Album Review: Britney Spears - Femme Fatale

Britney Spears - Femme Fatale

She's packed a fair bit into her 29 years, old Britney. Notwithstanding all the trouble in her personal life, Femme Fatale is Spears' seventh album which is not bad going for someone who has staged more comebacks than Status Quo.

Femme Fatale is a timely reminder that Spears remains one of the queens of high NRG pop music. Whilst much of the album is auto-tuned, the production and writing team still know how to crank out a decent disco stomper and there are plenty on this 16 track album.

Opening singles Til The World Ends and Hold It Against Me are terrific pop records (notwithstanding the corny Carry On-esque lyrics of the latter) and there's the obligatory will.i.am collaboration (the creaky and repetitive Big Fat Bass).

The mid paced Criminal recalls Supertramp's Logical Song whilst Up'N'Down samples Inner City's 1988 hit Good Life. Gasoline stretches an extended petrol metaphor about as far as it can go, whilst How I Roll (written by the team responsible for Toxic) is destined to be a single at some point.

Femme Fatale seems to be something of a victory for quantity over quality although there are some decent tracks here. It's not the best record ever - the decent stuff is spread a bit thin - but it proves that Britney has plenty of attitude (and plenty of lyrical sexual innuendo) left in the tank.