Singles of the Week

Britney Spears: “Hold It Against Me”
With a beat cooked up by pop players Dr. Luke and Max Martin, Britney Spears enters the tipsy world of Ke$ha elitists in the lead single for her upcoming seventh album. Brit’s innovation these days has relied on Autotune salvation and grooves fit for the strip club, and wisely, she doesn’t stray too far from the formula.

A skanked-up Brit-bot sneers, “You feel like paradise/ And I need a vacation tonight.”  And during the dubstep-y breakdown that might inspire sexcapades across the Atlantic, Brit can be heard blowing kisses. It’s her way of saying, “I know, I know. I’ve got another international hit. Don’t hold it against me.”

Kanye West and Jay-Z: “H.A.M.”
Kanye West was in Interview Magazine this month talking about the dark hip-hop couture he’s been cooking up with Jay-Z for their upcoming collaboration album, “Watch the Throne.” Thanks to producer Lex Luger’s mashup of impossible-to-play drum machine loops and operatic yodels, West achieves what he’s aiming for.

The delivery from both heavyweights, however, covers familiar territory. Jay-Z kills as usual, while West drowns in the clichés that have long plagued hip-hop enthusiasts. Why go ham in the first place, Mr. West? Save that for Soulja Boy’s B-sides.