Britney Jean
by Britney Spears
  • Record Label: RCA
  • Release Date: Dec 3, 2013
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1079 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 560 out of 1079
  2. Mixed: 185 out of 1079
  3. Negative: 334 out of 1079
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  1. someonewhocares
    Aug 22, 2023
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Britney Jean is far from being Britney's most personal effort, the 10 songs on this album blatantly show that this was nothing but a promotional tool for her vegas residency, as none of these songs sound like Britney was even there to record them. However, its infectious melodies and hooks led me to come back for more and it has become her only album associated as a guilty pleasure, because though the songs are good, they are not sung by Britney in their entirety.… Expand
  2. SandyMusi
    Jul 22, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is my least favorite album of Britney Spears. Why? Because in most songs, Britney doesn't even sing. Along with that, the production is mediocre to bad. Sure, I like some songs in the album like 'Perfume' and 'Don't Cry', but that doesn't mean that the rest of the album is good. Songs like 'Body Ache' have really aged badly and songs like 'Chillin With You' are just straight out bad on first listens. Even 'Alien' has a noticeable glitch in the middle and that is all in part of will.i.am's production. No wonder people hate on this album, it would've been way better if Britney was actually fully present on this album and the production hadn't been dated.… Expand
  3. Kok08
    Aug 30, 2020
    4
    El MAYOR problema de este álbum es la horrible producción de las vocales de Britney, el álbum tiene buen sonido, pero la mayoría las canciones son planas u horribles y no transmiten nada, lo más rescatable de 'Britney Jean' es “Perfume”, siendo fácilmente la mejor canción de el álbum, también tiene otros temas buenos como “Alien”, “Work **** “Body Ache” y “Tik Tik Boom”, siendo lo másEl MAYOR problema de este álbum es la horrible producción de las vocales de Britney, el álbum tiene buen sonido, pero la mayoría las canciones son planas u horribles y no transmiten nada, lo más rescatable de 'Britney Jean' es “Perfume”, siendo fácilmente la mejor canción de el álbum, también tiene otros temas buenos como “Alien”, “Work **** “Body Ache” y “Tik Tik Boom”, siendo lo más rescatable, este es sin duda alguna el álbum más mediocre de Britney Spears.… Expand
  4. maxisgold
    Jul 6, 2020
    5
    will.i.am should stay at least 20 feet away from Britney, some boring album with cookie cutter EDM beats falsely advertised as "personal" when Britney herself didn't even care about it.
  5. vic-thesinner
    Jun 1, 2020
    6
    This may not be her best album, but I really enjoy everytime I listen to it. Best tracks: Alien, Work B!tch, Perfume, Now That I Found You.
  6. infsai
    Mar 27, 2020
    6
    Album has many dance jams ("Work **** "Til It's Gone", "Tik Tik Boom",...), but for me it's missing something, but I don't know what exactly.
  7. AJSF316
    Sep 26, 2019
    5
    Britney Jean is heavily bad vocal produce by Anthony Preston and has a very bad generic sound thanks to will.i.am.
    Lyrics could be better, because the loneliness theme fits well with Britney, but it is like Britney left the album alone.
    Only good songs of the album: Alien (includes a glitch!), Perfume, Don't Cry and Hold On Tight. Passenger and Brightest Morning Star could be better.    Britney Jean is heavily bad vocal produce by Anthony Preston and has a very bad generic sound thanks to will.i.am.
    Lyrics could be better, because the loneliness theme fits well with Britney, but it is like Britney left the album alone.
    Only good songs of the album: Alien (includes a glitch!), Perfume, Don't Cry and Hold On Tight.
    Passenger and Brightest Morning Star could be better. And also includes the catchy Work B**ch.    … Expand
  8. MrFrench
    Aug 4, 2019
    4
    I only liked five of the songs: "Alien," "Perfume," "Passenger," "Brightest Morning Star," and "Now That I Found You." The rest are mehhhh.
  9. dislexicpotato
    Nov 2, 2018
    5
    Very mediocre album with very few above average songs. Favourites include Work **** Til Its Gone and It Should Be Easy.
  10. Jms161230
    Aug 22, 2018
    4
    Britney has been my favorite pop artist since the debut of "....Baby One More Time," but this is the first time in nearly two decades that I've been extremely disappointed. It's uninspired, generic, rushed, and half the lead vocals aren't even sung by Britney herself. Never thought I'd see my idol turn into Milli Vanilli. If you're a fan, I implore you to never, ever listen to this album.Britney has been my favorite pop artist since the debut of "....Baby One More Time," but this is the first time in nearly two decades that I've been extremely disappointed. It's uninspired, generic, rushed, and half the lead vocals aren't even sung by Britney herself. Never thought I'd see my idol turn into Milli Vanilli. If you're a fan, I implore you to never, ever listen to this album. It will lower your respect for Britney as an artist, and as a fan of 20 years, that was a depressing reality to come to terms with. Further, the record contains the worst song Britney has recorded in the entirety of her career (i.e., "Chillin' With You"). It's embarrassingly bad, and would've been immature even if released two decades prior on her debut album.

    The only redeemable songs are "Hold On Tight," (which was apparently the first song Britney recorded for this record, and therefore reflective of the original direction she intended to go with the record), as well as "Don't Cry." None of the other tracks sound even remotely like Britney, with the exception of "Perfume"; however, the cringeworthy lyrics ultimately ruin that one as well (i.e., "I'm gonna mark my territory.") Really, Brit? Are you now peeing on your man's belongings in an attempt to keep his hypothetically attracted potential mates at large? Yikes. Suffice it to say, this album was a huge mistake overall and a stain on her otherwise flawless discography of pop hits.

    If you are craving relatively new B music, do yourself a favor and listen to the exponentially superior "Glory."    … Expand
  11. jeancpinho
    Jun 19, 2018
    5
    His weakest and most exhausting album so far, the only song to be saved is "Perfume" and "Work B ****". Britney does not innovate at all
  12. Lioen
    Jun 15, 2018
    5
    The worst album of Britney, has good songs like Work **** Alien and Perfume. But the others are pretty bad.
  13. NETMUSIC
    Jun 17, 2017
    5
    Britney has given us incredible albums since her debut, but i'm underwhelmed by this poorly produced album. The writing is great, will.i.am. mucked it all up. Could've been great.

    Best Song(s):
    Work ****
    Tik Tik Boom
    Body Ache

    Worst Song(s):
    Passenger
    Hold On Tight
    Chillin' With You
    Brightest Morning Sun
  14. joalmeciga
    Jun 16, 2017
    6
    Unfortunately the wait was in vane... A poor album that show us a lazy Britney. She needs to get personal and let us remind that she's actually a good singer.
  15. owenrw89
    Dec 7, 2016
    5
    Prior to it's release, Britney's manager referred to Britney Jean as her 'Ray of Light'. A statement that ended up insulting Madonna, fans, critics and Britney herself. 'Ray of Light' it was not. What we have hear is an expensively created and out of date dance record. Some of the tracks sound like they should have been B-Sides to Femme Fatal singles ('Till It's Gone'), others are cheesyPrior to it's release, Britney's manager referred to Britney Jean as her 'Ray of Light'. A statement that ended up insulting Madonna, fans, critics and Britney herself. 'Ray of Light' it was not. What we have hear is an expensively created and out of date dance record. Some of the tracks sound like they should have been B-Sides to Femme Fatal singles ('Till It's Gone'), others are cheesy ('Chillin' With You'), and others are just plain awful ('Don't Cry'). What I will say though, is that the good tracks are very good. 'Work **** 'Alien' (yes, I know the autotune is obvious), 'Perfume', 'Passenger' and 'It Should Be Easy' do stand out. Do they only stand out because the others are so bad? I'll let you be the judge of that.… Expand
  16. victorcarter
    Nov 21, 2016
    4
    You don't have to be an expert to see or actually hear that Britney's 8th studio album (self) titled Britney Jean is simply bad. Overly edited, autotuned vocals mixed with extremely overproduced tracks is surely not what we all loved in her past albums.
  17. ranoovski
    Nov 6, 2016
    6
    5,8 - 6 taking set from the heart.
    Listen to the album, and a feeling that the album was prepared for one month. Most impressed with the song Work **** Although it is similar to the tune of Lady Gaga G.U.Y. in album ARTPOP. I guess the only Work **** valuable song from the album, because it worked on 16 people, ahahahaha
    Album and dry surface. Thank God that he is very few people like    5,8 - 6 taking set from the heart.
    Listen to the album, and a feeling that the album was prepared for one month. Most impressed with the song Work **** Although it is similar to the tune of Lady Gaga G.U.Y. in album ARTPOP. I guess the only Work **** valuable song from the album, because it worked on 16 people, ahahahaha
    Album and dry surface. Thank God that he is very few people like it, otherwise I would definitely upset in pop music.    … Expand
  18. gabrielfobia
    Sep 10, 2016
    4
    There is no effort applied to this album. You can grab some good moments on the first three tracks of the album, but the rest is just lame. Most of the songs are upbeat electronic with no heart, with so much autotune that what was supposed to be a personal material, it turns out as a robotic mechanical thing which did not work. The only highlight of the album is Don't Cry.
  19. yessv
    Sep 8, 2016
    4
    O pior album dela sem duvida, disco sem conceito, sem sentido, mau feito e mau acabado. Triste ver o fim da princesa do pop. Fora a voz de pato sendo morto quem engole aquilo? Enfim so salvaria Alien e Don't Cry o resto é demo.
  20. billobo1
    Aug 27, 2016
    4
    Not personal, not club-friendly, not any good. It's her worst by far and there's no sugarcoating it. On top of that, the vocals are not Britney. 100% not. We can only wish she had just relased "Work **** and then include it in her next album, because this is a let-down from every perspective. Don't believe me? Listen to "Chillin' With You" or "Body Ache", two perfect examples of howNot personal, not club-friendly, not any good. It's her worst by far and there's no sugarcoating it. On top of that, the vocals are not Britney. 100% not. We can only wish she had just relased "Work **** and then include it in her next album, because this is a let-down from every perspective. Don't believe me? Listen to "Chillin' With You" or "Body Ache", two perfect examples of how uninspired and dated this is, how incredibly dull for a come-back. Oops, she did not do it again! Even hardcore fans will dislike this.… Expand
  21. ahmedimran
    May 26, 2016
    6
    This album is very different from the usual Britney Spears! Although im not a big fan of her music i have to say she does showcase her vocals on this album. Alien, Passenger, Perfume and Dont Cry are probably the highlights of this album! I honestly dont know what went wrong with this album, maybe people expected more of a Femme Fatale type of a thing! But honestly one thing which is theThis album is very different from the usual Britney Spears! Although im not a big fan of her music i have to say she does showcase her vocals on this album. Alien, Passenger, Perfume and Dont Cry are probably the highlights of this album! I honestly dont know what went wrong with this album, maybe people expected more of a Femme Fatale type of a thing! But honestly one thing which is the MOST annoying thing about her is that she legit LIP SYNCS her EVERY SINGLE PERFORMANCE these days. If she has the vocals she should show that instead of flaunting some dance moves! Lets see what she has for us up her sleeve now… Expand
  22. Tonyo
    Jan 30, 2016
    5
    Quelle catastrophe! L'album se voulait être "le plus personnel de Britney" cependant on échappe pas à la mauvaise production de will.i.am qui fait de cet album qui s'annonçait bon, une répugnante copie de ses propres travaux. Le triplé It Should Be Easy, Tik Tik Boom & Body Ache en milieu d'album gâche le tout.

    Soulignons tout de fois la présence de Perfume, un titre qui met en avant la    Quelle catastrophe! L'album se voulait être "le plus personnel de Britney" cependant on échappe pas à la mauvaise production de will.i.am qui fait de cet album qui s'annonçait bon, une répugnante copie de ses propres travaux. Le triplé It Should Be Easy, Tik Tik Boom & Body Ache en milieu d'album gâche le tout.

    Soulignons tout de fois la présence de Perfume, un titre qui met en avant la voix de Britney et qui est probablement le meilleur titre de la chanteuse depuis presque 10 ans. Coup de coeur également pour Don't Cry, Brightest Morning Star, Hold On Tight & Now That I Foud You.    … Expand
  23. PopThaPasta
    Dec 22, 2015
    4
    Very poppy and upbeat album from the 90s teen star Britney Spears. Full for energy, but unfortunately often it gets too too much with the bass, it takes over the song and it is tiring. Mixed emotions about this one.. The more I listen to the songs, the less I like them. The songs I actually can cope with is "Perfume", "Alien" and "Don't Cry". Generally: Not impressed.
  24. oliver1994
    Dec 4, 2015
    4
    Spears is an artist who has always had an incredible production team behind her, and before this record was released she had never had a bad album. Unfortunately, 'Britney Jean' fails where her other records have flourished. It is incredibly flawed, none of the tracks seem to piece together and though songs like 'Alien' and 'Work ****' are admittedly strong tracks alone, in the mish-mashSpears is an artist who has always had an incredible production team behind her, and before this record was released she had never had a bad album. Unfortunately, 'Britney Jean' fails where her other records have flourished. It is incredibly flawed, none of the tracks seem to piece together and though songs like 'Alien' and 'Work ****' are admittedly strong tracks alone, in the mish-mash production that runs throughout this record, they are lost gems. Other songs that stand out amongst the wreckage are 'Til It's Gone' and 'Passenger', these nod slightly towards the album fans and critics alike would certainly hope to hear from the pop icon; however as a whole the record just doesn't seem to work. There is no defending the low points of this album that come in the form of robotic, badly written hook-ups with will.i.am or the cringeworthy "duet" with Spears' sister Jamie Lynn. It does say a lot that a Britney album is still quite an exciting thing in this decade, however there is not much to get hyped about with this one.… Expand
  25. vinzlima
    Nov 5, 2015
    6
    This album seems to be very good, when you start playing the first track I really feel like an alien , a very good music , but in an album that is not even good. The second song for me and also good . Perfume then forget it . After that you get a drastic decline that began in the second song and rose slightly in the third and died from the fourth . The weakest point of this album and I canThis album seems to be very good, when you start playing the first track I really feel like an alien , a very good music , but in an album that is not even good. The second song for me and also good . Perfume then forget it . After that you get a drastic decline that began in the second song and rose slightly in the third and died from the fourth . The weakest point of this album and I can say that the production , Dirty Beats that hurt the whole body in the most violent way possible. In some letters we can indentificar and understand a little better the Britney on this album , maybe this is the highest point of the album . I believe that clean up the beat of some music and replace a 6 songs the better album . This album is not as bad, some songs make me not a negative average.… Expand
  26. GustavoRibeiro
    Oct 16, 2015
    6
    Melhores músicas: Alien, Perfume, Passenger, Chillin With You, Til It's Gone
    ...........................................................................................................
  27. asjklasjklas
    Sep 12, 2015
    4
    According to Britney Spears, her eponymous eighth studio album has been described as being both “personal” and a sequel to 2007’s Blackout; it’s one of the only LPs in her discography where Spears is credited as a co-writer on more than a handful of tracks and it supposedly revolves around her 2013 split from her ex-fiancé. But coincidentally, it’s probably her most celluloid musicalAccording to Britney Spears, her eponymous eighth studio album has been described as being both “personal” and a sequel to 2007’s Blackout; it’s one of the only LPs in her discography where Spears is credited as a co-writer on more than a handful of tracks and it supposedly revolves around her 2013 split from her ex-fiancé. But coincidentally, it’s probably her most celluloid musical statement to date and one of her worst written; it dulls in comparison to the fellow female pop singers who were already making a buzz in 2013—Beyoncé surprise released her self-titled LP to critical acclaim, Lorde challenged the status quo on one of the year’s biggest hits, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga released new albums, hell, even Miley Cyrus turned heads with her twerking VMA performance and even enjoyed some success with her own singles. But even Spears didn’t seem too enthralled by her own co-creation by its release date because she gave it little to no promotion—Beyoncé has already succeeded Spears in pulling off promotional stunts like this because not only did her product become commercially and critically consumable in the end, she’s simply a better musician nowadays, succeeding Spears at numerous achievements within her decade-plus career.

    For Britney Jean, Spears assigned the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am—who makes an extraordinarily unextraordinary appearance on “It Should Be Easy” since ANY product he’s involved in must include more than co-producer credit—as a curator of her “personal” sound, exchanging her longtime collaborators Max Martin and Dr. Luke in for shallow EDM “drops” courtesy of him and accompanying co-producers such as the equally unextraordinary David Guetta. At least Max Martin and Dr. Luke, albeit one-dimensional, knew how to make a mountain out of a mole hill in terms of turning minimal melodies into epic generation-defining euphoria—Spears’ own Femme Fatale exhibited similar EDM influences in 2011, it could create electronic landscapes out of relatively simple contemporary pop tropes, such as the dance-pop anthem “Till the World Ends”, Spears’ best song in years. But whereas Femme Fatale and even 2007’s Blackout stood slightly ahead of the trend, will.i.am keeps Spears safely in the middle of the stream and maybe even behind the rest of the pack.

    The lead single, “Work **** embarrassingly emulates—and appropriates—‘80s black vogue culture, which could be called out as a desperate attempt at baiting and cashing in on her dedicated LGBTQ+ fan base, in a decade where civil rights regarding sexual orientation and gender identity have become far more relevant than the stereotypes society continuously associated with their community. But it’s much more exhilarating than the rest of Britney Jean, which trails between bland and absolutely terrible. The second single, “Perfume”, co-penned by Sia, nudges Spears back into her early teen-pop balladry and also has the laughable line “I’m gonna mark my territory,” as if it’s an appropriate metaphor to define making sure you stamp your identity on your romantic partner as a dog urinating on a fire hydrant. The T.I.-featured “Tik Tik Boom” compares sexual climaxing to a time-bomb explosion in an awkwardly childish manner; T.I. returns to his signature sexism from that year’s “Blurred Lines” with cringeworthy lines of his own (“She like the way I eat her, beat her, beat her/Treat her like an animal, somebody call PETA”).

    Britney Jean is actually a kaleidoscope of idiotic imagery curated by Spears and co.’s second-grade songwriting: “If there was a scale from 1 to 10 then my love for you is a million billion,” Spears sings in one of her most headache-inducing vocal effects yet. But even when the lyrics aren’t bombing catastrophically, they’re cliché as all hell. The chorus on “’Til It’s Gone” dramatically chants “You never what you got ‘til it’s gone,” as if it hasn’t been said billions of time before under much better circumstances—“’Til It’s Gone” even copies the stuttering hook of Femme Fatale’s “I Wanna Go” in an act of filling out a pre-chorus. The only standout track on Britney Jean is the Diplo produced “Passenger”, which was initially meant to be on Katy Perry’s Prism and probably would’ve been that album’s highlight. The lyrics definitely suit a female pop star at Spears’ velocity that has been in control for so long, the comfort of allowing a romantic partner to take the wheel is actually kind of endearing. But not only did Spears’ vocals require an overwhelming amount of Auto-Tune to sing, it’s a contradiction for her as well, since Spears has practically been a passenger throughout her career, allowing writers, producers, and record companies to guide her through every shift and turn. But despite leaving a significant mark all over pop music throughout the early millennium, Britney Jean is evidence that maybe she's falling from relevancy, publicly and musically.    … Expand
  28. longjetty7
    Apr 27, 2015
    4
    Britney Jean isn't entirely awful, but it's pretty disappointing compared to her previous 4 albums. There a few good songs in here, namely Alien and Work B**ch, but the rest range from mediocre to painful. In fact, the album gets worse as it progresses (and if you throw in the bonus tracks, it completely jumps off the deep end), so by the time it's finished it leaves a pretty sour taste inBritney Jean isn't entirely awful, but it's pretty disappointing compared to her previous 4 albums. There a few good songs in here, namely Alien and Work B**ch, but the rest range from mediocre to painful. In fact, the album gets worse as it progresses (and if you throw in the bonus tracks, it completely jumps off the deep end), so by the time it's finished it leaves a pretty sour taste in your mouth. In all honesty, I think some of the songs have potential to be great, but the generic EDM production and robotic autotune ruins most of it. I understand Britney has never been one to hide her autotune, but on this album it sounds completely shameless and annoying. At least I can say it's better than her other self-titled album, Britney.… Expand
  29. Adson
    Oct 4, 2014
    6
    I thought this was a personal album, but isn't, I'm kinda disappointed about it. The sound is a good electronic and dance-pop. The lyrics is not the best thing. My fav: Tik Tik Boom.
  30. f3l1p3
    Sep 11, 2014
    5
    Britney Jean foi um dos piores erros de sua carreira. Por dois motivos: Falta de divulgação e falta de músicas boas. As melhores músicas são: Passenger,Alien,Chillin With You e Now That I Found You.
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Most Discussed Album of 2013
21
#21 Most Shared Album of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
50

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 21
  3. Negative: 3 out of 21
  1. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Jan 7, 2014
    50
    The alien, blank dead-eyedness of Britney Jean is frightening, because it feels like it’s all will.i.am trusts Britney with.
    Read full review
  2. Fact Magazine (UK)
    Dec 10, 2013
    40
    Play this album from start to finish and it’s hard not to feel that at the core of its cheaply gratifying genealogy is nothing but misery.
    Read full review
  3. No Ripcord
    Dec 6, 2013
    50
    Backed up by masters of electronica David Guetta, Diplo and Swedish House Mafia’s Sebastian Ingrosso, they all make sure to drop a storm of ugly, trite and utterly soulless EDM breakdowns and dubstep drops whenever they can.
    Read full review
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