Back in 2007, after her disastrous VMA performance and following flop "Blackout", Britney Spears ended up ceding control of both her personal and professional life to her father. This change was very apparent in 2008's "Circus", it was an eclectic mix filled with singles surrounded by filler, or in short, a typical Britney Spears album. It wasn't bad by any means, but it couldn't quite measure up to the irresistible, guilty-pleasure pop that marked her earlier albums. Three years later, with Britney well recovered, we see 2011's "Femme Fatale", the first stylized blockbuster this year. Unfortunately, Britney is still at the command of her management, as they once again decide to not let Britney get deeply involved in the album's production. Looking within the liner notes, there's a bunch of glammed-up, diva photos, and then the production credits with hit-makers Dr. Luke and Max Martin making up a majority of the roster, Britney nowhere to be found. She's on the cover, her vocals are on the tracks, but "Femme Fatale" is not the work of her as an artist, but rather, the work of her collaborators. And there are alot of them, besides her old friends Luke and Max, she (or rather her handlers) drafted will.i.am, William Orbit, StarGate, Rodney Jerkins, and Frasier T Smith (among many others), to craft a sleek, firmly sealed dance record devoid of any real, tangible persona. This basically continues the trend started in "Blackout", as everything she's made since then has lacked any sense of Britney. She's now just the figurehead of a carefully crafted pop franchise, also another thing that's typical Britney. On the surface, "Femme Fatale" just looks like cleaner and more refined version of her old material, and to a certain extent this is true, but there's also something special special about "Femme Fatale".
For one, it's only her second album to feature guest artists (the last being Madonna's appearance on "In the Zone" in 2003). The guest appearances provide mixed results: "Drop Dead Beautiful" is a decent dance groove minus the cringe-worthy performance from Sabi, and will.i.am's help on "Big Fat Bass" definitely changes it up quite a bit, though repetitive, it's still an ingratiating club track. Then there's the hooks, which have become some of Britney's best. "Hold It Against Me", with its retro-hook up line and "Till the World Ends" with its anthemic chanting, are some of her best dance music. The glitzy pop elements of her previous have been phased out, leaving deep, synthesized bass-lines and glassy keyboards. And then there's Britney's vocals, which have been roboticized, spliced, auto-tuned, shredded, and twisted through many vocoders. A sentiment surely to remind you of "Blackout", but this time, this is voice-altering done right. With Britney more restrained than she was in 2007, she now knows how to paint by the numbers, never coloring outside of the lines and never gets in the way of her producers. She provides the most basic vocal performance she can so the men behind the booth can work their magic. On paper this may seem off-putting, all of this lack of involvement has produced what is arguably Britney's strongest album. It takes more musical risks than she's done in a long time, and for once, it's consistent, as the dark, club-ready vibe never ceases throughout, and is nearly filler free. It's, thankfully, ballad free, as the only thing that comes close to a ballad is the closer "Criminal", which just might be the album's best track, as it mixes a folk-style flute, acoustic guitar, and light dance beats. For the first time in four years, the heavy electronic effects of "Femme Fatale" celebrate Britney's new-found empty persona, something that's truly fun stuff. It may not be deep, it's not anywhere close to Earth-shattering (in fact, it's about as 2011 as 2011 albums come), but it's still fun. After the tumult and strife post "Blackout", Britney sure does deserve to have a little fun. All things considered, it's her most satisfying album since her artistic breakthrough back in 2003.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Till
The World Ends 2. Hold It Against Me 3. Inside Out
4. I
Wanna Go 5. How I Roll 6. Drop Dead Beautiful
7. Seal it with a Kiss 8. Big Fat Bass 9.
Trouble for Me
10. Trip
to You Heart 11. Gasoline 12. Criminal
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