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album
profile
Britney Spears' Circus writes
the book for musical comebacks
Known for her head shaving, partying and tabloid-worthy antics,
Britney Spears has come out of the woodwork to make a musical
comeback. And with her sixth album, Circus, she has shed all her
tabloid tags to emerge again as a leading pop icon.
Saba Imtiaz
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In
1999, when Britney Spears sprung out of nowhere to become one
of the biggest pop singers of our time, no one would have expected
her eventual meltdown that the tabloids covered breathlessly.
But Britney - who continually manages to surprise her fans and
detractors alike - has made a miraculous comeback to the top
of the charts. And with her sixth album, Circus, she's proven
that while Rihanna, Beyonce Knowles (who would now like to be
known as Sasha Fierce. Confusing? Yes) and Katy Perry may have
captured our imagination and play lists for a while - Britney's
hit us one more time.
Circus kicks off with the incredibly addictive 'Womanizer' -
the song that is, as all addictive pop songs are, lyrically
very simple but boasts immaculate production. From the siren-esque
sounds in the background, to the catchy hooks to the chorus
- 'Womanizer' it's a great lead in to showcasing Britney's matured
vocals.
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Moreover,
she retains that edgy, seductive sound that has made her such a fixture
on music charts.
Circus' on the other hand, reminds one of a Madonna song - yet it
is far, far better than anything that the Material Girl has produced
in recent history. Produced by Dr Luke (the man behind Katy Perry's
'I Kissed a Girl' and Kelly Clarkson's 'Since you've been gone' according
to music blog prettymuchamazing.com) the song makes one hit repeat
constantly. The song is edgy, forceful pop - if 'Womanizer' seems
vapid by virtue of its title, 'Circus' is the counter take to it.
Yet it instantly made me want to jump onto a dance floor - 'Don't
stand there watching me, follow me, show me what you can do!' - and
is one of the songs that I kept returning to as I heard the album.
Circus then takes a totally different turn with one of her signature
pop ballads - 'Out from under'. Her vocals take one back to the Britney
of 1999 - and this naiveté combined with pop will retain a
younger audience who may have passed Britney over for the likes of
younger pop singers.
The next track, 'Kill the Lights' has been produced by Danja, the
man who helped Timbaland deliver some of his biggest hits with Nelly
Furtado and Justin Timberlake. Danja also produced 'Gimme More' and
two other tracks from Britney's last album, Blackout. The song probably
comes straight from Britney's heart - its her message to the paparazzi
and starts off with 'our own very pop princess has a very special
announcement she would like to make' and is a musical version of a
tete a tete she'd probably love to have with the photographers that
dog her. 'Is the money in your pocket, are you happy to see me, kill
the lights!'
'Shattered Glass' is one of the tracks I may have skipped over had
it not been for Britney's pronunciation of glass that leapt out: 'gla-ee-ays'.
Following 'Kill the lights' this song holds yet another message: to
an ex-lover who is still haunted by Ms Spears.
'If you seek Amy' passes by in a blur, but the next track 'Unusual
you' is inherently unusual: for one, it doesn't even sound like Britney.
The song will definitely find fans across musical genres. Kudos to
the producers of this song for making Britney take such a U-turn.
It rings a bell of the effect one feels when listening to Nelly Furtado's
'Why do all good things come to an end' or even one of Ingrid Michaelson's
breathy indie songs.
Blur' has also been produced by Danja, and continues in the wistful,
morning-after feel that lingers after 'Unusual you'. The song should
(and probably will) end up on the music score of a film or one of
the hit TV shows in the US. 'Mmm Papi'and 'Mannequin' are two more
signature Britney-pop tracks that follow, though 'Mannequin' is definitely
far more addictive than 'Mmm Papi' with its chorus of '
You can cry your eyes out of your head / Baby, baby / I don't care,
I don't care, I don't care, I don't care / You can cry(-cry-cry) again(-gain-gain)'
One expects this track will be another chart hit for Britney.
'Lace and leather' shows Britney at her old, risqué, provocative
self - with its overtly suggestive lyrics 'French fingertips, Red
lips, B**ch is dangerous, Cotton candy kiss, Can't wait for my sugar
rush' - you get the drift. |
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Baby' is one of the songs off Circus that has been talked about
a fair bit, since the song is touted to be about Britney's two
children - and this closes off the album. While the song is
generally weak, it is probably the best way for Britney to end
the album as she makes her road to complete recovery.There are
also a number of bonus tracks that have also been making the
rounds online, said to be for international versions of the
album - five of these include 'Rock boy', 'Amnesia', 'Quicksand',
'Trouble' and 'Radar'. While 'Rock boy' is forgettable, themed
on a groupie's ode to a rock star, 'Amnesia' and 'Trouble' both
stand out, particularly because of the wide-eyed drama of 'Amnesia'
and the looping vocals on 'Trouble'. 'Radar', on the other hand,
sounds too much like 'Womanizer' to hold its own. Don't be fooled
by 'Quicksand' - it may have a syrupy start, but it is another
song that is remarkable: edgier, brutally honest and has a Euro-pop
feel to it - expect this song to be burning up dance floors. |
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Circus proves that any star - even Britney - can make a comeback
with the right producers and songwriters. That effective machinery
- to extract the best out of a star that is really a far better
performer than she is a singer - has worked in perfect harmony to
make Circus into a sellable album. Proof of that is the fact that
the songwriting makes the album poignant and hearfelt at moments,
and true-to-the-core ditzy pop at others. This is something that
the local music industry could learn from - we may only have a handful
of producers, but the artists need to look at pooling the resources
they do have to make their albums more cohesive. One example of
this is Coke Studio which Rohail Hyatt put together and ensured
that the 'stars' collaborated together with the set musicians to
make the sound perfect.
And this is why Circus blows one away. The quality of this album
- from Britney's vocals to the lyrics and most notably - the brilliant
production - are all reason to show why Britney can't be written
off. Even with all the hype surrounding Circus, the album overshadows
the music pundits' talk and leaves one impressed. With this album,
Spears has silenced anyone who said, "Britney who?" or
thought she'd be a Page 3 fixture forever. Given the massive success
of her first release, 'Womanizer', Circus will predictably capture
back the market that Britney's lost to rivals.
Moreover, it will bring back Britney's fans from the Baby, One More
Time days who are now hitting their mid-twenties, back to her fold.
And even more importantly, Britney's standing as a pop icon has
been restored. It's good to have Ms Spears back in the house.
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