Back to basics with Britney

Her personal life may have been in major shambles last year but I am sure a lot of you who heard Blackout would agree that the album was a good one by Britney Spears. OK, saleswise it wasn’t as big as Ooops! I Did It Again or In the Zone. It was also panned by the critics. But it had great grooves, was well-made and even won some awards like the Album of the Year trophy from the European Music Awards.

Truth to tell, even if Blackout had been less entertaining or of a lesser quality I would still take my hat off to Britney just for simply finishing the CD. Just imagine, she was working on Blackout while dealing with a messy divorce, losing custody of her children, getting sent to psychiatric confinement and other awful things. She even shaved her head and was caught by the paparazzi without her undies.

I say that this girl is made of very strong stuff. Other artists or even ordinary folks like us would have crumbled under all that pressure. Still, with hardly a breathing space, Britney plunged into more work and released another album, her seventh in a decade, one year later. So just as she closed 2007 with Blackout, she said goodbye to 2008 with Circus.

Both album and first single Womanizer easily made No. 1 and Circus is expected to do better than Blackout. Of course, I expect this one though to get a big share of panning from the critics. That can’t be helped. This is not because it has stupid songs or was badly made but because it is addictively commercial. In fact, the whole CD sounds as though Britney recorded this one with a paint by the numbers formula for making hits. And it works.

For one, the collection is filled with hooks and hooks are what hits are all about. For another Britney is singing as good as in the old days. Nothing in the likes of Aguilera but more of Madonna’s tigress on the prowl, strong and seductive style. Check out the Lace and Leather track. The hard-driving beat of Womanizer and Circus guarantee club play and if you like your tunes naughty, there is If You Seek Amy which reminds me of the Pussycat Dolls. Nice to that she did not forget the ballads. There are Out from Under and My Baby. Great songs both.

Circus also includes Kill the Lights, Shattered Glass, Unusual You, Blur, Mmm Papi, Mannequin, and bonus tracks, Radar, Rock Me in and Phonography. And take note that there is one more bonus with every CD. This is the DVD of The Making Of the Circus album which has an exclusive interview with Britney.

Incidentally, Britney remains a big favorite among local fans. Latest proof is that the most played song on local radio these days is the title cut of Circus, which is the album’s second single.

Now Britney has dropped from the No.1 slot in the US lists. But she is still in the Top 10 of the hit charts nowadays. It is Taylor Swift, ex of Joe Jonas who reigns in the Top 200 Albums listing of Billboard Magazine and hot newcomer Lady GaGa in the Hot 100.

The Top 10 titles for the current week are: Fearless by Taylor Swift; I Am... Sasha Fierce by Beyoncé; 808s & Heartbreak by Kanye West; Twilight the motion picture soundtrack; Dark Horse by Nickelback; Circus by Britney Spears; A Different Me by Keysha Cole; Intuition by Jamie Foxx; and Now 29 by Various Artists.

The Top 10 singles in the Hot 100 are: Just Dance by Lady GaGa featuring Colby O’Donis; Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) by Beyoncé; Live Your Life by T.I. featuring Rihanna; Love Story by Taylor Swift; Heartless by Kanye West; Hot N Cold by Katy Perry; I’m Yours by Jason Mraz; Womanizer by Britney Spears; Let It Rock by Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil Wayne; and Love Lockdown again by Kanye West.