• Released: 2008
• Recommended: Circus, Out From Under

In November 2008, the 6th album from Britney Spears was released. The opening track Womanizer is a girl power anthem that did very well for her on radio. The song, while catchy, relies heavily on too much synth and the entire song revolves around the chorus too much. It just keeps repeating – over and over and over. I was pleasantly surprised by the next track, Circus. You can actually hear her sing a little bit which is a feat in itself. Britney’s voice has never been strong by any stretch of the imagination but when she does actually try to sing, there can be good results. It’s nice to see Britney’s confidence back with the first two tracks. This song probably is more of an attest of Britney’s life a few years ago. She sings: “When I crack that whip, everybody gonna trip”. Over all, the track is one of the best on the album.

The album slows it down with the next track Out From Under. A ballad that talks about ending a relationship that isn’t going to work – makes one wonder if she is talking about her relationship with Kevin Federline. It doesn’t really matter as the result of this song, is a good pop ballad. Bringing the tempo back up, the next track Kill the Lights has Britney’s voice starting off with this really annoying tone. Thankfully, it is not like that through the entire album but it doesn’t really help this forgettable track.

Shattered Glass is the typical cheating track. Sadly, it doesn’t offer much by way of original material. It’s like every other song about cheating which makes it another forgettable track. I’ve already reviewed If You Seek Amy, the album’s lame attempt at being controversial. Apparently songwriter Max Martin called this song his best work ever. I would have to vehemently disagree. If you’re going to be controversial then by all means, do it, but don’t hide the controversy in the song in this way.

Following that is the boring Unusual You which offers some of the most predictable and weak lyrics: “Maybe you’re not even human cause / Only an angel can be so unusual”. The one night stand track, Blur, is next where she sings “Can’t remember what I did last night / Maybe I shouldn’t have given in / But I just couldn’t fight/ Hope I didn’t but I think I might’ve”. This one made me laugh and not in a good way.

Britney has writing credits on the next track, Mmm Papi, which is probably why it is so terrible. This song should have been cut with such lyrics as “Baby / I can be your sweet baby” and “With this fast car / I can really get far /And don’t break my heart / Let’s make out”. I’m not really sure what the point of this song was or if she was trying to accomplish something with this but if she was, I cannot figure it out for the life of me. I just know I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

Mannequin is by far the weirdest and most worthless song on the album. It makes zero sense and the chorus is just plain strange – and not in a good way. You really have to hear it to understand how strange it is. Following that is another laughable track, Lace and Leather. Britney trying out her seductive voice coupled with the the lyrical content results in a complete mess.

The final non-bonus track is My Baby which is a sweet and soft song to her children. While the lyrics are nothing special, it’s nice to see Britney showing her soft side. Hopefully she won’t make her children listen to the rest of the album to hear this one.

The bonus track that came standard on most editions was Radar. Not sure what the point of this song being on this album is since it was a regular track on her previous album Blackout. A track that again, relies too much on synth, and falls so flat. It’s boring and does little in the way of offering anything additional to this album.

Overall, this album is a waste of time with just a couple good tracks worth mentioning. However, for those looking for typical Britney, they’ll find it here.

Author's Rating

Author: Jamie: A 20-something music lover of all types. Some of my favorites include Garth Brooks, Lori McKenna, Patty Griffin, Jessica Harp, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash.