Reviews by mars
Britney Spears Reclaims Her Voice on the Radiant “Hold Me Closer"
While New Music Friday is always a cause for celebration for music fans, this week’s curation is no ordinary entry. For the first time in six years, Britney Spears released new music. More importantly, her new collaboration with Sir Elton John marks her first music released as a free woman since 2007’s Blackout. Boy was this worth the wait.
“Hold Me Closer” (released August 26, 2022) is a disco-infused reworking of staple John singles that beautifully allows Spears to shine like the star she has always been. “Closer” follows the success of the Dua Lipa-assisted “Cold Heart,” which remixed John’s “Rocket Man” and “Sacrifice” into a certified smash of post-pandemic summer days. Its formula is closely replicated on “Hold Me Closer,” which features verses from “The One” and a chorus courtesy of “Tiny Dancer” with some sprinkles of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” Its groovy bass and cohesive production fit perfectly among both the disco and dance music revivals happening across the pop landscape in recent years, almost ensuring the single’s future success.
But “Hold Me Closer” holds much more significance than just being a duet between pop royalty. The single marks the return of a titan, silenced for almost 14 years from an immensely restrictive - and now terminated - conservatorship run by her father, James Spears. While Britney released four studio albums throughout the duration of her conservatorship, “Hold Me Closer” is Spears’ first musical entry done entirely on her own terms in 15 years.
During a time when Spears served as the butt of every joke, constantly ridiculed and belittled by the media and general public, she dropped her career-best work. For long-term Britney fans, it’s well-known that Spears’ best work is done when she’s in control of her sound and image (she served as Blackout’s executive producer and was closely involved with the conception of 2016’s under-appreciated Glory). When the going gets tough, Britney perseveres – seen across both her music and personal life. On “Closer,” Spears and John sound perfectly at home with one another – to no surprise. The track is filled with Britney's classic ad libs and John’s signature tone. What may come as a shock to many will be just how strong Spears sounds across the entirety of the track. Her vocals remain as strong as ever, effortlessly moving throughout her range and finally shining a light on her lower register for the first time in a long time. It's an emotional moment for fans who long feared a world where Britney forever distanced herself from the industry that caused her such distress, never recording again. More than anything, the single serves as a reminder, for those who don’t already, to take Spears seriously as an artist. "I am absolutely thrilled to have had the chance to work with Britney Spears. She truly is an icon, one of the all-time great pop stars and she sounds amazing on this record. I love her dearly and am delighted with what we've created together." - Elton John
Britney delivered some of the most iconic classics of the last two decades yet constantly finds herself in an uphill battle to prove her worth. Imagine a world without the immediately-recognizable hooks of “...Baby One More Time” and “Oops!... I Did it Again” or her “it’s Britney, bitch” catchphrase. Her exotic performance of “I’m A Slave 4 U” at the 2001 Video Music Awards remains one of the most referenced award show performances of all time. “Toxic” still finds its way onto top streaming and radio playlists almost 20 years after its release. 2011’s trifecta of “Hold it Against Me,” “Till the World Ends,” and “I Wanna Go” proved Spears’ lasting power as a dancing queen as “Work Bitch” continues to dominate dance floors across the world.
Acknowledging Britney as a musician has always been shoved aside by the public in favor of ridiculing Britney as a celebrity. We’ve witnessed her explosive introduction to superstardom and its reciprocated collapse to watch a phoenix rise from the ashes time and time again. Her undeniable presence here mirrors her radiant star power, a queen reclaiming her crown. “Hold Me Closer” may be Spears coming back to music, but make no mistake - this is not a “comeback.” Spears openly stated how she dislikes the term as it implies she stopped creating – the reality is that she never stopped; sometimes songwriting and performing for thousands, other times alone in her home. This is a reunion of an artist and her voice, long stolen from her by others now finally back where it belongs: in her control. Stream "Hold Me Closer" here:Comments are closed.
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About MarsNY-based, 26-year-old, music-obsessed and loves to write about it. Archives
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