Album review: Britney Spears - Circus

After having a very public meltdown, resulting in the loss of her hair, her kids and her sanity, Britney is back with a brand new album. It was unfortunate that Britney went and recorded an album as hot as Blackout only to not be in a state to promote it. But thankfully Britney seems back on the path to recovery and is ensuring she doesn't make that mistake again.

Right off the bat Circus lobs the goods at you in full force. Lead single "Womanizer" still sounds hot to me now as it did before. The chorus can get irritating, coming off like a playground rhyme, but the beat is so hot and the song is so catchy, that it's forgivable. Britney continues her reign as the girl you could rely on for a catchy lead single. Even if you hate her songs, chances are you can sing her shit at karaoke without even needing to look at lyrics - which means her job is done. "Womanizer" is that song. Insanely catchy, with a chorus that just worms its way into your head and refuses to leave. Title track and second single "Circus" is even hotter and would've made a cracking lead single. Producer Dr. Luke showcases his new production style which takes a Danja-esque turn. The song is tailor made for a single and live performances, with it's dance breakdown section bang in the middle. Too bad Britney doesn't look to have stepped up to the performance plate with this song.

Danja, the man who was instrumental behind Blackout's sound, is back into the mix with his contribution "Kill the lights" - coming off like a cross between "Piece of me" and "Gimme more". If "Womanizer" and "Circus" didn't do anything for you, this song will. Britney's swagger on "Kill the lights" is air tight. The way she rolls out the verse first is killer. I don't think I've ever heard Britney ride a beat so tightly. This song is not as hot as "Gimme more", but I don't think anybody was expecting Danja and Britney to come with a jam that hot ever again. But this song is definitely hotness and better than most of what Danja brought to the table on Blackout. The beat is insane.

"If you seek Amy" is a hot ditty of a song, which cleverly plays on it's own title. The song channels old skool "Oops...I did it again" Britney, which is no doubt down to the song being produced by the man who helmed her hits "...Baby one more time" and "Oops...I did it again!": Max Martin. This would made a hot single, especially with the controversial angle where the song title is concerned. "Mannequin" is a hot little banger. Those of you who remember the video of Britney dancing in a dance studio to a new song will re-call this track. The producers of the song (Rob Knox and Harvey Mason Jr of The underdogs) rip off Timbaland and Danja's style completely. But credit where it's due: the beat is fire and the song is mad catchy. Even if the lyrics are complete nonsense about God knows what.

Unlike Blackout, Circus features a selection of slower numbers. In the zone contributor Guy Sigsworth brings 2 ballads to the table: "Out from under" and "My baby", both of which are nice songs. Neither are as hauntingly beautiful as "Everytime", but are still nice songs. Danja produced "Blur" is a great song, and at this point it's clear that Danja and Britney definitely have a musical chemistry. Where it would've been easy for him to come how he did on Blackout or give us more of songs like "Kill the lights", he flips it and gives Britney a swoony mid tempo with a southern twang. Britney sings over the beat without any vocal manipulation or the aid of backing vocalists, which makes her shine even more.

The bonus tracks are all absolute trash. The international bonus track "Radar" everybody has already heard, liked and been done with. And the rest all sound whack. The fact that Bloodshy & Avant's tracks got relegated to bonus tracks and sound like such crap is shocking. These guys usually give Britney some hot tracks, but they fell off on this occasion.

Circus is a better album than Blackout from a performance stand point, because Britney stands more at the forefront of the songs due to less emphasis on vocal manipulation and Britney sounding as though she had fun in the studio. But Blackout was a better album because it was edgy, brilliantly produced and unexpected given what Britney was going through at the time. Bloodshy & Avant and Danja gave her some stellar songs, possibly some of their best. So which album stands clear above the other is tough to call. Blackout has the bangers, but Circus has Britney selling the songs.

Britney easily could have fallen off completely with this album by either putting together an album of weak material or an album which sounded just like Blackout. Thankfully, she's done neither. Stick Blackout & Circus on a playlist and you've got a pretty solid set of songs to enjoy.

VERDICT: Okay, but has anybody seen Amy?

Album highlights:
■ Womanizer 🔥
■ Circus
■ Kill the lights 🏆
■ If U seek Amy
■ Blur
■ Mannequin 🔥