Britney Spears finally gets her act together

By Rito Asilo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Most Read

BRITNEY SPEARS is at it again. This time, however, she’s making headlines with her music. With the release of her seventhstudio album, “Femme Fatale,” which debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week, Britney has turned the boundless energy and gossip-fodder, bad-girl antics of her teenage years into irresistible sleaze-and-tease dance moves and grooves
.
It’s about time the pop princess gets her act together for good—after all, Spears is turning 30 in December, so it’s no longer wise to keep blaming her wayward youth for her paparazzi-drawing “indiscretions” (right, Lindsay Lohan?). Besides, young record-buyers nowadays prefer to get their pop-music fix from eccentric but otherwise wholesome role models like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.

These days, instead of seeing Britney looking disoriented, all-boozed-out and without her undies while painting Tinseltown red, we’re only too happy to see the dance diva gamely posing for the paparazzi with her sons, Sean Preston and Jaden James, after watching a performance of “The Lion King” in Vegas. It sure looks like Sin City is no longer Britney’s “playground” of choice. Time flies, indeed!


Splashy debut

“Femme Fatale” is Spears’ sixth chart-topping collection. Does the album deserve its splashy debut? Yes. Britney may not have the best pipes in musicland, but she certainly knows how to put them to good use in her hook-heavy, Autotune-embellished dance confections. She laces their pulsating energy and throbbing beats with sex, sweaty come-ons—and, curiously, sadness.

In her time, Madonna seduced priests and burned crosses in her raunchy videos to sustain people’s interest. But, Britney let her music do the wooing—even in her tumultuous years. She successfully utilizes her squeaky voice for dance-tune branding. She has pretty much cleaned up her act, but her rebellious streak is as potent as ever, albeit only in her music.

The throbbing first bars of “Till The World Ends” and the twitchy dubsteps of “Hold It Against Me” are enough to get listeners grooving, synergized further by padded harmonies that are easy on the ears. “Inside Out” captures the songstress at her naughty and pouty best. And, with its popping and clapping sounds, “How I Roll’s” novel innovations are too catchy to ignore.


Soft and sultry

Will.i.am introduces a lot of disparate sounds in “Big Fat Bass,” and they coalesce together beautifully. This radio-friendly track may be thematically barren, but it’s hard not to get energized by its thumping and rocking beats. In the gliding “Trip to Your Heart,” Britney’s soft and sultry cooing evens out the edgy arrangement.

And, just when you think “Femme Fatale” doesn’t offer anything but dance tunes, Spears wraps it all up with the Irish-sounding, flute-and-strings ballad, “Criminal,” whose hypnotic sway will remind you of Supertramp’s “The Logical Song.” What Britney Spears says and sings in “Femme Fatale” doesn’t always make sense—but, fortunately, her music does!

When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.

Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City for only P12,000.00/month with its own parking lot. Hurry while the supply of units last. Just call the Tel. Nos. (053)555-8464/09164422611/  09173373687

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer