Femme Fatale, the seventh album by teen idol Britney Spears, is the successor to the reasonably successful Circus (2008). Circus was a fairly tame record that mainly had to prove that Britney was a decent woman and a good mother too. Meanwhile, the market has been overrun by young ladies who are very naughty. After the success of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, Spears obviously cannot be left behind. Dr.
Luke, Max Martin and Will.I.Am therefore provide humming synth basses and dry electro drums. Furthermore, it is striking that there is not a single bland ballad or sing-along on this CD, which is normally a regular item for the American one. The best production contribution is from the Swede Bloodshy, who was previously responsible for the fine single Toxic (2003). His song How I Roll sounds fresher and more original than most of her younger competitors Ke $ ha and Katy Perry songs. In moments like this Britney shows that she can still keep up well and does not have to be inferior to hip and relevant artists. Despite the album title she never gets really dangerous, although Femme Fatale is quite exciting musically from time to time. (JE)more
