Britney album is the biggest project in pop music

[frikidiki]

Here is a post for all those Britney lovers who cannot wait for her new album. These are all bits and bobs from reliable sources regarding who is working on her new record. Either it will the best album ever or the biggest failure in History. Hurrah!

Still, MTV News convinced the producer to give us the nitty gritty on the Neptunes' slate of projects for the new year:

…Britney Spears --

Williams said the Neptunes are going to work with the pop princess, but he "couldn't talk about" any details

Britney Eyeing Orbit, Daft Punk For Next Album
Billboard.com reported:

Although there's no schedule set for her fourth Jive studio album, Britney Spears has already taken meetings with producer William Orbit (Madonna, Blur) and French electronica duo Daft Punk with an eye on future collaborations. "I've been off, but I've still been working, too," she says in an exclusive interview with the Hollywood Reporter. "The main thing is I've just been going on my [own] schedule. I've been going in the studio, I've been working, I've been dancing, but it hasn't been someone saying, 'You have to do this at this time.' It's really been on my own time."

"I would go crazy if I didn't do anything," Spears continues. "I always have to do something. When I first got off the [Dream Within a Dream] tour, I was going to try and chill out for a couple of months, but there's no way I could've done that. So after two weeks, I just started recording and playing around. We haven't really been taking it that seriously, but we are going to start taking it serious in January. Mainly, I've just been having meetings with people to hear their stuff to see if I want to work with them in January. I met up with some really hot producers, William Orbit and Daft Punk, overseas."

Spears stretched her sound on her 2001 album "Britney," which featured collaborations with such producers as the Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins, and Max Martin. "Musically, I seriously think I am going to do a little bit more rock, hip-hop and just play with it," the artist reveals. "That's the direction I'm in now, but who knows? A month from now, it may change, and I could come up with this amazing, amazing song, and then everything just kind of shifts."

Asked if she feels any pressure to reinvent herself amid ever-shifting popular tastes, Spears says, "No. Anyway, it's not something you should try to do -- it should just happen naturally from the way you feel. When people say, 'I'm going to do this,' or 'I'm going to do that' or they plan something, that's when it doesn't really come out. Right now, I'm in the studio just doing my thing and letting it flow. Whatever happens, happens."

"Britney" debuted in November 2001 at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 4 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. Spears' three sets have sold a combined 23.4 million copies in the U.S. to date.


Britney To Work With Rodney Jerkins Again
MTV reported:

For her fourth album, Britney Spears is drawing on past inspirations while looking ahead to some out-of-this-world production and help from a couple of punks.

Phoning in to "TRL" on Friday, Spears said she'll again work with producer Rodney Jerkins for the follow-up to last year's Britney. Jerkins, the hitmaking mastermind behind tunes by the Backstreet Boys, Brandy and Destiny's Child, produced the Britney cover of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," an Arrows song made popular by Joan Jett.

The pop princess also told trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter that she had taken meetings while in Europe with producer William Orbit (Madonna, Blur) and electronic duo Daft Punk about possible collaborations. Her working with Orbit was suspected in November, but Spears wouldn't spill (see "Britney Spears' Hiatus Is History").

"I can't tell you. Then it won't be cool when it comes out," she said.

Although she proclaimed a hiatus in July, following her Dream Within a Dream tour, Spears began dabbling with new ideas a few weeks later. She plans to work in earnest on the LP in January.

And like Pink and more recently Nick Carter, Spears might to go more rock on her next venture and perhaps delve deeper into hip-hop, according to The Hollywood Reporter. But it can't be forced, she told the magazine - it's got to be an organic evolution.

"It should just happen naturally from the way you feel. ... I'm in the studio just doing my thing and letting it flow. Whatever happens, happens."


RUMOR: Working Song Titles - "It's Funny Now" and "You Thought Wrong"
US Weekly Reported:

A small piece titled "Britney's Next Big Move" talks about her working on her next album and for the first time mentions two working song titles: "It's Funny Now" and "You Thought Wrong".

So you heard it hear first, we may see these two songs end up on Britney's next album!


Britney Spears And Fred Durst Shack Up ... In The Studio, At Least
MTV reported:

When Britney Spears drops her new album this fall, don't be surprised to find a little reminder of her relationship with Fred Durst.

The Limp Bizkit frontman is among the producers working on Spears' as-yet-untitled new album, due in October, according to a Jive Records spokesperson. Durst has produced one unnamed track thus far, but it — as well as everything else that has been done for the follow-up to 2001's Britney — is not guaranteed to wind up on Spears' fourth LP...

MTV Talks With 4th Album Producers
MTV.com reported:

If the variety of producers she's working with is any indication, Britney Spears' next record will be her most adventurous yet.

Sure, mainstays Rodney Jerkins and the Neptunes are again logging time with the pop princess (see "Britney Spears To Work With Rodney Jerkins Again"), but she has also recorded with Ashanti producer 7 Aurelius and the Matrix, the production team behind Avril Lavigne's hit singles. And don't forget Fred Durst (see "Britney Spears And Fred Durst Shack Up ... In The Studio, At Least").

Both 7, who also worked on the latest Tupac album, and the Matrix have done three tracks with Spears and are hoping to do more.

"I'm doing something for her, something really ridiculous. record I'm going to do for Britney is going to give Justin a reason to cry," Aurelius said, suggesting a song that answers Timberlake's "Cry Me a River," which is widely believed to be about Spears. "It was her people that came and sat down, played me a lot of stuff she did. We sat down and talked out ideas and I got to working on stuff. It sounds crazy."

Spears has said she may explore her hip-hop and rock influences on the follow-up to Britney, but the Matrix's Lauren Christy said that's not exactly the case.

"It's definitely not anywhere near Avril," Christy said. "It's really hard to put it in a box. It's not really R&B-based or dance-based, it's just really good songs. It's not done in a rock way at all, though."

Christy, a former pop singer herself, likened the album to Madonna's Ray of Light, which is fitting since Spears has met with William Orbit, who produced that album, and is said to be working with Mirwais, another Madonna producer. And Durst described his work with Spears as having a trip-hop vibe, like Madonna's "Frozen."

"It's got a really good groove," Christy said of Spears' record so far.

"She's taking it to the next level in her career," the Matrix's Scott Spock added. "Madonna constantly takes what's in the club and puts what she does on top of it and makes it mainstream. I think Britney is starting to embrace that concept where she's looking to work on different stuff, instead of using the same familiar, and applying it to her."

The Matrix have been presenting Spears with songs already written for her, as they did with Lavigne, but she has been active in tailoring them to suit herself, especially the words.

"Lyrically, it's a little deeper, just a little more grown up, but not trying to change the world or anything," Christy said. "The great thing about Britney is she really knows what she wants. She knows if she's trying something on that doesn't fit right for her. She's like, 'No, that's not me.' She's not one to strap on some sort of fake image."

Christy is particularly excited about a track called "Shadow." "She just kills it," the British producer said. "It's amazing. I was really impressed with her vocal ability on it."

Although Spears' album will be different, Spock said fans need not worry. "I don't think they will be freaked out or upset," he said. "I think they'll be really into what's going to happen."

Britney's spokesperson would not confirm the producers for the still-untitled album but said it'll probably be out in October.


Two New Songs: “Hollow” and “Showdown”
BritneySpears.org/EMIMusicPub.com reported:

Two news songs were sumbitted to EMI both co-written by Britney. The titles are:

Hollow

Showdown

They also credit Cathy Dennis, who we already confirmed as a producer Britney was working with. Cathy is best known for her work with Kylie Minogue(Can't Get You Out Of My Head). A new person has entered the picture however, a producer who goes by the name of Bloodshy, he is best known for his work with Christina Milian and her songs "AM To PM" and "When You Look At Me".

[frikidiki]

Another New Song: “Wonderland”
BMI reported:

“Wonderland” is yet another new song title that credits Britney as a co-writer.

Like all other submitted songs, this is not guaranteed to end up on the fourth album.


Britney Previews LP, Denies Rumors Of 'Cry Me A River' Response
MTV.com reported:

From the sound of things, Britney Spears appears to be channeling Madonna on her fourth album.

The pop singer, who took a step toward womanhood on Britney, has taken the Material Girl's cue, seeming to address more adult themes and styles while retaining a sense of girlish fun on her upcoming disc, which she previewed for MTV recently at Battery Studios.

"I've really been able to take my time and have creative control and make [the new album] special, special, special," she said.

Producers who have worked with the singer — including Rodney Jerkins, the Neptunes, 7 Aurelius, the Matrix and Fred Durst — have described the new material as having a trip-hop vibe, reminiscent of Madonna's "Ray of Light" (see "Who's Been Hooking Up With Britney? We Got 'Em To Talk").

Parts of Spears' suggestive "Touch of My Hand," one of three songs the singer played for MTV, merit that comparison. With a Middle Eastern influence, the song is sleek and fluid, with Spears singing in a slightly lower register of her desire to be "out of control": "I will be bold/ Going to the places where I can be out of control/ Don't want to explain tonight/ All the things I try to hide."

"It's one of my favorite tracks on the album," Spears said. "I like to compare it to 'That's the Way Love Goes,' kind of a Janet Jackson thing."

While "Touch of My Hand" makes it clear what Spears wants, the dance song "Brave Girl" is about finding out what you want in the first place. Backed by choppy, electro-funk beats, she sings in a bouncy near-rap, "She's going to find her passion, she's going to find her way, she's going to get right out of this/ She don't want New York, she don't want L.A., she's going to find that special kiss."

"It's basically about going out and having a good time," Spears said.

The bubbly nature of "Brave Girl" also seems to be more indicative of what the rest of the album might sound like, according to sources close to Spears who've heard more tracks and describe them as upbeat.

Of the songs previewed, "Every Time" is Spears' most adult and her closest attempt at a traditional pop ballad. "Every Time" has a lilting piano intro accompanying the singer's breathy vocals, which build from soft to strong, despite lyrics that suggest she feels otherwise. "Go to sleep ... why carry on without me?/ Every time I try to fly, I fall/ Without my wings/ I feel so small."

"Sometimes when I get kind of bored, I come behind here and play the piano," Spears said while giving a tour of her studio space. "There's a piano in the hotel room, so I was really excited. I don't know what 'C' is or, like, all that, but I do my own thing."

One thing you won't find on the album is a response track to ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River," despite rumors to the contrary. "You know, it's funny," she said. "I read that I wrote this song and I wrote these lyrics, and that's not my style. I would never do that."

Spears is the guest host of several radio concert festivals this weekend, including Q102's Q Concert 14 on Friday (May 30) at Philadelphia's Tweeter Center, KISS 108's Kiss Concert 2003 on Saturday at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and New York station Z100's Zootopia 2003 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.


RUMOR: New Track “Stay”, “Touch Of My Hand” Mentioned
Naaman @ WOB Forums reported:

I was reading a magazine called "Music Week" which is basically a trade paper for the UK music industry and in it was an article about how U.S. writers were providing hits for UK acts like S Club, and also included was a small part about Britney's new album talking about Touch Of My Hand and a new track called Stay. Here's what it said:

"Beyond his S Club hits, Solomon, who is published by Rondor and managed by Adrian Adams of Artists and Media in Los Angeles, has two cuts on the forthcoming Britney Spears album, which were mixed last week by Spike Stent (who mixed the "Spice" and "Spiceworld" albums by the Spice Girls). "One is called Stay, which is kind of Massive Attack meets Coldplay meets Britney," he says. "It will surprise a lot of people". His other Spears collaboration is a track called Touch Of My Hand. "It has an old beatbox vibe with all these ambient sounds on top and a Middle East kind of feeling," he says.


New Registered Song: “When I Say So”
BMI.com reported:

Once reported as the second shelved track produced for the “Britney” album by BT, the title, crediting Britney and BT as co-writers, has appeared as a registered title at BMI.com. Time will tell if the long-awaited track ends up on the album in original, BT-produced form.


Britney Worked With Diddy, Moby, RedZone
MTV.com reported:

Two revelations are available courtesy of W magazine's cover profile of Britney Spears, due on newsstands Friday. First, she's no longer a virgin. And second, she's enlisted P. Diddy and Moby for her upcoming album.

Spears' admission to sleeping with ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake isn't all that surprising, except for the fact that after years of prodding she's finally come clean. It's been a question on everyone's mind ever since she began touting her no-sex-before-marriage beliefs while at the same time playing the part of a vixen and singing that she's "not that innocent."

Perhaps it shouldn't matter, but the virgin vamp dichotomy was a large part of her image, and it couldn't last forever. After all, she did have a live-in relationship with Timberlake, who after their breakup jokingly told a New York radio station that the couple did have sexual relations of a sort. Spears cleared it up when she told interviewer Robert Haskell that she had only slept with "one person my whole life."

"It was two years into my relationship with Justin. And I thought he was the one. But I was wrong. I didn't think he was gonna go on Barbara Walters and sell me out," she said, referring to Timberlake's November 2002 interview on "20/20" in which he talked about their breakup and sex life.

"The most painful thing I've ever experienced was that breakup," Spears told W magazine. "We were together so long, and I had this vision. You think you're going to spend the rest of your life together. Where I come from, the woman is the homemaker, and that's how I was brought up — you cook for your kids. But now I realize I need my single time. You have to do your own thing."

Her own thing, for now, is focusing on finishing her latest album. So far Spears has enlisted a slew of producers, composers and collaborators, including Moby and P. Diddy, her spokesperson at Jive Records confirmed. "She did spend some time with them, but we're not even sure if those tracks are going to be picked, if they're going to make the album," her spokesperson said. "It's too soon to know for sure."

Diddy told "E! News Live" on Monday that he had recorded two songs with the singer, while Moby told W that the song he did with Spears is "brooding and atmospheric. ... It's very simple and, for lack of a better word, sexy."

Other producers working with Spears include Rodney Jerkins, the Neptunes, the Matrix (best known for their songwriting for Avril Lavigne), 7 Aurelius (Ashanti), Metro (Cher's "Believe"), the Atlanta collective RedZone and Fred Durst (see "Who's Been Hooking Up With Britney? We Got 'Em To Talk" and "Britney Spears And Fred Durst Shack Up ... In The Studio, At Least").

"[RedZone] are the first people I've ever worked with where it's like I'm listening to it off the radio," she told W, "where I'm like, yeah, I'm jamming ... with myself. And it's weird. I've never done that before."

None of the tracks created with the newly announced producers, however, were among those played during MTV's visit to her studio sessions, where she previewed "Touch of My Hand," "Brave Girl" and "Every Time" (see "Britney Previews LP, Denies Rumors of 'Cry Me A River' Response").

Spears plans to continue working in the studio for another two to three weeks, her label spokesperson said, before finalizing a track listing. The album is expected out by October

[frikidiki]

Confirmed Tracks, From Official Sources:

-Sacred
-Free
-Shadow
-Showdown
-Hollow
-Wonderland
-When I Say So
-Touch Of My Hand
-Brave Girl
-Every Time


Rumored Tracks, From Non-Official Sources:

-Stay
-You Thought Wrong
-It's Funny Now


Producers Whose Work Has Been Confirmed Through Reliable Sources:

-Rodney Jerkins
-The Neptunes
-The Matrix
-Fred Durst
-7 Aurelius
-Moby
-P. Diddy
-RedZone
-Metro


Producers The Possibly Have Worked With Britney, Based On Reliable Sources:

-William Orbit
-Daft Punk
-Guy Chambers
-Cathy Dennis
-BT
-Shep Solomon
-Bloodshy
-Guy Sigsworth

[Forgive Me Jenny Elly Moondial]

Too. Much. Information.

Couldn't you put a few Nicola pictures in to break up the text?

[kittens-in-a-Peaches-frenzy]

MY HEAD IS REELING FROM THE PROSPECT OF READING ALL THE ABOVE...BUT I'M DRAWN TO THE LIST-Y BITS, they're easier on the eyes...

I truly hope that Brit'ers has managed to bag a Daft Punk track, as has long been rumoured....now that would be something to get tingly about

[Poptastic UK]

Hollow must be a Rodney Jerkins song. I wanna make you hollow...

Jessica

[Forgive Me Jenny Elly Moondial]

Producers who's work has been confirmed: Fred Durst.

Hope she doesn't go with this song (rumoured to be a duet) otherwise you'll get him going on about their alleged romps again.

Whilst the thread mentioning Britney recently admitting to not being a virgin didn't get many posts since her & JT is so over, the Britney/Fred story is one where I actually don't believe anything that major happened.

Now if Britney confirmed that what he said about her is true THAT would be shocking.

[Forgive Me Jenny Elly Moondial]

frikidiki said:

Spears stretched her sound on her 2001 album "Britney," which featured collaborations with such producers as the Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins, and Max Martin. "Musically, I seriously think I am going to do a little bit more rock, hip-hop and just play with it," the artist reveals. "That's the direction I'm in now, but who knows? A month from now, it may change, and I could come up with this amazing, amazing song, and then everything just kind of shifts."

That's the main thing that worries me about her album that even she doesn't know what she's doing. If she was actually commited to which direction she was going to go then I'd be more confident that this wasn't going to be a horibble gooey mash.

Serious Hip-Hop and Rock fans aren't going to buy a Britney Spears album unless she re-invents herself. And even if she does this album is not just rock or hip-hop. If you want an album with a couple of rock & hip-hop songs buy the "NOW" series.

I wonder how many fans have already got their pre-orders set out in their mind. And I wonder how many will be disappointed.

[lovebomb]

The thing that worries me is we've heard this all before. A lot of this build up sounds very similar to Jacko's Invincible!

[scandipop]

It'll sell, she needn't worry.

it just mightn't give her the credibility she craves that's all.