I have so many memories with this era, the era that debuted her iconic Slave 4 U performance with the live snake and shocked the world with her increasingly sexed up image.
I never got the "Britney" CD for many years until I was older so I never really experienced the era apart from what I saw on Tv ( music videos, interviews) and magazine/newspaper articles but I do fondly remember instantly recognizing her voice on a song that I had never heard before.
Yes it always astounds me that my 6 year old self could tell it was Britney singing on " I Love Rock N Roll" as it played on the radio in the car but I did from the second I heard her voice, even on a song that was completely new to me.
The "Britney" era was groundbreaking for her career. Despite a sexed up image which was met with some negative backlash, mainly from parents and critics complaining she was growing up too fast and over sexualising herself, the album still sold well into the 15 million copies range.
The lead single "I'm A Slave 4 U" sparked a totally new Britney. This wasn't the girl begging us to hit her one more time or pleading that she's not that innocent anymore, this was a young woman ready to bare her mark on the world and so she did. Britney co-wrote a couple tracks on the album, the first time really at the time that she had taken any control in the creative process of the album.
While releasing the "Britney" album she also starred and filmed in the movie "Crossroads" and recorded it's own soundtrack. The soundtrack, featuring songs recorded specifically for the movie( I Love Rock N Roll, I'm Not A Girl Not Yet A Woman & Overprotected) was originally meant to be released as a separate album, but instead was merged with the tracks Britney had written for her third album and so the "Britney" album was born.
