By Jillian Sorgini
Britney Spears, or rather her people, certainly have a knack for titling her albums. “Blackout,” produced while she was prancing around town partying, forgetting to wear underwear and speaking in various accents, seemed to be the perfect word to describe her.
Now with “Circus,” Britney cracks her whip, emerges as the ringleader and attempts to reclaim her reign as pop princess. But, the show may be over.
While everyone continues to remain fixated on Spears’ every move, the album may be a bit too late. Spears is certainly more prepared physically and mentally to promote this album more than she was for “Blackout,” but she still seems a bit aloof and uncertain.
Her latest album makes the mistake of incorporating ballads, which are not her strong suit. In “Blackout” she steered clear of them, but in “Circus” she includes “Out From Under” and “My Baby,” a song about her sons. While the song has touching moments, it does not fit on her album.
Despite the ballads, the album does have many of the electronic synthesized dance songs that Spears is loved for.
The exceptional track on the album is “Unusual You,” produced by the same duo who worked on “Toxic.” The song is about an unpredictable love that defies expectations.
The cleverly titled song “If U Seek Amy” is like a naughtier version of “Piece of Me.” In the song, fans are begging for more than just a piece of Spears.
The “pop princess, now queen of pop,” as she is referred to in “Kill the Lights” includes the expected, infectious bubble-gum pop song with “Mmm Papi.”
Ironically enough, the old Spears emerges in the song “Blur” which is about an actual blackout where scattered Spears searches for her belongings in the song.
Spears unleashes side in the song “Phonography.” She croons “Talk that sexy talk to me / Better make sure that the line is green / Keep it confidential, you and me / Phonography, phonography.”
While “Womanizer” made its mark on the charts as the first released single, “Circus,” the title track, is Spears’ fierce attempt to be back on top. Already there is a flurry of videos on Youtube of people doing their own dance version, some dance even better than her recent performances.
Although she is planning a tour, it seems that Spears isn’t quite ready to make a comeback. It seems a little forced. In “Circus” Spears says it best: “spotlight on me and I’m ready to break.”
3 Stars