Circus is the seventh album by Britney Spears. It rolls into town on the heels of an MTV VMA awards sweep, where Britney walked away with three Moonmen awards for 'Video of the Year', 'Best Female' and 'Best Pop Video' for 'Piece Of Me'. Circus is the follow up to her critically well received album, Blackout, just in in time for her 27th birthday. The lead single, 'Womanizer' (produced by the up and coming Atlanta production team The Outsyders) has already created a frenzy amongst Britney fantaics, radio and the media alike-underscoring Britney's continued reign as one of the Queens of Pop.
Squint at the cover of Circus and it's easy to mistake Britney Spears for the flow-haired Jessica Simpson--an indication that the bold come-ons of 2007's Blackout, a commercial success but a critical letdown, may have given way to something softer and prettier. Don't be fooled. Circus differs from Blackout in a number of ways, the most important being that 1) it keeps its ringmasters--i.e., its producers--in check instead of allowing them to run an overly sleek show, and 2) Brit brings it vocally here in a way she hasn't since 2003's In the Zone (check "Kill the Lights," on which she channels her mentor Madonna and the liquid-y "Blur"). Beyond that, Circus is, as its title promises, a Blackout-like spectacle. Which is not to say the songs being made under this particular big top aren't top quality. Those who pine for the pre-trainwreck Britney will warm to the suggestive but not outright slutty "Mmm Papi," and anyone who can't get enough of the embattled publicity magnet will eat up "Womanizer" and the title track. Spears--let's be honest--lacks acrobatic grace, at least under tabloid scrutiny. What's great about Circus is it proves she's still willing to jump through hoops to make likable, stylish music. --Tammy La Gorce
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
She did it again:
I've been a Brit fan for a long time and even though I fell off listening to her music for a few years I decided to buy this album and I'm so glad I did. I love it! After listening to any album through a good amount of times, you start having favorites and even though I do I hardly ever fast forward through any songs here. The shipment was quick, nothing was wrong with the product and I still enjoy it! It comes with a little poster which I put on the wall =) I think there's a good mix of dancey-pop songs, a... more info
lovely!:
I didn't start liking her until she went nuts. There are some great "bite back" songs on this album that make me laugh and make me applaud her for showing the ridiculousness of her own position in this society. Whether she means to or not, she makes me smile at the irony.
A fun Brit but .....:
I just want to start off by saying this is a fun album ,and that's all it's meant to be. It isn't meant to be a biography even though there are songs like "out from under' and "unusual you" that have a faint sense of realism to them. Britney is out to do what she does best which is to promote fun pop music that leaves you repeating it way after it's has stopped playing. The beyond catchy "Womanizer" gets everything started and has a faint hint of Blackout. It just goes more up beat than anything did on... more info
3-1/2 stars -- Back as the main attraction?:
Britney Spears' personal problems during the latter half of the `00s were discussed to death all over television, so I'm not going to go into that. I never had anything against her as an artist; still, I wasn't really impressed with some of her early albums. I didn't get to hear her "comeback" album Blackout, but I decided to listen to Circus. The best song on here would have to be "My Baby", an acoustic dedication to her two sons. The thing is, though, when I hear that song I'm reminded of a question... more info
![...Baby One More Time [ENHANCED CD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51lF8e2by6L._SL75_.jpg)
