Review Revue: Critics React To Britney Spears’ New Single “Hold It Against Me”

The year 2011 had its first official Pop Music Happening when, all within the course of 24 hours, Britney Spears’ new single “Hold It Against Me” leaked, hit radio, was made available on iTunes then flew straight to #1 on the digital retailer’s song chart. Spears fans and casual listeners alike have been letting us know how they feel about the jam in our poll in the right sidebar. But we got to wondering whether or not critics were equally as impressed by photogenic Britney‘s new foray into dubstep and wiseguy pick-up lines. Head below to see exactly what the Internet had to say about “Hold It Against Me.” :: Rob Sheffield assessed the song against other lead Britney singles on his Rolling Stone Pop Life blog: “‘Hold It Against Me’ is much better than ‘Gimme More,’ not as great as ‘3,’ about even with ‘Womanizer.’ And it definitely promises great things for her album—aside from the overall jaw-drop factor that Britney has hung in there to make a seventh album at all.”

:: Entertainment Weekly noted, “Max Martin and Dr. Luke, the cut’s producers, likely will be opening 2011 with another hit record. ‘Against Me’ is classic Britney—that is to say the vocal performance is far from stellar, but it serves as a nice accessory to the duo’s thumping Euro techno groove.”

:: MTV Newsroom labeled the song “a swelling, swaggering club track that’s just as loaded with rib-rattling electro whomp as it is, well, incredibly cheesy pickup lines.”

:: However, Chicago Tribune‘s Greg Kot was less than impressed: “As usual, it’s not about lyrical insight: Britney sees Boy Toy, Britney yearns for Boy Toy, Britney seduces Boy Toy, Britney pummels Boy Toy with dancefloor beats the size of small buildings. It has little to do with Britney as a performer. As is the case with most of her recent work, she sounds bored.”

:: AOL Music wasn’t exactly raving, either: “‘Hold It Against Me’ continues with the usual Britney Spears themes: Love, school-girl vulnerability, overt sexuality, all mixed with some contemporary production tricks like vocal loops and auto-tune. The song reaches it’s robotic climax with the question that’s really on Britney Spears’ mind. ‘If I said I want your body now/Would you hold it against me?'”

:: Gigwise had even harsher words: “…it’s safe to assume that ‘Hold It Against Me’ is a slice of pop genius; a song that reaffirms Spears as a genuine pop star, and one of the artists who laid the foundations for the likes of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. Or at least you would think so. In reality, ‘Hold It Against Me’ is anything but, and instead it again finds Spears trending that now familiar path where she sounds like someone desperately trying to catch-up—and more alarmingly, simply remain relevant in an era where a host of artists simply do it better than her.”

:: At least ARTISTdirect.com had their dancing shoes on: “Pop’s ultimate starlet embraces her dance influences more than ever, perfectly delivering an angelic refrain over a propulsive backdrop of potent production from Max Martin and Dr. Luke. The song proudly stands alongside Britney classics like ‘Womanizer,’ ‘Gimme More,’ and ‘Toxic,’ but there’s a refined ethereal elegance to it that sees Britney stepping into new territory and pushing the boundaries of dance pop once more.”

:: The Prophet Blog shrugged off the others’ negativity and pointed out why Ms. Spears has remained such a durable force for the past 12 years: “‘Hold It Against Me’ is Britney Jean Spears in 2011, and whether people like it or not, it’s a hit. This woman has changed with the times, rolled with the punches and stayed ahead of the pack for 12 years and counting, and unlike every other pop star out today, she doesn’t need gimmicks, glitz, or glamor to keep her crown in place—just good music.”