Album Reviews
Britney Spears `Blackout' SonyBMG
Forget about her disastrous performance of ``Gimme More'' at the MTV Video Awards. Britney Spears' new album ``Blackout'' may just be her best effort yet. No sugary pop songs here. This album still shows Spears' sexy side with edgy dance tracks such as ``Get Naked (I Got a Plan)'' and ``Hot as Ice.'' Her collaboration with the Neptunes ``Why Should I Be Sad'' is one of the coolest tracks on the album.
``Piece of Me'' is littered with references to Spears' own troubles: ``I'm Miss bad media karma, another day another drama… and you want a piece of me?'' ``Blackout'' certainly ensures people will still want a piece of Spears.
-Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Backstreet Boys `Unbreakable' SonyBMG
A new release by Backstreet Boys, one of the few surviving boy bands from its booming era, is a welcome return for many much-awaited fans.
Their music is still firmly entrenched in the mainstream pop genre, flexing the boy band's maturity, on this album.
This album presents several tracks including their single, ``Inconsolable,'' which is similar to ``Incomplete,'' the hit single from their last album.
There are other catchy tracks such as the upbeat ``Everything But Mine,'' ``Any Other Way,'' and the reggae-tinged track, ``One in a Million'' and ``Panic.''
Three decent ballads are ``Helpless When She Smiles,'' ``Unmistakable'' and ``Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon.''
-Chung Ah-young
Westlife `Back Home' SonyBMG
Westlife, an Irish boyband, has just come back with ``Back Home,'' their ninth album since the band's debut in 1998. The new album contains twelve brand new songs including the first single, ``Home.''
The album includes the beautiful ballad, ``Us Against The World,'' which is picked as the best song by all of the band members.
The latter parts of the album have mid-tempo tracks such as ``Catch My Breath,'' ``The Easy Way'' and ``Pictures In My Head.''
``I Do'' exudes the band members' powerful vocals and more mature expression of feelings.