controversial wannabe rap star Kevin Federline. While her personal life preempted her musical output for a while, she seemed on the road to artistic recovery after the 2006 birth of her second child. A critically lambasted appearance on the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards and a very public custody battle with Federline worked against her, but her concurrent album release BLACKOUT bought her some credibility with the fickle music press.

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