Britney Spears - circus (review)

The big question everyone is asking..is it as good as or better than the sexually aggressive “blackout”? My answer Is simply yes, its much much better. Its no secret to anyone that britneys career & personal life has been a whirlwind of mass media attention that caused her to go off the tracks..& in doing so she brought a lot of bad press on herself. All that aside her latest album is a great example of how an artist can bounce right back no matter how bad the press coverage. Its fresh & finally tuned there is no doubt about that but has she got what it takes to reclaim her title of the princess of pop. Luckily she wont have to do too much work because her latest release is full of catchy poptastic hits, its clear her best people worked with her on this release. While her earlier work was light hearted & fluffy - blackout persuaded a darker more moody kind of theme & in a way circus does too. Its not that the songs are dark but its clear the songs relate to a more personal side of her life, at times it can seem defensive & almost a little paranoid but then it comes with good reason. Tired of the bad press & personal attacks these songs represent a side of britney her fans have never seen before. The cover shows her as a kind of soft-focus blonde kitsch pop princess while on the back it shows a slightly more disturbing image of a clown handing her a birthday cake..which is kinda creepy. As for the songs themselves they do a great job of showing us how her sanity has been affected, through her music we see the image of a women who has gone through considerable strong psychological torture. The song “kill the lights” is an obvious attack at her fame but also at the paparazzi who made her feel entrapped. “if you seek amy” is a catchy kind of tune that kints at the crash & burn image of amy winehouse. The ever popular “womanizer” features on the album but of all the songs my favourite has to be “unusual you” - its catchy & poppy with a little techno thrown in, “out from under” is another great little tune with a ballad feel to it. Though the smile on the cover may seem forced it would be foolish to overlook this release as nothing more than another cash-in, Circus will restore fate to her fan base & will be a brazen lesson to the haters. The bottom line is this album is pop & aimed at that audience so it will appeal to the fans with very little problems, already the album has been climbing the charts & sales are heading through the roof - is her smile really forced? Or is she smiling at the obvious..britneys back & aiming for the number one spot, if the album sales keep soaring she will get it.

1.Womanizer
2.Circus
3.Out From Under
4.Kill The Lights
5.Shattered Glass
6.If U Seek Amy
7.Unusual You
8.Blur
9.Mmm Papi
10.Mannequin
11.Lace And Leather
12.My Baby
13.Radar (Bonus Track)