Rated Rewind: Britney Spears - Circus

After the most talked about hiatus from music ever, Britney Spears is back doing what she does best, catchy dance-pop with a robotic lining and little soul. A lack of heart is not as apparent here as it was on 2007’s Blackout, where the record was affronted by a “the lights are on but no one’s home” Britney. This aside, Blackout was a triumphant pop album, spawning the immense dance-floor stompers, ‘Gimme More’ and ‘Break the Ice’. Now, a year on and far sooner than expected, Circus is complete and there’s no anti-climax in sight.

Opening track ‘Womanizer’ is a dance floor orgasm, with its infectious chorus and thudding staccato beats. The Outsyders production is one of the most memorable songs of Britney’s career. The title track ‘Circus’ jumps up and slaps you in the face, and features not only the best pre-chorus build up on the album, but its own dance break too. The bouncing Max Martin production of ‘If U Seek Amy’ is another annoyingly catchy notch on Britney’s musical bed post, with Britney teasing, “Love me, hate me, say what you want about me, but all of the girls and all of the boys are begging to If U Seek Amy” (say the title really fast and you’ll get it). Of course, being Britney, there’s a ballad in the mix, the quite nice ‘Out From Under’. It’s the most relevant song here but it’s disappointingly lacking in the vocal arena, with not one proper key change. The Danja produced ‘Kill the Lights’ and ‘Toxic’ responsible Bloodshy & Avant’s ‘Unusual You’, are album highlights. “Is that money in your pocket, are you happy to see me?” she demands aggressively on ‘Kill the Lights’, yet again taunting the paparazzi, only this time she is engaged and not synthesized into non-existence. The ballad ‘Unusual You’ features significant electronic vocal effects, but these enhance the beauty of the track. The hauntingly ethereal nature of the song makes it one of the best pop-dance ballads I’ve heard.

Although the album is one of Britney’s best (behind Blackout) it does have a few problems, the main one being twee ballad ‘My baby’. The Let's Go to War production ‘Mmm Papi’ makes little sense and although it's infectious, Britney's comedy vocals are more embarrassing than funny. The hangover song ‘Blur’ is reminiscent of 2003s Moby produced ‘Early Morning’, but it’s uninspired and a bit bland. However, these are minor flaws on an entertaining pop record.

Circus is a great comeback, displaying some of the best pop moments you’ll experience on an album this year and some of the best Britney moments of all time. Who cares if Britney’s not the same Britney any more, she’s still churning out some superb dance tunes and with songs like ‘Womanizer’, ‘Unusual You’ and ‘Kill the Lights’ at her disposal, she’s certainly not likely to falter any time soon.

6.5/10