B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2

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B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2
Image of a woman in a grey tone, standing in front of a black background. A giant butterly extends in her bust. The words "Britney Spears B In The Mix The Remixes" are written above in white letters.
Remix album by Britney Spears
Released October 11, 2011 (2011-10-11)
Recorded 2006–11
Genre Dance-pop, pop rock, disco, house, trance, electro
Length 56:11
Label RCA
Producer Britney Spears, Max Martin, Danja, Dr. Luke, Tiësto, Bloodshy & Avant, Darkchild, Shellback, Benny Benassi, The Clutch, Billboard, Kaskade, Chris Smith, Philip Larsen, Gareth Emery, Linus Loves, K. Briscoe
Britney Spears chronology
Femme Fatale
(2011)Femme Fatale2011		 B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol 2
(2011)		 Oops! I Did It Again: The Best of Britney Spears
(2012)Oops! I Did It Again: The Best of Britney Spears2012

B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 is the second remix album by Britney Spears, released on October 11, 2011 by RCA Records. On September 9, 2011, Spears announced the release by posting the cover art and track listing on her Tumblr. The album includes remixes of various tracks from her fifth-seventh albums, Blackout (2007), Circus (2008) and Femme Fatale (2011), as well as a remix of "3". The remixes were done by DJs such as Kaskade, Tiësto and Benny Benassi. The music was influenced by various genres of pop music, such as dance-pop and pop rock.

Critics gave generally favorable reviews to the album. Some reviewers considered B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 more creative when compared to studio albums Blackout and Circus and praised several remixes, despite noting that most of the songs lost their "magic" in a remixed form. B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 achieved moderate success worldwide, reaching top five positions in Argentina and South Korea, while peaking at number four on the Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums and number nine on the UK Dance Albums Chart.

Background

In November 2005, Spears released her first remix album, B in the Mix: The Remixes. During the next six years, she released three studio albums: Blackout (2007), Circus (2008) and Femme Fatale (2011).[1] Online store Fragantica.com reported that Spears' new fragrance Cosmic Radiance could "be expected with launch of new remix album" by Spears in August 2011.[2] On September 2, 2011, Sony Japan posted the cover art of a remix album by Spears titled B in the Mix, The Remixes 2, along with the announcement that it would feature unreleased tracks. The cover art for the album features Spears smirking with hair in her face behind a butterfly, while wearing a silk outfit. Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush said that although the cover resembled that of B in the Mix: The Remixes, it is "a somewhat unflattering shot of the normally gorgeous star."[3] On September 9, 2011, Spears posted the official cover and track listing for B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 on her Tumblr. The track listing included remixes of three tracks from each of her last three studio albums, as well as a remix of "3" from The Singles Collection (2009).[1] However, the Varsity Team Remix of "Criminal" was removed from most editions before the album's release and the Radio Mix was included in its place.[4][5]

Composition

The album opens with the Radio Mix of "Criminal", a guitar-driven midtempo song, which incorporates a folk-style flute melody.[6][7] Erin Thompson of the Seattle Weekly said the song "takes a breather from aggressive, wall-to-wall synths, driven instead by a steady guitar rhythm and an oddly Asian folky-sounding flute melody."[8] The beat was compared by Keith Caufield of Billboard to Madonna's "Don't Tell Me" (2000).[9] The Kaskade remix of "Gimme More" follows as the second track; the record producer said that it was a challenge to make the song good in his house musical style, commenting, "I wanted to make sure that it would be something that would eventually fit into my live set. That is the true test for me: Taking a huge pop vocal and making it work with my music can be a little tricky, but I find the challenge fun."[10] The Tiësto remix of "Piece of Me" was described as "timeless".[10] He said, "the melody, the atmosphere [of the remix] is totally different than the original. For me, it's always been a special remix. I'm glad they added that on the album."[10] Kaskade also commented that the remix album "shines a new light on the EDM scene and how far it can reach."[10] Cobra Starship's Alex Suarez remixed "Till the World Ends". Suarez commented that he didn't want to distant the remix structure from the original version, and noted, "the thing with a Britney Spears remix is people like to sing along."[10] "Womanizer" was remixed in a trance form by DJ Benny Benassi,[11] while U-Tern's "If U Seek Amy" remix is influenced by disco.[12]

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars[12]
Barnes & Noble positive[11]
Billboard positive[13]
MTV positive[10]
Spears performing "If U Seek Amy" at the Femme Fatale Tour, 2011.

After its release, B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 received generally favorable reviews from contemporary critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic commented that a "clutch of DJs and remixers, primarily European, have been hired and they’ve run wild, taking the original versions as merely suggestions, something that's entirely appropriate in this case."[12] He also noted that "the variations are quite far removed from the original -- U-Tern's spangly disco spin on 'If U Seek Amy' is a decided improvement -- and while nothing can save a lousy song (see 'Criminal'), this collection has as much imagination and energy as either Circus or Femme Fatale."[12] Jocelyn Vena of MTV said that, after being "chopped, screwed and broken down, the songs reach[ed] new extremes" in the remix album.[10]

A Barnes & Noble reviewer noted that "the B-sides of Spears' singles have always been an arena where more aggressive, club-oriented interpretations of her work can get an airing,"[11] while Entertainment Wise writer Shaun Kitchener gave the remix album a mixed review, saying that, with most of the remixes, "a great deal of the magic is lost" when compared to original productions, citing "Till The World Ends" and "If U Seek Amy" as the most notable examples.[14] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard said that "among the album highlights are Manhattan Clique's club remix of '3', Gareth Emery's take on 'I Wanna Go', Tiesto's club mix of 'Piece of Me', and Alex Suarez's reworking of 'Till the World Ends'."[13]

Chart performance

The remix album achieved moderate success worldwide. In the United States, B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 entered the Billboard 200 at number 47, with sales of 9,000 copies, for the issue dated October 19, 2011.[15] It also reached number four on the Dance/Electronic Albums component chart.[16] In the United Kingdom, the remix album peaked outside the top 100, while debuting at number nine on the Dance Albums Chart.[17] In Canada, the remix album debuted at number 53,[18] and peaked inside the top 30 in Italy.[19] B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 reached top five positions on South Korea's Gaon Chart, where it reached number two,[20] and on Argentina Albums Chart, where it reached number five.[21]

Track listings

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Criminal" (Radio Mix)
  • Max Martin
  • Shellback
 3:45
2. "Gimme More" (Kaskade Club Mix)
6:08
3. "Piece of Me" (Tiësto Club Mix)
7:53
4. "Radar" (Tonal Club Remix)
4:55
5. "Womanizer" (Benny Benassi Extended)
  • Nikesha Briscoe
  • Rafael Akinyemi
6:17
6. "Circus" (Linus Loves Remix)
4:39
7. "If U Seek Amy" (U-Tern Remix)
  • Max Martin
  • U-Tern[b]
 6:10
8. "3" (Manhattan Clique Club Remix)
  • Max Martin
  • Shellback
  • Amber
5:42
9. "Till the World Ends" (Alex Suarez Club Remix)
  • Dr. Luke
  • Max Martin
  • Billboard
  • Alex Suarez[b]
 5:18
10. "I Wanna Go" (Gareth Emery Remix)
  • Shellback
  • Martin
  • Kotecha
5:26
Total length:
 56:11
Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[23]

Charts

Charts (2011) Peak
position
Argentina Albums Chart[21] 5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[24] 69
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[18] 53
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[25] 47
French Albums (SNEP)[26] 57
French Compilations Chart[27] 15
Italian Albums Chart[19] 29
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[28] 27
South Korean Albums Chart (International)[20] 1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[29] 39
UK Albums (OCC)[30] 171
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[31] 9
US Billboard 200[15] 47
US Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[16] 4

Release history

Country Date Label
Austria[32] October 7, 2011 RCA Records
Worldwide[1][4] October 11, 2011
Australia[5] October 14, 2011
Brazil[33] October 19, 2011 Sony Music
Thailand[34]
Japan[22] November 30, 2011 RCA Records

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Britney Spears – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Britney Spears. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Britney Spears – Chart history" Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums for Britney Spears. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Britney Spears – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Britney Spears. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 liner notes. RCA Records (2011)
  24. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Britney Spears – B in the Mix - The Remixes Vol. 2" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  25. ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 201141 on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  26. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Britney Spears – B in the Mix - The Remixes Vol. 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ "Mexicancharts.com – Britney Spears – B in the Mix - The Remixes Vol. 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  29. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Britney Spears – B in the Mix - The Remixes Vol. 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  30. ↑ http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/111022cluk.txt
  31. ↑ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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