Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale confirms her status

The bubblegum “…Baby One More Time” Britney Spears is long gone, but the fierce Femme Fatale Britney Spears has no reason to miss her, and neither do we.

Spears’ reputation precedes her. Luckily, her seventh studio album manages to keep up with the tumultuous pop music scene and gives her a product with nearly as much impact as her name for the first time in a while.

Femme Fatale combines the mystique of 2003’s In The Zone, the strange aggressiveness of 2007’s Blackout and the cheeky fun of 2008’s Circus. The result might just be her most comprehensive and consistent release to date.

A group of super-producers including Dr. Luke and Max Martin, two guys responsible for a good chunk of songs the radio won’t stop playing, was behind the making of Femme Fatale.

As expected, autotune is abundant from start to finish, but it isn’t nearly as distracting as expected.

“Hold It Against Me,” Femme Fatale’s first single, is a fairly accurate gauge of the overall sound of the album: a heavy-hitting club banger all about having a good time. Its brazen double entendre more than makes up for Circus’ weak attempt at cleverness with the controversial “If U Seek Amy.”

Unlike in Spears’ previous efforts, the lead single is not the obvious high point of the album. Save for one dud, the irritating “Big Fat Bass” featuring Will.i.Am, there is no filler begging to be skipped on Femme Fatale.

Each song is equally infectious, yet has its own character distinguishing it from the others.

Several songs take big risks. The bumping “(Drop Dead) Beautiful” is almost vicious in its confidence and features a cameo from up-and-coming female rapper Sabi in the bridge.

Spears’ second single, “Til The World Ends,” is pure rambunctious dance music, like every Blackout track on ecstasy. The trance hit sounds undeniably different from most of its current top-40 counterparts.

As a whole, the album is more understated and slightly sharper than the material Spears’ contemporaries, like Christina Aguilera, have released in recent years.

What makes Femme Fatale all the more interesting is although every track is made for the dance floor, a hint of darkness lingers behind these songs full of sex and synth.

The semi-ballad “Inside Out” is surprisingly raw. Obsessive and emotional, the song describes a destructive relationship with lyrics that nod to Spears’ complicated past.

Another tenacious track, “Seal It With A Kiss,” sounds peppy but is laced with undertones more sinister than what is usually found in a standard Spears tune.

Momentum doesn’t let up even toward the end of the album. The wispy, cosmic “Trip To Your Heart” is sandwiched between the rough-around-the-edges “Trouble For Me” and the silky “Gasoline,” akin to a less frantic “Toxic.” The flow shouldn’t work, but it does.

The album offers a strong finish in the form of the quirky “Criminal,” which has unexpected melodies reminiscent of flutes and acoustic guitars.

The deluxe edition of Femme Fatale comes with four bonus songs.

The ridiculously catchy “Up N Down” is especially fun, but the clear standout is “He About To Lose Me.”

Grammatical errors aside, the track is equal parts haunting, alluring and sad. Spears does some solid vocal work here, her smokey singing seamlessly drifting over captivating beats.

It might not quite be radio- friendly, but it deserves to stand alongside the best in Spears’ musical catalogue.

Spears has no writing credit on Femme Fatale, though her persona does subtly peek through the cracks. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, she made it very clear she is “heavily involved in every album” and “will only record songs [she] love[s].”

Taking the creative helm and coming out with something as fresh as Femme Fatale proves Spears might be smarter than people think, at least when it comes to her music.

Naysayers can naysay all they want, but it doesn’t change the fact that Spears has managed to remain relevant nearly 13 years into her career.

Is Femme Fatale a musical masterpiece?

Of course not. And no one is pretending that it is, especially not Spears herself.

It is a solid and effective record worthy of repeat listens that greatly succeeds in the context for which it was made — reaffirming Spears’ spot at the top of the pop pyramid.