Just when you thought the self- shaved head and lack of panties in public could keep Britney Spears from ever having a legitimate music career again - she's back.
On Dec. 2, the same day Spears turns 27, she will release her sixth studio album Circus, a title hinting at the spectacle that has become her sordid and overexposed personal life.
During the decade-long span since she first entered the music business, Spears' career has been marred by just as many personal meltdowns as albums released, but Circus proves to be the result of a hard-fought effort to get the troubled star back to form.
In September, Spears re-emerged at the MTV Video Music Awards and walked away with three awards - a far cry from her ill-fated, lip-synching appearance at last year's show. That same month, the Spears revival continued with the release of Womanizer,"" the first single on Circus and an electric, high-energy song about men, one of Spears' most coveted musical subjects.
While Blackout was touted as Spears' big comeback, the extra year of polishing for the release of Circus might be the key to a true resurgence. Spears serves up a fresh sound as she moves outside the cookie-cutter confines of mainstream pop music, infiltrating her songs with a more techno, dance vibe.
The biggest strength of Circus is the variety of electrically charged songs trademarked by Spears' mix of club-inspired beats and playfully captivating lyrics. Named in accordance with the album title, the second single ""Circus"" and other songs like ""If U Seek Amy"" and ""Mannequin,"" highlight Spears' ability to utilize fresh musical elements with her vocals to create powerful hooks and a unique pop-dance sound.
Even the two slower songs on the album, ""Out From Under"" and ""Unusual You,"" stand out as beautifully spirited testaments of Spears' personal issues that will resonate with listeners. On the other hand, the ballad ""My Baby,"" presumably an ode to her two young sons Sean Preston and Jayden James, is sweet in theory, but Spears' vocal immaturity reminds the listener why upbeat dance songs are her forte.
Truthfully, the world has been avidly tuned into the Spears' show for some time now, but as observers of her antics rather than listeners of the music that made her famous so many years ago. For the fans following Spears' singing career, Circus ushers in a reinvented and rejuvenated act from the pop princess - hopefully one that will be more musically entertaining than the freak show of her personal past.
