 Critics gave the album mixed reviews , describing the singer as a Madonna next door , considering it silly and premature . The album was successful on the charts , reaching the top five in several countries , while reaching number one in Canada and the United States . It also received several certifications around the world , including a fourteen @-@ times platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) , for shipments of over 14 million units in the country . ... Baby One More Time is Spears ' most successful album , selling over 30 million copies worldwide , making it one of the best @-@ selling albums of all time and the best @-@ selling album by a teenage solo artist . 
