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Blackout is the fifth studio album by American pop singer Britney Spears. It was released on October 27, 2007, in Australia, October 29, 2007, in the UK, and October 30, 2007, worldwide. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the album was number 32 in terms of units shipped worldwide by the end of 2007. It was ranked at number 50 by Rolling Stone magazine in its publication of the Top 50 albums of 2007. Additionally, as of June 2008, there have been 3.1 million digital downloads of the songs and remixes from the album.

Album history

In February 2006, it was reported that Britney was "in the midst of recording her next album," which could possibly be released later that year. According to the People magazine article, Spears said her new music could "reinvigorate the current pop scene," of which she said was "boring".

In May 2006, it was reported that Jonathan "J.R." Rotem said that Spears had "up-tempo club songs," and "relationship songs," "and everything in between."

In September 2006, Rotem said, "Our goal is to try to one-up it," referring to the hits on the radio at the time. "I can tell you there's some dance stuff; there's some slow, more introspective stuff; some club things," the producer said.

Spears later revealed in a personal message on her official website that she planned to release her new album before the end of 2007.

Britney Spears began working with Nate "Danja" Hills while she was pregnant with her second child. Recording began in Las Vegas and continued at Spears' home in Los Angeles.

In August 2007, it was revealed that "Gimme More" would be going to airwaves as the album's first single.

The album was released on October 30, 2007, ahead of its planned release date, due to numerous unauthorized online leaks, and to prevent any future illegal distribution.

Spears' website ran a competition for fans to vote for the album's title; however, none of the suggestions were used. Several sources claimed "Piece of Me" to be the album's title as well as the second single. On October 5, 2007, a message was posted on Spears' official website confirming the title of the album to be Blackout. A spokesperson for Jive Records has said that the title and theme of Blackout is about "blacking out negativity and embracing life".

On November 13, 2007, U.S. store Target released a special edition of Blackout with the bonus track, "Outta This World," a bonus mobile wallpaper, and a ringtone.

Spears won "Best International Album" for Blackout at France's NRJ Awards in January 2008.

Spears also won "Worst Album" at the Shockwaves NME Awards 2008, which took place on February 28, 2008, at the IndigO2 venue in London.

Promotion

This is the first studio album for which Spears did not do any promotion prior to its release, with the exception of her performance at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, which was panned by both fans and critics. Jive Records posted a commercial for the album on its official YouTube page.

In addition to the official "Piece of Me" music video, the "Britney Spears Wants a Piece of You" contest, in which fans could create videos for the "Piece of Me" single themselves using MTV's Video Remixer, began on November 30, 2007. The winning video aired on TRL on December 20, 2007. MTV, Jive Records, and Spears herself chose the winner.

Release history

Critical reception

The album has received mostly positive reviews. Digital Spy called it "the most danceable, modern and thrilling album that Spears has ever made, the disc where she finally shakes off the last remnants of her Mickey Mouse Club image." The Guardian stated that "It's a bold, exciting album: the question is whether anyone will be able to hear its contents over the deafening roar of tittle-tattle." Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+ rating, and praised the album as "a perfectly serviceable dance album abundant in the kind of bouncy electro elements that buttressed her hottest hits." Popjustice also stated the album was "modern sounding, and brilliantly produced." Rolling Stone went on to give the album three and a half stars out of five, and joked that Spears will "continue to crank the best pop booty jams until a social worker cuts off her supply of hits." Critics have also noted new influences in Spears' music, such as the London-based underground electronic genre dubstep as the main influence for the track "Freakshow."

This album was ranked at number fifty by Rolling Stone in its annual publication of Top 50 Albums of 2007.

However, there were also negative reviews. Newsday titled its review "Save your money" and called the album "terrible." Billboard stated "This is still pop, but the last bits of Spears' song-and-dance girl veneer are cracking, along with the rest of her public persona." Other reviews noted the overwhelming presence of "studio trickery" had the effect of making her sound like a "Brit Bot." "If a blow-up sex doll could sing, this is what she'd sound like," wrote critic Jim Farber. "In terms of studio trickery, Paris Hilton's album was practically 'unplugged' compared to this."

Chart performance

Based on first-day sales data provided by the eight chains that report to Nielsen SoundScan's Building Charts, it was predicted that "Blackout" would claim the number one spot in its first week of release in the United States after it sold 124,000 units. However, Billboard made a last minute and controversial rule change which allowed albums sold exclusively at only one retailer to appear on the Billboard 200.

Therefore, despite selling 290,000 copies in its first week, the album became her first studio album not to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. Instead, it debuted at number two with sales far behind that of The Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden which claimed the number one spot after selling nearly 711,000 units exclusively at Walmart. This made Spears the only female artist in history whose first five studio albums have debuted in the top two slots on the chart. Blackout also set the record for the biggest-selling digital album debut by a female artist in one week.

The album was received equally well in the United Kingdom, debuting at number two on the UK Albums Chart, her highest debut since her sophomore album Oops!… I Did It Again, which debuted at number two. The album quickly fell out of the top forty, however, it managed to remain in the top seventy-five through continued sales, and has been certified Gold. As a result of the success of the album's singles, "Gimme More," "Piece of Me," and "Break the Ice," the album climbed back into the top forty in its twenty second week of release, with a massive jump of eighteen places from number forty-three to number twenty-five in one week. The following week, the album climbed another six places and re-entered the top twenty, placing at number nineteen in the chart, and marking its ninth week back in the top forty.

In New Zealand, the album debuted at number eight on the New Zealand Albums Chart, making it Spears' highest debut since Oops!... I Did It Again in 2000. Although it quickly fell off the chart, it re-entered after the success of "Piece Of Me," and climbed back up to number eleven where it stayed for three weeks. Blackout was certified Gold for sales of over 7,500 after fifteen weeks, and remained on the chart for twenty-one weeks.

The album was also successful in Australia, debuting at number three on the Australian Albums Chart and has so far reached Platinum status, for sales of over 70,000 copies.

Track listing

Bonus Tracks

"Everybody" contains samples from the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)."

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