2003

2003-11-12

United States

In the Zone is the fourth studio album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on November 12, 2003, through Jive Records. Its eclectic music incorporates pop and urban music styles with instrumentation from techno beats, guitars, drums, synthesizers, strings, and Middle Eastern musical instruments. Its themes range from love, dancing, and as well as coitus and masturbation. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers, including Bloodshy & Avant, R. Kelly, Trixster, Moby, Guy Sigsworth and The Matrix. With the conclusion of the Dream Within a Dream Tour in July 2002 and the end of her relationship with singer Justin Timberlake, Spears planned to take a six-month break from her career; however, work for In the Zone began later that November. She began writing songs for the album while touring internationally, despite not knowing the direction of the album. She experimented with different producers, trying to find those with whom she had chemistry. The first song recorded was "Touch of My Hand", which Spears claims set the mood for the album. She co-wrote all but four songs, and often changed the lyrics to suit herself. Spears stated she was an autobiographical songwriter, although not to the point where she felt self-exploited. She also explained that the sexual nature of In the Zone was subconscious and happened while she was in the process of developing the album. Spears collaborated with artists such as Madonna, and the Ying Yang Twins on the album. In the Zone received positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its innovative aesthetics, blend of different genres, and Spears's songwriting; although some criticized her vocals for being distant and processed. Commercially, the album became a major global success, debuting atop the charts in France, Argentina, South Korea, Mexico, and peaking inside the top ten in fifteen other countries. In the United States, the album debuted atop the Billboard 200, making Spears the first female artist to have four consecutive number-one albums. Four singles were released to promote the album, with "Me Against the Music", "Toxic" and "Everytime" all being international number one songs. Spears performed the songs in a number of television appearances and also embarked on The Onyx Hotel Tour. In the Zone and its music videos are largely seen by the critics as the end of Spears's transition from a teen pop star to a more adult female artist. Various critics and publications have analysed the influence of the album on pop music, with NPR ranking it amongst "The 50 Most Important Recordings of the Decade", calling it "a primer on the sound of pop in the 2000s".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Zone

2003

2003-11-18

United States