By Steve Jones, USA TODAY
Britney Spears confesses to her exhibitionism on the title track to her album Circus (* * * out of four, on sale Tuesday and now streaming on imeem). It’s what feeds her hunger for the spotlight even as she’s driven to distraction by the constant scrutiny.
She gives raspy, robotic voice to this duality over a series of electro-pop grooves aimed at maximizing her pop appeal. This is the album that’s supposed to get her career back on track after last year’s Blackout began her recovery from a train-wreck life that has included custody battles and public breakdowns.
To a point, it works as artistic rehab. Britney is in control as the dismissive ex on hit single Womanizer and the hot boy magnet on Radar. She seems most at ease when she’s playing the teasing tart. But there’s plenty of tension underneath that blithe spirit.
Kill the Lights finds her snapping at the omnipresent paparazzi like a piranha baring its teeth at fingers pressed against the fishbowl. If U Seek Amy mocks onlookers’ morbid fascination with the downward spiral of celebrities.
Spears tosses in a couple of ballads along the way, but these really aren’t her forte. The slew of top-flight producers — including Max Martin, The Outsyders, Danja, Bloodshy & Avant and The Underdogs — bolsters her vocal variety of echoes and gimmicky effects, but they don’t really help the breathy Out From Under or saccharin Unusual You. She shines much better on the dance tracks, especially when she’s in naughty-girl mode on Lace and Leather or trying to come out of a morning-after fog on Blur.
The pop star frequently has been written off, and here she again shows her resiliency. She knows who she is as a singer, and she doesn’t waste time searching for artistic direction or overthinking her appeal.
Considering the daggers that come out whenever she rears her head, her ability to laugh at her foibles — and other people’s reaction to them — is one of her more endearing qualities. Of course, you can’t always tell whether she’s doing it with tongue in cheek or smiling through gritted teeth.
>Download: Womanizer, Radar, If U Seek Amy, Shattered Glass, Blur
>Skip: Out From Under, Unusual You
The following review is from the NewYorkPost. They give a nice break down of every song, and I like how they compare each song with a Circus act.
As literal as CD titles can be lately, it seems to be all about the packaging of a theme. From P!nk’s new CD “Funhouse” to Rihanna’s “Good Girl Gone Bad,” having a niche to bank your “look” on is all the better. With Brit Brit’s new music-box-big-top sound, I get the feeling that we’re not only getting a CD entitled “Circus” but we should soon expect a three-ringed infused concert tour (which she announced will be starting spring of 2009, of which Wade Robson will choreograph), tons of clown painted merchandise and maybe even a video of this girl-nominon tight-rope walking her way right into the bank.
So, since there is a major theme going on with our favorite tween-turned-train-wreck-turned mom-turned-hot-mess-turned-reinvention, I figured I’ll stick to it. So here is a rundown of the 13 core tracks on her new release and 2 bonus tracks included on the US Deluxe Edition. Along with what act I think they would accompany in a “Circus” and even a rating … three rings being the best, of course.
With its title, Circus nods knowingly at the madhouse that is Britney Spears’ life, acknowledging that things got a little rough after the release of 2007’s Blackout. It’s no secret that Blackout’s launch didn’t go as planned: the furor surrounding her stumbling VMA lip-sync of “Gimme More” was eclipsed by her institutionalization — a drama played out live on TV, as so much of her life is — and the loss of custody of her two young boys to ex-husband Kevin Federline, all of which pushed Blackout far, far to the background. Britney herself didn’t exactly seem engaged on Blackout — it was a club album, a producer’s showcase, so it didn’t matter if Spears didn’t give herself over completely as the behind-the-boards team carried her through. That distance combined with her troubles did give Britney the appearance of losing control completely, and the best way for a pop star to right herself is through image — hence Circus, a friendly remake of the hedonistic Blackout that posits that all is better with Brit-Brit now, thank you. If Blackout was a producers’ album, Circus is a handlers’ album, intent on sweeping away any recent unpleasantness — the only acknowledgement is that title — and acting like nothing ever happened, imagining that this is still a world where Britney remains envied and desired, where she can be dolled up as a gauzy Farrah Fawcett pinup on her album cover, where she can sing a drippy ballad about “My Baby” and have nobody raise an eyebrow. She can get away with the former with a bit more ease than the latter if only because all the time, effort, and money is poured into the club tracks, such as the thumping, stuttering first single “Womanizer” and its better, the relentless “Kill the Lights,” so sleek and sexy it winds up diminishing the rest of the record.
“Kill the Lights” may be exceptional, one of Britney’s best-ever singles, but it also doesn’t have much competition here: it’s one of a handful of tracks that follow through on Blackout, while the rest of Circus plays it safe, never hitting the beats hard enough to alienate a pop audience but perhaps layering on a bit too much saccharine for dance fans. It’s careful and considered, right down to the single-entendre “If U Seek Amy,” a Katy Perry-styled exercise in crass commercial carnality that is at once the best and worst song here. Best because Max Martin once again works his undeniable pop magic, turning this into a trashy stomper that feels inevitable and eternal, working against any sense of taste or decorum, something that the lyrics work overtime to undercut as they insist that all the boys and all the girls still want to F, U…well, spell it and you’ll get the picture, and if you don’t, Britney’s elocution will paint it for you. This sexy strut doesn’t work not because Spears’ desirability took a nosedive in the five years since In the Zone — although it did — but because Britney’s sexiness never was this explicit; she teased and hinted, at least in her music, and it feels wrong to have her be so nakedly vulgar here. Still, it was a necessary move, a way to stir up headlines and perhaps snatch the tabloid tiara from Katy’s head, but the rest of the record doesn’t follow through as it resorts Spears’ standard formula: a couple of great dance singles, a couple of pretty good chillout cuts (best being Bloodshy & Avant’s “Unusual You”), a couple of not-good-at-all ballads, and a whole bunch of stuff in the middle. If she feels marginally more connected here than she did on Blackout, it’s a Pyrrhic victory, as Circus never feels as sleek or addictive as its predecessor.
The following “Review” of “Circus” is from AssociatedContent, which anyone can submit articles to. The reviewer doesn’t even know what the hidden message in “If You Seek Amy” is. He also states that “Radar” does in fact have a few differences from the version on “Blackout”. Really, its not even quite clear if this person got their hands on the actual disk or the illegal shiz everyone has been downloading. It’s not a bad review, but its also not from a reliable media outlet….just sayin….
Britney Spears is cleaning her act up and reinstating her name in the music industry. After last year’s tumultuous happenings, Blackout was supposed to be her comeback album, but failed to do so. She’s teamed up with several of the writers from that album such as Avant and Nicole Morier.
Britney had her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her hot single “Womanizer” that seems to be settling well with all people alike, the media, fans and critics. The song represents a man who uses a woman and she can’t take it anymore. Ironically, “Womanizer” uses a line “You think I’m crazy/ I got your crazy,” maybe hinting at her hectic past in the spotlight and being thrown under the bus for being “crazy.”
The title track “Circus” was produced by hot producer and writer, Dr. Luke. Luke is a former SNL band member who is responsible for Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” and cowrote “Behind These Hazel Eyes” with Clarkson. He’s also responsible for Pink’s “U + Ur Hand” and both of Katy Perry’s first two singles. The song isn’t his typical heavy pop rock signature sound as she sings about the dance floor being her stage. She’s right in the center being watched like she’s in a Read more… »
Heres whats on her playlist and shiz!
Britney’s favorite songs:
Madonna “Like A Prayer”
“I love all of Madonna’s songs but I really love this one because it was one of the first songs I learned every word to.”
Prince “Kiss”
“I always listened to “Kiss” in high school and it reminds me of hanging with my girlfriends.”
Janet Jackson “Damita Jo”
“I love to dance to this song. It has such a good beat to it.”
Tony Basil “Mickey”
“The beat is amazing and it’s a fun song that everyone knows.”
Journey “Don’t Stop Believing”
“This song has so much meaning to it. If you believe in yourself, anything can happen.”
Journey “Open Arms”
“I think anyone who has been in love can relate. I love Journey because Steve Perry sings with so much feeling.”
Sinead O’Connor “Nothing Compares 2 U”
“I love this song, it is so romantic! Her voice is amazing.”
Tiffany “I Think We’re Alone Now”
“She was one of the very first pop stars in the 80’s. I used to sing this in my little band with my cousin and best friend.”
Kelis “Milkshake”
“It’s so much fun to drive around and listen to. It makes me laugh too.”
Elton John “Candle In The Wind”
“This song is so sad and beautiful at the same time.”
Elton John “Tiny Dancer”
“My parents used to sing this to me and it brings back childhood memories. And I love the piano in it.”
Joan Jett “I Love Rock And Roll”
“This song pumps me up. I love that a girl sang this song.”
Leona Lewis “Bleeding Love”
“It’s such a well written love song that everyone can relate to.”
Michael Jackson “Billie Jean”
“It’s probably the greatest pop song of all time!”
Janis Joplin - Me And Bobby McGee”
“You can tell that she sang this song from deep within in her soul.”
Rolling Stones “Satisfaction”
“I love the gritty rock and roll vibe of this song. Nobody does it like Mick Jagger.”
T-Pain “Low”
I always work out to this song especially when I am at spin class.
Nerd “Rockstar”
“I love Pharrell. He is so versatile and this song’s rock/hip hop blending proves it.”
Alicia Keys “No One”
“Alicia sings with such passion and her melodies are really beautiful.”
Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You”
“This song originated from my idol Dolly Parton. I always sang it in high school.”
Britney’s favorite videos:
Aerosmith “Janie’s Got A Gun”
Alanis Morissette “Ironic”
The B-52’s “Love Shack”
Britney Spears “Slave 4 You”
Britney Spears “Toxic”
Billy Joel “We Didn’t Start The Fire”
Cher “Believe”
Cyndi Lauper “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”
Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)”
Janet Jackson “Rhythm Nation”
John Mellencamp “Jack and Diane”
John Mellencamp “Small Town”
Madonna “Like A Prayer”
Madonna “Vogue”
Madonna “Express Yourself”
Madonna “Material Girl”
Michael Jackson “Thriller”
Michael Jackson “Bad”
Michael Jackson “Moon Walker”
Michael Jackson “Billie Jean”
Whitney Houston “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”
U2 “Where The Streets Have No Names”
Britney’s Music on her iPod:
Janet Jackson If
Janet Jackson Damita Jo
Prince The Very Best Of Prince
Amy Winehouse Back To Black
Madonna The Immaculate Collection
Alicia Keys As I Am
Elton John Love Songs
Cher Believe
Michael Jackson Dangerous
Robin Thicke The Evolution
Katy Perry One Of The Boys
Coldplay Viva La Vida
P!nk Funhouse Read more… »
It continues!! All of the songs that were on the promo disc Jive sent out have officially leaked onto the internet. “Kill The Lights” leaked sometime last week. “Circus”, “If You Seek Amy”, and “Out From Under” were all leaked today from an anonymous source. The quality isn’t HQ, but they are all in full and all sound hot. You can stream them below and if you really, REALLY want to download them go here. Tell me what you think of the songs! Impressed?
UPDATE: Mannequin has leaked as well….
UPDATE 2 : Unusual You has leaked….looks like we are going to be getting the full album, slowly but surely…
UPDATE 3: Shattered Glass is a go!!!
UPDATE 4: All the songs have leaked except for My Baby and Blur for unknown reasons. You can listen to the songs that just leaked below or you can listen to the full album from the sidebar player.
UPDATE 5: My Baby and Blur have leaked. Thats all of them….
Well…here it is in all its glory. “Circus”, deluxe edition…..well almost all of its glory. “Womanizer”, “Kill The Lights”, and “Radar” are the only tracks that are complete on the playlist. “Circus”, “Out From Under”, “If You Seek Amy”, and “Unusual You” are around one minute or longer. All the other tracks are 30 second previews. Enjoy Bitches, Enjoy….oh and here is the track list.
1. “Womanizer”
2. “Circus”
3. “Out From Under”
4. “Kill The Lights”
5. “Shattered Glass”
6. “If U Seek Amy”
7. “Unusual You”
8. “Blur”
9. “Mmm Papi”
10. “Mannequin”
11. “Lace and Leather”
12. “My Baby”
Bonus Track:
13. “Radar”
14. “Rock Me In”
15. “Phonography”
Start FREAKING OUT!! Breatheheavy has posted 8 mins of “Circus”. The mix includes Womanizer, Circus, Out From Under, Kill The Lights, If You Seek Amy, and Unusual You. You can stream it below as well as on Breatheheavy. I am very, very excited for this album!! What does everyone else think!?! Do we have a winner?! Favorite part? The beginning of if you seek amy, the “ha ha ha he he he ho ho ho”
Here is the review from PopJustice that seriusly makes me wanna scream. Every new review gets me more excited for this damn album than the last review. Luckily its less than a month away. Favorite bit form the review, “love me hate me, say what you want about me but all the boys and all the girls are ready to f-u-c-k me”. eeeekkkk!! Can’t wait for the this album much longer, I need new workout material. haha
Alright then, due to ‘overwhelming public demand’ (ie a string of emails ranging from the polite to the downright offensive) here are some words about tracks from the Britney album.
‘CIRCUS’
This is the title track. This means the song’s called ‘Circus’, and it’s from the album ‘Circus’. “I run a tight ship,” Britney announces, “so beware - I’m like the ringleader, I call the shots, I’m like a firecracker I make it hot, now put a show”. What does this mean? Well, she is a ringleader on a ship - we presume this is something to do with a special circus on a cruise liner of some sort. Basically Britney is comparing herself to lots of things at the same time. Your English teacher will tell you this is a silly thing to do - but Britney is allowed to do it, because she is Britney. The track comes with massive thudding electronic R&B production and there’s a lot of stopping and starting, including a a built-in MTV-style dance breakdown segment. The chorus lyric is “all eyes on me in the centre of the ring just like a circus” but the best bit’s the bridge, with its “I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins, spotlight on me and I’m ready to break, I’m like a performer with this world as a stage” bit. There’s all sorts of other stuff about “don’t stand there watching me, following me, show me what you can do”. Bits of it are a lot like ‘Break The Ice’ from the last album, but with an extra layer of Big Production.
OUT FROM UNDER
‘Blackout’ didn’t have any big ballads so here is one for ‘Circus’. It’s incredibly similar to this version…
…of the song but with more guitar (weedy guitar, not big proper guitar). The production’s a lot less sparse and a great deal more ‘Britney ballad’ (in the ‘I’m Not A Girl Not Yet A Woman’ tradition). Basically the most interesting thing about Britney’s version that you can’t hear on the Joanna Pacitti original is the finale, which ends with a great “from under, from under, from under” bit.
KILL THE LIGHTS
Well this one has definitely leaked so we’re bollocksed if we’re going to spend time trying to describe it.
The fact that this has been on YouTube for two days already without Sony pulling it via a copyright claim suggests that Sony leaked the song themselves, but it might just be that everyone at Sony is busy doing something else, like watering the plants or eating Haribo.Read more… »
This time from Digital Spy. They got the chance to listen to the same 4 songs everyone else (except for us) is getting a chance to listen to. They gave a little more details on “Circus”, the lead single, then The Sun did. Read below, tell me what you think. “Circus” sounds hot. “I’m the ringleader, I call the shots, I’m a firecracker, I like it hot.”
Earlier today we were treated to a sneak preview of the new Britney album. Here’s what we found:
Circus is essentially a sequel to last year’s Blackout album - it has the same fierce electro sound, but there’s less vocoder on Britney’s voice and the attitude-ometer’s been turned up to at least 9.5.
Circus also has something Blackout didn’t: a proper ballad. “I know that we tried everything we could try, so let’s just say goodbye forever,” Britney sings on the really quite lovely ‘Out From Under’.
The title track is a prowling beast of a song whose chorus kicks off with a Max Martin-style thump. “I’m the ringleader, I call the shots, I’m a firecracker, I like it hot,” Britney sings at one point. It’s been confirmed as the next single and the video’s already been shot.
Britney’s introduced as “our very own pop princess, now Queen of Pop” on ‘Kill The Lights’. That’s her off Madonna’s Christmas card list then…
The song itself is almost as knowing as Blackout’s ‘Piece Of Me’, with Britney taking the paparazzi to task. “You don’t like me, I don’t like you,” she tells them. “Only difference is you still listen, I don’t have to.”
‘If U Seek Amy’, on which Britney actually reunites with Max Martin, is 50% glam, 50% rave. The title has nothing to do with a certain Miss Winehouse and makes more sense if you say it quickly… just don’t try it in polite company.
BritneyFix.com will be a place to come to for all the latest Britney Spears news, photos, videos and more. From her latest trip to starbucks to her late night recording sessions. How well her songs are doing on the radio to where she is performing next. This will be your one stop Britney spot. If have you a Britney addiction, we have your FIX. Enjoy.
