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Britney Spears' first single from her upcoming seventh album is a smash pop hit around the world for good reason. She dispenses with the gimmicky approach of "Womanizer" and "3" while pushing the sounds of dance pop on US radio further with a grinding beat and elements of dubstep. The result is a potent, sexy stew that ranks with the best of Britney Spears' past singles. She has set a high bar as the standard for pop music in 2011.
Pros
- Hot dubstep breakdown
- Sexy lyrics and grinding dance pop beat
- Lack of gimmicks
Cons
- The chorus doesn't sound truly legendary
Description
- Written by Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald, Bonnie McKee, and Mathieu Jomphe
- Produced by Max Martin, Dr. Luke, and Billboard
- Released January 2011 by Jive
Guide Review - Britney Spears - "Hold It Against Me"
If "Hold It Against Me" is any indication, it is quite possible we will see both the Blackout and Circus albums as merely warmups for the complete picture on Britney Spears' seventh studio album. Here we have the slightly sleazy club sounds that animated much of Blackout along with the cleaner pop of Circus particularly in the first choral break on the song. Then, as a new direction, there is a thrilling dub step breakdown that takes us all straight into a contemporary, progressive dance club. "Hold It Against Me" does not rely on musical gimmicks to catch our attention by winking and nodding. Instead it is solid, hot, completely contemporary, sexy dance pop that is purely Britney Spears.
The current fashionable trend among top female solo pop singers is the uplifting self-esteem anthem. Katy Perry's "Firework," Pink's "Raise Your Glass," and even Ke$ha's "We R Who We R" all fall firmly in that category. Is Britney Spears likely to jump on that bandwagon? If you thought so, you really don't know her well. "Hold It Against Me" is purely about lust and seduction on the dance floor. That has been the subject of most of the best music by Britney Spears from the beginning.
The pop standard has been set for 2011 for others to match. Britney Spears has wrenched the music industry out of post-holiday doldrums by rolling out the biggest first day radio numbers ever and planting herself firmly at the top of digital sales. The good news is "Hold It Against Me" is worth this attention, and it will be remembered among Britney Spears' best. March 2011 and the release of the new full-length studio album can't come soon enough.