At the beginning of the '90s, teen currency shifted from bubblegum'n'{~Tiger Beat} to grunge'n'{~Maximum Rock & Roll}. Although it may have been pushed from the spotlight, teen-pop hadn't died -- it, in a way, went underground, spending time on the fringes of pop culture. One of the leading lights of the exiled teen brigade was {#The New Mickey Mouse Club}. For several years, it toiled away on {@the Disney Network}, earning a small fan base -- but, more importantly, providing a launchpad for several careers, including that of {$Britney Spears}. Like her fellow {#NMMC} alumni {$'N Sync}, {$Spears} shot to stardom in the late '90s, just as she was on the verge of late adolescence. By that time, everything old was new again. Albums like her debut, {^Baby, One More Time}, were topping the charts as if they were {^Hangin' Tough}, which is only appropriate since it sounded as if it could have been cut in 1989, not 1999. {^Baby, One More Time} has the same blend of infectious, rap-inflected dance-pop and smooth balladry that propelled {$the New Kids}, {$Debbie Gibson} and {$Tiffany} to the top of the charts, not to mention {$'N Sync} and {$the Backstreet Boys}. Much of this is due to {$the BBs}' producer, {$Max Martin}, who is also the mastermind behind {$Spears}' debut. He has a knack for catchy hooks, endearing melodies and engaging Eurodance rhythms, all of which are best heard on the hit title track. That should signal that {^Baby, One More Time}, like most teen-pop albums, is an artful blend of front-rank singles and well-crafted filler, which means that it will either sound like meaningless fluff or a great party, depending on your point of view -- which is determined by your feelings on the single, of course. [{^...Baby One More Time} is also available in a release with added bonus tracks.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide