Britney Spears led the surge in popularity of teen pop as the new millenium began. Her evolution from precocious teen to adult star can be traced through her album releases.
- ...Baby One More Time (1999) - Britney graduated from The New Mickey Mouse Club to the pop mainstream with this impressive debut. The title song rides a thin line between adolescent innocence and teen sexuality. It's all very catchy and gave Britney a #1 hit album on her first try.
- Oops!...I Did It Again (2000) - The sound is very similar to the first album, but this one is even more focused on Britney's movement toward adult sex appeal. The title song pushes the boundaries of pop song credibility, but stops short of being over the top and, instead, is a pop classic. It was another #1 chart smash.
- Britney (2001) - Artistic growing pains are abundantly evident here. Her movement toward adulthood results in tougher, tighter music, but some fans were turned off by the skeletal sound of songs like "I'm a Slave 4 U." Artistically, it's a solid album, but, even though topping the album charts once again, it failed to produce any top 10 hit singles.
- In the Zone (2003) - This is the album that makes it obvious Britney was the bridge from teen singer to adult pop star. The album includes collaborations with established stars Madonna, Moby and R. Kelly. The hit "Toxic" with its adventure movie soundtrack sound returned Britney to the pop singles top 10 while the album was her fourth to hit the top.
- Greatest Hits : My Prerogative (2004) - After a year of more gossip than music headlines, Britney released her greatest hits package summing up the previous three albums and throwing in a few new tracks. Her version of Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative" inspired a notable video, but the music is far from memorable. If you don't aldready own Britney's first 4 albums, this is a good introduction.
