This review covers the pop track Britney Spears – … Baby One More Time.
This track was released in 1998 as a single.
The track starts off with a piano and drum kit. Filtered vocals enter the track early on. Backup vocals then come into the track. After a bit, strings enter the track as the track enters the main chorus.
After that, the track backs off as the vocals take the track into the next verse. Keys, a drum kit, and vocals are present. After a bit, the backup vocals return as the track goes into the main chorus. This is capped off with a quasi instrumental section.
From there, the main vocals return along with the piano. Some filtered white noise subtly pops up into the background. The backup vocals return as the track goes back into the main chorus. Those elements missing return as the vocals repeat the main chorus. The track then ends with an orchestral hit.
What this track winds up doing is simply taking a good chunk of the stereotypes of dance pop music and lays it on thick. There are certainly positives and negatives to this.
The positive here is that when the track hits the main chorus, everything does manage to gel into something cohesive. The backup vocals really helps drive this into something at least listenable. That filtered vocal element, also a stereotype, does at least offer some variety in the track.
As for the pitfalls, the lyrics rely way to heavily on “baby”. While it is more understandable in the main chorus, it winds up coming off as overused by the time you include the verse.
Another problem I have with the track is the minimalist sound in some areas. While minimalism can be used to great effect, I’m not sure it really worked all that well in the end. Perhaps the contrast of the full sound in the main chorus became too wide, but the minimalism wound up being quite forgettable.
Overall, while there are some positives to be had here, there are plenty of pitfalls in this track as well. This track manages to offer a few moments where the track does sound decent in the main chorus, but these moments tend to be a bit fleeting. There is some lyrical overuse in the verses and the verses wind up being quite forgettable. At the end of the day, this is a very mediocre track.
Overall
6/10
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
