To give everyone an idea of how well “Circus” faired, here is EWs review of “Blackout”. They gave it a B+.
Britney spears is making a habit of putting out albums with ? titles that promise more self-revelation than she’s ultimately able to provide. Last fall, she released Blackout…which turned out not to have anything to do with experiencing blackouts. This year, it’s Circus, with a title track that’s not about the madhouse her life has become but just a brag about her prowess as a whip-cracking sexual ringmaster. In the studio, however, she’s no ? auteur, and with her producer-writers seemingly calling the creative shots, Spears is only as interesting as they are on any particular day.
Initially, that’s not interesting enough. Circus’ first half has hitmakers like Dr. Luke and Max Martin bringing their B game to rote dance tracks like “Shattered Glass” (pronounced glah-ee-ass) and the puerile “If You Seek Amy” (sound it out to hear why it’ll be a middle-school sensation). But halfway through, Circus shifts from defiant booty calls to subtler material; suddenly, it’s a first-rate electro-pop album. The Danja-produced “Blur” is a remarkably pretty song about (finally!) an actual blackout. “Mmm Papi” giddily sets her littlest-girl voice against a gu
The standout is “Unusual You,” a pulsating ballad where a woman of experience finds ? unexpected love: “Didn’t anyone tell you you’re supposed to/Break my heart, I expect you to/ So why haven’t you?” Mostly, Spears still ? presents herself as fantasy object, but here might be her own fantasy — of real acceptance. Next time, Britney, flash us more of that. B
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.
Britney Spears latest album has already charted based on pre-orders alone. Her album, “Circus” has reached #9 on Itunes top albums chart. I would say thats pretty damn good for a pre-order. I wonder if any other album on itunes has charted in the top ten based on pre-orders alone? Who cares, Britney did. ha Read more… »
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… »
In the next month a lot will be happening, performances, album release, MTV Specials. Plenty to get excited about and look forward to. Heres a little countdown so you can see how long you have left before the “Circus” begins.
- 6 days until the TRL Finale.
- 6 days until the MTV special “Britney Fans: For The Record”.
- 18 days until Star Academy performance.
- 19 days until X-Factor performance.
- 20 days until the MTV special “Britney:For The Record”.
- 22 days until GMA performance and birthday celebration.
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.
Details for Britneys “Circus Deluxe Edition” have come out of hiding and it looks goood!
The package will contain the CD as well as a DVD featuring the making of “Circus” music vid, the “Womanizer” music vid and a photo gallery.
The CD portion will contain the same tracks as the standard version as well as two bonus tracks, “Rock Me In” & “Phonography.”
Also for anyone looking to purchase “Circus” on Itunes, theres a little extra in it for you as well. If you pre-order “Circus” before Dec 2nd you will recieve a bonus track, “Trouble”, which is the same song she started out her 2007 VMA performance with. Pre-orders start this Tuesday, Nov. 11th. The song will disappear once Dec. 2nd rollls around so pre-order bitches!
Britney Spears won her first award at the 2008 EMAs. Britney won Album of the year for “Blackout”. She wasn’t present to accept the award but did have a pre-recorded thank you message. The message was recorded from the set of the her next music video “Circus”. Yay for Britney!
Will update later with photos and hopefully a video of the acceptance speech.
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.
