#ThrowbackThursday: Remembering Britney's Vocal Chops

Let's get a few things straight: 

1) Britney Spears has never been a vocal powerhouse, but at least she used to have ballads with great vocals. Femme Fatale barely had any mid-tempo songs, let alone a ballad. The nasally mess that "Criminal" no longer exists in my mind.

2) Britney Spears can sing... or at least could. We don't really know because, again, she hasn't really given us "vocals" in years. That closest thing we got is "Don't Keep Me Waiting" where we at least get a vocal run during the chorus. This post will be a testament to that.

3) At the end of the day, Britney's still making some of the best pop music in the industry, even when she's mumbling in a terrible accent. I hate when people who are fans of powerhouse vocalist like Beyonce or Kelly Clarkson rag on Britney for no belting at the top of her lungs in her songs. Let's face it, years of smoking pot and deep-throating (minds out of the gutter!) searing hot Starbucks have brutally murdered any chances of that... but what pop bitch you know can recycle her own vocal samples and have a worldwide smash hit? Britney can do some crazy shit with her voice. It may not be as beautiful as Adele, but the sheer sexiness of it makes it incredible.

That said, let's get to the point of the post: Remembering Britney's vocal prowess.

Sometime after 2004 Britney or her label decided to stop feeding her fans Britney's more vocal focused music. Aside from "Blur" and a couple of more forgettable songs on Circus, we've been empty-handed since.

Let's start of strong. Easily Britney's best vocal performance that actually made an album. 

2000's "Where Are You Now" that appeared on Oops!...I Did It Again. A song that usually shows off that highs and lows of her vocal range, but doesn't push her beyond her limit. Also, one of the top 10 greatest Britney songs ever record.



Next Up, 2001's "When I Found You." Originally a b-side from Britney, it was featured on some international versions of the album but later resurfaced on The Singles Collection. When I was younger I was convinced this song would be played on repeat during my wedding.

One more: Another Britney leftover (I think), "I Run Away." This song is great because it features her vocals without effects and still has a little of the studio enhanced magic that Britney's famous for now.

Other notable tracks included "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know," "E-Mail My Heart," "...And then We Kiss (Original Version)" & "From The Bottom of my Broken Heart."

See! Not so bad, right? What are some of your fav. slow songs by Brit?