britney spears - circus (sony bmg)
January 14, 2009
After a momentary period of very public insanity, including an album ("Blackout") that some would much rather forget, it would seem that Ms Spears has found her groove back in the studio. Whilst you still wouldn't call 'Circus' a "classic" album, it is certainly one of the better pop releases from Britney in some time. Lead single 'Womanizer' especially sees Britney back in fine form; while the lyrics are possibly some of the worst recorded on any pop album in some time, there is something undeniably infectious about the track that makes it stand out from its competitors on the radio. There are some lovely little ballad moments on the album ('Out From Under', 'Unusual You') along with some more controversial tracks ('If U Seek Amy') which are bound to keep her fan base happy. Having said that, there are also some genuine "oh why?" moments that tend to make you wonder why she choose this track out of the reported 30 that she recorded for the album. There is nothing here that could be described as revolutionary however, if you're just looking for an old fashioned fun pop album, you may as well join the 'Circus'.
