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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
ReleasedOctober 7, 2011 (2011-10-07)
Recorded2004–2011
Genre
Length56:11
Label
Producer
Britney Spears chronology
Femme Fatale
(2011)
B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2
(2011)
Oops! I Did It Again: The Best of Britney Spears
(2012)

B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 is the second remix album by American singer Britney Spears. The follow-up to B in the Mix: The Remixes (2005), it was released on October 7, 2011 by Jive Records. On September 9, 2011, Spears announced the release by posting the cover artwork and track listing on her Tumblr account. The album includes remixes of various tracks from her studio albums Blackout (2007), Circus (2008) and Femme Fatale (2011), as well as a remix of "3" and, exclusively in Japan, a remix of "My Prerogative". The remixes were done by disc jockeys such as Kaskade, Tiësto and Benny Benassi. The music was influenced by various subgenres of pop music, such as disco and house. The album was released the same day RCA absorbed Jive Records.

B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 received generally favorable reviews from music critics. Some reviewers considered the album 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-ten positions in Argentina and South Korea, while peaking at number four on the US Dance/Electronic Albums and number nine on the UK Dance Albums, also peaking at number forty-seven on the US Billboard 200.

Music

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The album opens with the radio mix of "Criminal", a guitar-driven mid tempo song, which incorporates a folk-style flute melody.[1][2] 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."[3] The beat was compared by Keith Caufield of Billboard to Madonna's "Don't Tell Me" (2000).[4] 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."[5] The Tiësto remix of "Piece of Me" was described as "timeless".[5] 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."[5] Kaskade also commented that the remix album "shines a new light on the EDM scene and how far it can reach."[5] 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."[5] "Womanizer" was remixed in a techno form by Benny Benassi,[6] while U-Tern's "If U Seek Amy" remix is influenced by disco music.[7]

Artwork

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On September 2, 2011, Sony Japan posted the cover artwork of 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."[8] On September 9, 2011, Spears posted the official cover artwork and track listing for B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 on her Tumblr account.

Release

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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).[9] Website Fragrantica.com reported that Spears' new fragrance Cosmic Radiance could "be expected with launch of new remix album" by Spears in August 2011.[10] On September 9, 2011, Spears posted the official cover artwork and track listing for B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 on her Tumblr account. 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).[9] However, the Varsity Team remix of "Criminal" was removed from most editions before the album's release and replaced with the radio mix.[11][12]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[7]
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 music 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."[7] 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."[7] Jocelyn Vena of MTV said that, after being "chopped, screwed and broken down, the songs reach[ed] new extremes" in the remix album.[5]

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.[13] 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", Tiësto's club mix of "Piece of Me", and Alex Suarez's reworking of "Till the World Ends"."[14]

Commercial performance

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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] As of 2020, it sold 30,000 units.[17]

In the United Kingdom, the album peaked outside the top hundred, at number 171, while debuting at number nine on the Dance Albums Chart.[18] In Canada, the remix album debuted at number 53,[19] and peaked within the top thirty in Italy.[20] B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 reached the top ten on South Korean Gaon Albums Chart, where it reached number seven,[21] and on Argentine Albums Chart, where it reached number five.[22]

Track listing

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B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(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
B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 – Japanese edition[23]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Gimme More" (Kaskade Club Mix)
  • Hills
  • Washington
  • Hilson
  • Araica
6:08
2."Piece of Me" (Tiësto Club Mix)
  • Karlsson
  • Winnberg
  • Åhlund
  • Bloodshy & Avant
  • Tiësto[b]
7:53
3."Radar" (Tonal Club Remix)
  • Karlsson
  • Winnberg
  • Jonback
  • Muhammad
  • Nelson
  • Lewis
  • J. Smith
  • Bloodshy & Avant
  • The Clutch[c]
  • Lasarenko[b]
  • Pendergast[b]
4:55
4."Womanizer" (Benny Benassi Extended)
  • Briscoe
  • Akinyemi
  • K. Briscoe/The Outsyders
  • Benassi[b]
6:17
5."Circus" (Linus Loves Remix)
  • Gottwald
  • Kelly
  • Levin
  • Dr. Luke
  • Blanco
  • Clark[b]
  • Loves[b]
4:39
6."If U Seek Amy" (U-Tern Remix)
  • Martin
  • Shellback
  • Kotecha
  • Kronlund
  • Martin
  • U-Tern[b]
6:10
7."3" (Manhattan Clique Club Remix)
  • Martin
  • Shellback
  • Amber
  • Martin
  • Shellback
  • Philip Larsen[b]
  • C. Smith[b]
5:42
8."Till the World Ends" (Alex Suarez Club Remix)
  • Gottwald
  • Kronlund
  • Max Martin
  • Sebert
  • Dr. Luke
  • Martin
  • Billboard
  • Suarez[b]
5:18
9."I Wanna Go" (Gareth Emery Remix)
  • Shellback
  • Martin
  • Kotecha
  • Martin
  • Shellback
  • Emery[b]
5:26
10."Criminal" (Varsity Team Extended Remix)
  • Shellback
  • Martin
  • Amber
  • Martin
  • Shellback
  • Tommy Diz[b]
  • Adriano Clemente[b]
6:34
11."Break the Ice" (Tonal Remix)
  • Hills
  • Washington
  • Hilson
  • Araica
4:52
12."Hold It Against Me" (Funk Generation Club Remix)
6:48
13."My Prerogative" (X-Press 2 Radio Edit)
4:17
14."Criminal" (Tom Piper & Riddler Remix Radio Edit)
  • Shellback
  • Martin
  • Amber
3:38
Total length:78:52

Notes

  • ^a signifies a vocal producer
  • ^b signifies a remixer and additional producer
  • ^c signifies a co-producer

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[24]

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (2011) Peak
position
Argentine Albums (CAPIF)[22] 5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] 69
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[19] 53
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[26] 47
French Albums (SNEP)[27] 57
French Compilation Albums (SNEP)[28] 15
Italian Albums (FIMI)[20] 29
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[29] 83
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[30] 27
South Korean International Albums (Gaon)[21] 7
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[31] 39
UK Albums (OCC)[32] 171
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[33] 9
US Billboard 200[15] 47
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[16] 4
Venezuelan Albums (Recordland)[34] 9

Release history

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List of release dates, showing region, format(s), record label(s) and reference(s).
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Austria October 7, 2011 Sony Music [35]
United States October 11, 2011 RCA [36]
Australia October 14, 2011 Sony Music [12]
Brazil October 19, 2011 [37]
Thailand [38]
Japan November 30, 2011 [39]

References

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  1. ^ Staff Reporter (March 14, 2011). "CD: Britney – Femme Fatale". Samesame.com.au. Sound Alliance. Archived from the original on May 18, 2011. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  2. ^ Gill, Andy (March 25, 2011). "Album: Britney Spears, Femme Fatale (Jive)". The Independent. Alexander Lebedev. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
  3. ^ Thompson, Erin (October 25, 2011). "Nice Hits!: Britney Spears' Down-Tempo 'Criminal' Is Her Own 'Papa Don't Preach'". Seattle Weekly. Village Voice Media. Archived from the original on October 25, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  4. ^ Caufield, Keith (March 29, 2011). "Britney Spears' 'Femme Fatale' Track By Track". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Vena, Jocelyn (October 11, 2011). "Britney Spears Remix Album 'Shines New Light' On EDM". MTV. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on October 12, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  6. ^ "B in the Mix: The Remixes, Vol. 2, Britney Spears, Music CD". Barnes & Noble. October 11, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
  7. ^ a b c d Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (October 7, 2011). "B in the Mix: The Remixes, Vol. 2 - Britney Spears". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  8. ^ Sciarretto, Amy (September 2, 2011). "Britney Spears 'B in the Mix: The Remixes 2' Cover Hits the Web". PopCrush.com. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  9. ^ a b Bain, Becky (September 9, 2011). "Britney Spears Reveals 'B In The Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2′ Track Listing". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  10. ^ "Cosmic Radiance Britney Spears perfume - a new fragrance for women 2011". Fragantica. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  11. ^ "B In the Mix - The Remixes, Vol. 2by Britney Spears". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  12. ^ a b "B In The Mix: The Remixes 2 - Spears, Britney". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  13. ^ Kitchener, Shaun (October 18, 2011). "Britney Spears - B in the Mix: The Remixes, Vol. 2". Entertainment Wise. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  14. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (September 12, 2011). "Britney Spears Announces Second 'B In The Mix' Remix Album". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
  15. ^ a b "Britney Spears Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  16. ^ a b "Britney Spears Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  17. ^ Trust, Gary (May 15, 2020). "Britney Spears' Career Sales & Streams, In Honor of 20 Years of 'Oops!...I Did It Again': Ask Billboard Mailbag". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  18. ^ "UK Chart History - Searchable Database". The Official Charts Company. Zobbel. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  19. ^ a b "Britney Spears Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  20. ^ a b "Classifica settimanale dal 10/10/2011 al 16/10/2011". Federation of the Italian Music Industry. fimi.it. Archived from the original on December 19, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  21. ^ a b "South Korean International Albums Chart". October 20, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 19, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  22. ^ a b "Representando a la Industria Argentina de la Música". CAPIF. October 23, 2011. Archived from the original on May 2, 2006. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
  23. ^ "B In The Mix The Remixes Vol. 2 (Remixed Collection) [CD] - Britney Spears". HMV. Lawson. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  24. ^ B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2 liner notes. RCA Records (2011)
  25. ^ "Ultratop.be – Britney Spears – B in the Mix - The Remixes Vol. 2" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  26. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 41.Týden 2011 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  27. ^ "Lescharts.com – Britney Spears – B in the Mix - The Remixes Vol. 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  28. ^ "French Compilations Chart" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. October 10, 2011. Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  29. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2011-12-12" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  30. ^ "Mexicancharts.com – Britney Spears – B in the Mix - The Remixes Vol. 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  31. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Britney Spears – B in the Mix - The Remixes Vol. 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  32. ^ UK Albums Chart
  33. ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  34. ^ "RecordLand Top 20 Albums" (in Spanish). Recordland. Archived from the original on 10 November 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  35. ^ "Britney Spears - B In The Mix, The Remixes Vol 2". Sony Music. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  36. ^ "Britney Spears – B In The Mix, The Remixes Vol 2 – Amazon.com Music". Amazon Music. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  37. ^ "B in the Mix, The Remixes, Vol.2" (in Portuguese). Livraria Cultura. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
  38. ^ "B in the Mix, The Remixes, Vol.2". BritneyRA2. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
  39. ^ "B In the Mix – The Remixes, Vol. 2 ブリトニー・スピアーズ – iTunes – Apple". iTunes Store (JP). Apple Inc. October 11, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
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