Our look at the closing lines of the biggest new-music reviews brings us to Circus, the new album by pop supernova Britney Spears:
“Those two ballads and ‘Unusual You’ are the album’s only attempts at warmth. The rest is brittle, crafty and combative, buzzing with studio expertise and celebrity defensiveness. ‘You don’t like me/I don’t like you,’ Ms. Spears chants in ‘Kill the Lights’ (written by Danja and others). ‘Only difference/you still listen.’ It’s creepy, especially because it’s true.” [NYT]
• “Hackneyed as it is, ‘Baby’ is a reminder that Spears is still a young woman trying to manage an impossible situation. But those aren’t the thoughts Circus is meant to raise, and in general the album does a bang-up job of pushing them into the background. And really, that tour is going to be great.” [LAT]
• “Forget the release of Chinese Democracy as the year’s biggest surprise. Circus is a Britney Spears album I never expected to hear—one that matters.” [Newsday]
• “And Mommy shows she has psychodrama to spare on ‘Mmm Papi,’ a go-go romp with daddy issues (’Grab me tight and don’t let go/Mmm Papa, love you’): Is it about the papa who controls her affairs or the paparazzi she had an affair with? The fact that we’re even curious shows Britney hasn’t lost her talent: Her fans still can’t look away.” [RS]
• “Circus isn’t bad as pop albums go, but whether by default or design, it’s substantially less edgy and exciting than its predecessor. You’re left to conclude that the sound of Britney back on track is substantially less interesting than the sound of Britney going off the rails.” [Guardian]
• “This is faint praise for minor pop pleasures, though pleasures they undeniably are. The only obstacle to enjoying them is that they require listeners to be like the men who benefit equally from Spears’ downward spirals and upward swings with little human regard or compassion. But why let a little thing like empathy ruin a night at the circus?” [Chicago Sun-Times]
Do I think this album is as tight and in your face as its predecessor? No. And yet, for some reason, I could not stop playing it this weekend. From top to bottom. Highly entertaining.
Maybe I’m overreacting here, but I’m offended by the review from the Guardian. Did the reviewer forget that she’s an actual human being? Sure, this album may not be as great as “Blackout,” but I’m willing to sacrifice some of that interest for a healthier, more functioning mother of two children.
@propaganda-artist: You’re overreacting. That shiny disc you buy tomorrow won’t have home movies of Britney parenting her children, it’s a POP ALBUM. Evaluate her life as her life, and her music as her music.
The real clincher is the few Bloodshy tracks Jive felt worthy to include… “Phonography” and “Unusual You” prove that the interesting, new Britney hasn’t completely disappeared…she’s just been swallowed up by the oppressive Larry/Jamie regime.
Do I want her safe, sane and healthy? Of course. Do I want to listen to Circus as much as I still do Blackout? Not even close. I don’t feel like Circus is a worthy compromise…mainly because “For The Record” seemed to indicate she’s no healthier now than she was when she was stumbling out of Hyde 2 years ago.
Sure, the drugs may be gone, but she’s still emotionally disturbed…and now they’re forcing her to be something she isn’t any longer, and it’s only a matter of time before THAT blows up in their faces.
i watched the documentary last night. i don’t care if larry rudolph was toying with my emotions - i was moved.