39. Michael Lazar Discusses Britney Spears, Blackout

Send us Fan MailThis week, Miami-based recording artist, producer and visual artist Michael Lazar joins me to chat about Britney Spears’ 2007 album, Blackout. Michael talks about his experience of learning to play music using the Suzuki method, why he decided to move on from musical theatre, how he came to be a self-produced recording artist and why Blackout is one of his favorite albums.You can find the singles Michael has released from his upcoming album, 51/49, on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/michaellazarmusic.You can also find out more about Michael and his work on Twitter and Instagram at @artbylazar.Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB and on both Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.1:04 Michael joins the show1:42 Michael and Al bemoan the commute between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale4:20 Michael’s path as a musician started with childhood piano lessons in Massachusetts9:53 Michael started writing songs while in high school13:01 Michael's difficulty with getting Broadway roles led to him making his first album, 51/4914:28 51/49 is about love, loss and time15:34 An explosion in Michael’s childhood home changed his life17:39 Michael’s musical training, the influence of his favorite artists and his knowledge of his production software combine to create his sound20:26 If Michael had picked an album to discuss other than Blackout, what would he have picked?25:02 Dave Matthews gets mentioned on the podcast yet again25:52 Michael loves Blackout because of its “accidental genius”30:36 Britney Spears helped to start a revival in music videos31:47 Michael finds the music, including the vocals, on Blackout to be beautiful34:09 Michael’s favorite Britney Spears songs are not on BlackoutBreakdown of (nearly) all tracks38:11 Gimme More44:52 Piece of Me49:50 Radar55:12 Break the Ice1:01:21 Heaven on Earth1:08:30 Get Naked (I Got a Plan)1:10:21 Freakshow1:12:03 Toy Soldier/Hot as Ice1:12:57 Ooh Ooh Baby/Why Should I Be Sad1:18:36 Michael finds Britney Spears’ story compelling — especially as she tells it on Blackout1:21:39 Michael finds inspiration in great artists who make it onto the Top 401:24:21 Michael talks about the singles from 51/49Outro music is from Few Breaths Away by Michael Lazar.Support the show