Far gone are the days when Britney Spears was dressed in a Catholic school uniform, dating Justin Timberlake and shaving her head while attacking a car with an umbrella. Even though many doubted her, Britney Spears is officially back!
This past week, Spears released her seventh studio album, entitled “Femme Fatale.” The deluxe version of the album includes 16 brand new tracks from the pop star. Songs range from upbeat dance tracks, including “Till the World Ends,” “I Wanna Go” and “Big Fat Bass,” featuring will.i.am, as well as slow-jams, entitled “Inside Out,” “Criminal” and “He About to Lose Me.”
Spears first exploded onto the music scene in 1999 with her debut album “… Baby One More Time,” where she established herself as a prominent figure in pop culture. We all remember “Crossroads,” right? According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Spears “has sold over 100 million records worldwide and she is the eighth top-selling female artist in the United States, with 32 million certified albums.” In 2010, Spears was sixth on Forbes list of 100 Most Powerful and Influential celebrities in the world. Even “Good Morning America” gave her props by declaring March 29 “Britney Spears Day.”
While many people know of the hardships that Spears has faced in the past, she has turned over a new leaf and is seemingly focused on her position as an entertainer. This time around, Spears is working with big producers in the music industry, such as Max Martin and Dr. Luke. With their help, she is offering up club tracks with catchy lyrics and has become an expert at delivering. With lyrics like “Cuz’ you feel like paradise / And I need a vacation tonight / So if I said I want your body now / Would you hold is against me?” how could you hold her past against her?
Over the years, critics have put down Spears, saying she is overproduced and a puppet for her record label, but that doesn’t stop her from making an impact with her albums, “Femme Fatal” included. While Spears wasn’t a part of the writing process and the album had tons of credits on it, that shouldn’t take away from what the CD offers to its listeners. On certain tracks, you can hear glimpses of the Britney we all know and love. On “Don’t Keep Me Waiting” the singer says one familiar saying: “Can you turn me up a little bit?” While the old Britney is buried deep down, this album offers up multiple variations of Spears’ voice, including high, deep and robotic sounding notes.
Regardless if you believe “Femme Fatale” is completely crafted or not, it gives listeners fun, dance-worthy club music. With upbeat tempos and party-like lyrics, you can’t help but feel good after listening to a few tracks, or at least want to hit the club. As Spears’ lyrics on “I Wanna Go” state, “I wanna go all the way-ay-ay taking out my freak tonight / I wanna show all the dirt I got running through my mind …”
I say, “You go Britney and raise that freak flag – you deserve it!” This album is certainly worth the purchase and will go nicely with your pop music collection.