MUSIC REVIEW: BRITNEY SPEARS - FEMME FATALE

It's here!! One of the biggest names in the biz has dropped her new record. Well, technically she hasn't, but it's leaked, so I'm reviewing it for you. You should totally wait and buy it when it's available on iTunes though. (wink) Britney Spears has been around for over ten years now and Femme Fatale is her seventh studio album. Can you believe it? We've watched her grow from a slutty teen to a slutty adult and couldn't be prouder. Since Brit is such a big part of our pop life, I will give you a song-by-song review of her latest. Here we go:

1. Till The World Ends - this Ke$ha penned track is Britney's new single and it's heavy on the hook. It sounds A LOT like a Ke$ha song but with that Britney coo to it. It's sexy and electronic. Britney sounds like an oversexed robot. Pretty darn good and very catchy. The bridge (..keep on dancing till the world ends) is made for multiple club plays a night. A much better single than Hold It Against Me for sure.

2. Hold It Against Me - while it has a charm to it, this song was not the best choice for a lead single, or a single at all for that matter. Not quite up to par with Brit's past offerings. The beat is not fresh and the lyrics are a little lame. It WILL get your ass moving though. Nice album track, not a stand out.

3. Inside Out - starts off with some nice start-and-stop action. The melody is something different for Britney in that there IS a melody. Heavy vocal processing actually adds to the feel of the song, making it a bit sexier. This song reminds me of an old Prince jam like Darling Nikki with it's slightly sleepy, had-a-rough-night feel. Very sexy.

4. I Wanna Go - Britney is sounding like a straight-up computer on this track. That's not to say that's a bad thing. With a really cute whistle hook and a stuttering chorus, this is a great clubber that sounds, once again, like a Ke$ha song. (She did not write this one though) Definitely a stand out cut on the album. This will be a single for sure. No doubt.

5. How I Roll - a party song by someone who lives under a conservatorship is a little odd, but here one is. Is Britney's dad singing backup? The song is very monotone, like a Santigold song sort of. Cute, but not anything to write home about exactly. There is a breath/hiccup that begins the song that sounds a lot like Janet's bridge in When I Think of You from back in the day. It made me want to listen to THAT song instead.

6. (Drop Dead) Beautiful (ft. Sabi) - "You're body looks so sick I think I caught the flu". Clever, clever lyric. This is an infectious dance track that again is using vocal processing to it's best effect. Using only about three notes for the whole song, Brit is not challenging herself vocally AT ALL, but is that really why we love her? This is a girl who lipsyncs her banter in concert for gawd's sake. Just enjoy the fun, people.

7. Seal It With a Kiss - this song just sort of gets lost to me. Nothing that sets it apart from songs on Blackout or Circus in my opinion. Again, not bad, just passable. Not danceable enough, not a ballad. Eh.

8. Big Fat Bass (ft. will.I.am) - will.I.am says "big fat bass" about 1600 times at the beginning of this tune, then Britney repeats "I can be the treble, baby. You can be the bass" about the same number of times. THEN the song begins. will.I.am has been writing for Cheryl Cole lately and this song fits perfectly with those efforts. Not quite as catchy as Cheryl's 3 Words or Boy Like You, but still a good one. It's a frenzy of beats and beeps and synths. Club ready fare.

9. Trouble for Me - I guarantee this track will be overlooked, but it's actually one of my faves on the cd. Much like Lace and Leather and Rock Me In from Circus, this song rocks along with a great beat and melody, but not quite flashy or overproduced (like most of these tracks) enough to be a single. Just a really good pop song. I'll let it be my little secret. Shhh.

10. Trip to Your Heart - DANGER WILL ROBINSON! The robot thing is starting to unnerve, but this song is actually good despite it. It's kinda sweet and pretty in a futuristic kind of way. Not as sappy and vomit-inducing as some of Britney's previous ballads (Sometimes, Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know anyone?), this song holds it's own in the make up of the album. I'll be listening to this one again. Excuse me. Be right back.

11. Gasoline - I love the smell of gasoline. That has nothing to do with this review. Just thought I'd share. Anyhoo.... Gasoline sounds a bit like Brit's recent #1 song 3 in the beginning, but takes on a darker tone as it moves forward. Bright vocals over a dark sound in the chorus keeps the attention and the song is a great dance tune.

12. Criminal - Renaissance fair, anyone? Ha. No, just the flute at the beginning sounds like we should be putting on the garb, but the song is a pretty nice pop tune. Lots of reassuring of her "mamma" that even though the guy she loves is a bad boy, she can't help but love him. K. Sounds like Britney could have written this one herself! Kind of a catchy little song though. Not sure it's the best way to close the album (although there is a deluxe version available upon the actual release), but in this day and age when you can get only the songs you want, I guess artists don't necessarily think of those things anymore. Sigh.

Well, there you have it. All 44 minutes of Femme Fatale broken down into easy to understand parts. I am not convinced this is better than Blackout or the excellent Circus, but I will be giving it a few more plays to make sure. It has a very overproduced feel overall. Check out the megamix below for a sample of all the songs on Femme Fatale. See ya, bitches.

Britney Spears - Femme Fatale (12 songs - Megamix Preview) by britneybr