However coy she might be in her public statements, Britney Spears leans more than a bit toward the provocative on
In the Zone. Less concerned with aiming at the mainstream radio dial than in the first days of her career, she and her collaborators make this as street and club ready a record as possible. The opening duet with
Madonna, "Me Against the Music," is worthy, but the bigger superstars presence serves almost less as a performance than a key to Britneys intentions: as Madonna did on albums such as
Erotica,
Ray of Light, and
Music, shes out to bend current trends to her needs.
R. Kelly,
Moby, and
Ying Yang Twinsall provide stirring moments that draw on everything from Bollywood to Southern hip-hop, while one of the most impressive tracks, "Touch of My Hand," joins the proud tradition of
Cyndi Laupers "She Bop." She still lacks a fully formed artistic vision of her own, but
Zone, with its many get-free anthems, puts her much closer.
--Rickey Wright