Album Review: Britney Spears - Circus (3/5)

The trials and tribulations Britney Spears faced in 2007 has been well documented, so I'm not going into it here. I generally like to stick with the music, so in that regard all I'll mention about that dreadful year in her life was the release of her fifth album Blackout, which was mostly a dreadful, phoned-in affair. Thankfully Circus is an improvement, but it's still not a knockout. She's trotted out many of the same producers she used on Blackout, and Britney sounds better this time--certainly more present. When she gets a great song, she soars, and there are a few here, but more often than not she's playing second fiddle to producers who seem more interested in showing off their studio skills than helping Britney deliver a great pop hook.

"Womanizer" is a great opener. It starts with sirens blaring to announce the arrival of Miss Spears and she really has arrived with this swaggering, electronic pop confection. "Circus" is good too, a little leaner, but still a pretty throbbing electro-pop song. It's produced by Dr. Luke & Benny Blanco, the production duo responsible for Katy Perry's big hits this year. They also helm "Shattered Glass," another winner, and Dr. Luke does duty on groovy "Lace and Leather," one of the better songs on the album's second half.

"Out from Under" is a rare ballad from Britney (there were none on Blackout), and it's not bad. It's produced by Guy Sigsworth, who did her "Everytime" from In the Zone. It's certainly better than the other ballad he produces for her here--the treacly "My Baby," which is about one of her babies. It tries to be profound, but comes off trite. I'll give Britney credit for attempting a couple of ballads this time. They require more work from her, and she sounds good on both of them.

"Kill the Lights" is a Nate "Danja" Hills production, and as such sounds a bit like "Gimme More," but isn't as appealing. The chorus in particular isn't very memorable, lacking a good hook, and Britney gets buried in the thumping beats. His other contribution, "Blur," is a little bit better. At least it has a melody, but it still isn't a standout.

These are better, however, than the album's lowest marks. First there's "If You Seek Amy," which is a rather shocking piece of pop trash courtesy of Max Martin. It has a nice stomp to it, but the banality of the lyrics make it a real loser. "If You Seek Amy" sounds like "F-U-C-K Me," the same stupid effect that The Script went for on "If You Say Kay." We get it, and it's not that clever. "Mmm Papi" is an interesting experiment musically, but again, the silly "mmm papa love you" lyrics kill it for me, as well as her attempt at being kittenish.

Bloodshy & Avant, the producers of "Toxic" and "Piece of Me," have another good time with Britney on "Unusual You." It's a great dance pop number wrapped in a distorted beat and piano; subtler than the other songs they've done with her. "Mannequin" had the potential to be something really cool--it has an interesting sound--but again, where is the killer chorus a good dance pop song needs?

Circus has some decent dance pop moments, but let's face it: Britney Spears is not an amazing pop singer. Away from the PR machine, she's a stand-in for whatever the latest and greatest producers want to put together. Britney's appeal is like a car wreck--we know it isn't good to watch, but we can't help but do so. When it comes to music, if she didn't have such talent backing her, she'd be forgotten by now. If this is Britney at her best, then it really just goes to show how limited her appeal is in comparison to the likes of say Pink, Beyonce or Christina Aguilera.

Best: Womanizer, Circus, Unusual You, Lace and Leather, Shattered Glass