The Essential Britney Spears

天后布兰妮流行经典全收录【2013重新灌录双CD豪华大碟】 Anybody seeking an exhaustive Britney Spears compilation has been waiting for a collection like 2013s The Essential Britney Spears. Where other Britney compilations ran no longer than a single CD, this is a double-disc set with over 30 tracks -- more than enough space for all of her hit American singles, although that does mean that there are some singles from non-U.S. territories that are missing in action. Usually, the earliest of these are the ones most notable -- the sugary Born to Make You Happy is the greatest omission, but Dont Let Me Be the Last to Know, I Love Rock N Roll, and Anticipating are all absent, along with latter-day dance and European singles MMM Papi and Lace and Leather, European singles like Someday (I Will Understand) -- but only hardcore fans will notice whats absent, as all the hits are here, from ・aby One More Time to Till the World Ends (plus Scream & Shout, the will.i.am hit featuring Spears). Skeptics might suspect shorter is better for Britney -- and those looking for a quick blast of hits will be well-served by Playlist -- but this double-disc set reveals that she had two strong, distinct phases to her career: the bubblegum pop ingenue of the new millennium, followed by the blackout club diva of ten years later. There are slow patches in both phases, but theres tremendous pop in both, and they both shine on this Essential disc. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi