Bit-Bit's debut - ...Baby One More Time

Britney-mania began only two years ago (yes, only two years ago, doesn't it seem longer?!) with her unbelievable debut, ...Baby One More Time. Heck, I'd been a Backstreet, Nsync, Hanson, and Spice Girls fan already ever since I was about nine. Why not like Britney? It was worth a try anyway...

By 1998 I was watching TRL regularly. All of a sudden, a newcomer made way onto the countdown with her song ...Baby One More Time. It was catchy, sexy, and new. Key word: new. Of course, it was just as new as Debbie Gibson or Tiffany had been in the 80s. Teens and pre-teens of today, however, will undoubtedly question who in the world Tiffany and Debbie Gibson are. So this was new for America's youth. Good or bad? Well, it depends on how you look at it.

Because there were so many 'male groups' dominating, well, everything, the young girls were ready for a role model. Not only that, it gave them someone to visualize themselves as. Maybe, just maybe, they could be like Britney one day. Or maybe it's that they'd like to have the same personality traits (or image, if you will) that she obtains: girl next door one minute, sexy school girl the next. An added plus is the fact that Britney Spears' music was happy, exciting, and...cool.

Sure, when she wore hardly anything on the cover of Rolling Stone (cuddling with a teletubby!), she was boycotted by every church organization in America. "This is what today's youth listens to?!" they would yell and rant on about. Well, listen, when you really think about it: there are worse things that teenage girls are doing right now. Britney is hardly something to worry about. Britney, with her distinguished celebrity image; carries the traits, looks, boyfriend (Justin Timberlake of Nsync), awesome clothes, and stardom that every young girl wants and craves for. Especially the Justin part. Britney Spears and her music is harmless. And that's the final word.

So, let's get on with my review of Britney's first album, ...Baby One More Time...

1. ...Baby One More Time
Britney's debut song that I believe everyone loved to jam to. I believe it will be one of those classic pop songs that everyone remembers, even if they don't remember who sang it twenty years later. This song was featured in the top 40 of MTV's "Top 100 Greatest Pop Songs." She was accompanied by the Backstreet Boys, the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, and many others. ...Baby One More Time is something that you can listen to with the volume up in your car and people won't look at you funny just because it's two years old. Ok...maybe some people will. You can listen to it over and over without getting tired of it at all.
Grade: A++ (this is my review, there can be more than one plus if I want! <laughs>)

2. (You Drive Me) Crazy
If we're talking about the version that was released to the radio stations and was on her video, I love it! It was awesome, something that you can keep on listening to over and over. It's sassy and leaves you going "BOOM BOOOM BOOM: CRAZY!" all the time (um, in the beginning, there's three 'booms' and she sings 'crazy.' Anyways...<laughs>). The video was very cool, fresh, and...green. I don't know where I get that from, but there was a lot of green in the video. Don't ask, I'm in a weird mood as I'm writing this review. This is a great song, and I'm sure most of you have heard it. If not, take a listen. But, the CD version is not as good as the radio edit!
Grade: A+

3. Sometimes
Awww. Ok, this is as close to a ballad as we can usually get from Brit (the only exception has been From The Bottom of My Broken Heart, but that was a flop). She's known for her uptempos usually. I love this track, and I think that most girls feel the things she describes (at least once in their life) in the song. The video was very good, but I think that we have a mixture of "The Real Britney," and "The Fake Britney" in it. Do I need to explain that? I hope not. Anyways, this is a very good song, and I love listening to it. Her talent showed a little more in Sometimes.
Grade: A

4. Soda Pop
I don't quite understand what the purpose of this track was. In any case, it is a space filler (there are only 11 tracks on the album, how weird would it look if there were only 10?). In my opinion, any pop star who actually uses the word 'pop' in their song needs to evaluate their career. If you want to be a longlasting pop artist, you don't want the word 'pop' in your song. Especially in this one. The lyrics don't really make sense, and it seems as though Britney tried to incorporate reggae into the track. Perhaps she used the Baha Men before their big debut for the male parts of Soda Pop? (I made a joke and horribly failed there). The beat is good enough, but I don't appreciate the repetitiveness and the fact that it is...weird!
Grade: C+

5. Born To Make You Happy
I'm wondering about her choice of words in this track and its title. Hmmm, 'born to make you happy'? That implies that the woman was only born to make a man happy. Well, some may call it degrading to women, if you're willing to go that deep into it. But, that's just the thing, you aren't supposed to go deep into Britney's songs. They are what you hear, nothing more. I actually am extremely fond of this song. It is very pretty, the lyrics are sweet, her voice really shines, and I find it to be (possibly) my favorite. I know that it was released as a single in Europe. I wish she would have released it here, I think it could have done very well in the U.S. I wouldn't call this an uptempo, but then it's not a ballad. Midtempo? Yep. "I'm sittin' here alone up in my room/thinkin' 'bout the times that we've been through/all my love/I'm looking at a picture in my hand/trying my best to understand/I really wanna know what we did wrong/with the love that felt so strong." These lyrics actually seem a little more real and raw than her usual tidbits of lovey-doveyness (word created by me I guess).
Grade: A++

6. From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
If this is what Britney has to offer for ballads, then I am all for it! Her voice isn't overdone with synthesizers and digital covers, it's all her and nothing else. There's just a certain something about this one that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The video wasn't her biggest hit, but I definitely found this song pleasing and it is my favorite ballad on the album.
Grade: A

7. I'll Be There
Now that I listen to it again, it almost has the sound (beat) of The One by the Backstreet Boys. I love this song just as much as Born to Make You Happy. It is a sweet song about being there for someone. It doesn't necessarily mean a boyfriend or girlfriend, it could even just be a friend. You will be pressing 'repeat' for this one.
"When you're in sorrow/just turn around/and I will be there/when you need someone/just turn around/and I will be there/when you're feeling low/baby let me know/and I will be there."
Grade: A

8. I Will Still Love You
Actually, I don't like this one. It has never interested me for some reason. She does this track as a duet with Don Phillip (I think him), and he sounds good. So does she. But, I just have found no interest or liking in this track. I don't know why...it has a nice meaning, but oh well.
Grade: C+

9. Thinkin' About You
This is rather 'poppy,' but I like it! She makes her voice a little deeper for the different verses, and it sounds great. Bit-Bit really knows how to sing. I have felt the same things that she sings about when it comes to crushes that I have on guys.

"I spend my days with you/I spend my nights thinkin' about you/you're so fine/on my mind/and I think about you all the time/baby I feel so right/and for us there is no end in sight/each day that I spend around you/passes by too fast/each night that I spend without you/is longer than the last."
Grade: A+

10. Email My Heart
This is a pretty ballad with an odd twist. The song revolves around a girl who keeps sending an e-mail to her ex-boyfriend who left her. Brit's voice is pretty and is very soft. I love the melody and piano that plays in the background. It is an interesting song with different lyrics and story-line.
Grade: A

11. Beat Goes On
Spears covered Cher's The Beat Goes On and was the last track on her first album. It's alright, I suppose. It's slightly interesting and it makes you want to dance. But, it is overly-repetitive...seriously over-repetitive. There's not much to say about "and the beat goes on/and the beat goes on/and the beat goes on..." Know what I mean?
Grade: C-

Bit-Bit's debut is an amazing, good quality contribution to pop culture. She may flaunt around in barely there outfits and that of the sort, but that certainly doesn't mean her music isn't good. This is one of those albums where you rarely press the fast forward button, because there are so many good songs. For a first album, this is top notch and extremely enjoyable. This is pop music at its best, Britney at her best, and if you haven't bought this sensational album already...well honey, go out to the store and get it!