BRITNEY'S
FEMME FATALE
WILL WOUND,
BUT it's NO KILLER
Don't call it a comeback ... again. She never really left. Unless you count a couple of years off for crazy, Britney's been going strong-ish for over a decade now. Somehow through all her troubles, PR issues, seeming lack of personality or brains or hair, she's continued to draw the biggest talent and get the most press, outselling all girls from her heyday with much bigger voices like XTina, Jessica Simpson and my beloved Mandy Moore. What has Britney got that has kept her relevant over the years while the Aguileras of the world sing from the gutter (no, really, I just saw her out front Hotel Chateau)? Listening to Britney's new CD, the secret's in the producers.
Much like sports teams like the Yankees, enough money will buy you talent, therefore getting you results, fixed or not. The ultimate pop powerhouse of Dr. Luke (Tiao Cruz, Katy Perry, Ke-dollar sign-ha) and Max Martin (Kelly Clarkson, P!nk, BSB, Britney) are executive producers with Darkchild, Bloodshy, and Satan Will.i.am twiddling the knobs. Not that there's anything wrong, per se, with this method. What Femme Fatale (in stores March 29) gives us is as polished and pretty as a new diamond. Early singles "Till the World Ends" and "Hold It Against Me" lead off the project and are both extremely strong, if not overly simple. Just like on the last two albums, they lead off with candy singles and hide some of the other gems ("Break The Ice," "Mannequin," "Unusual You") for your later discovery. "Trip To The Heart" moves beyond her usual sounds for more of a Kylie Minogue "green fairy dust" sort of lightness that works well with her voice. The pop jams "Trouble For Me" and "Gasoline" wouldn't sound out of place on her mid-period albums with their simple funky '00s sheen—think "Toxic" or Stronger—though we could do without the prog-house drops in the middle of "Trouble."
The only misstep is the dubhouse crap of "Inside Out" and "How I Roll." Both sound dated too soon. If you liked Circus, definitely pick up Femme Fatale, but if not, she won't win you over with this one either.
Come say hi to Moose on March 18 as he presents Mashup Madness with DJ Voxbox at Hydrate.
