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33 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Grab Yourself a Ringside Seat, December 2, 2008
Last year's "Blackout" was a strong pop record that sold well, peaking at #2 on the Billboard charts and yielding a handful of hit singles. "Circus," therefore, represents more of a personal than musical comeback for Spears.
The good sense to release "Womanizer" - a chugging, energetic slice of guilty pleasure dance/pop with no self-conscious lyrical connection to Spears' personal life - as the lead single for the album - her second #1 single and first of the late 2000s - has certainly paid off.
"Circus" contains many potential smashes, suggesting it may have a shelf life of significant length. The naughty "If U Seek Amy" is all sass and swagger, and the title track percolates and bubbles with hyperactive energy. "Lace and Leather" is spare, sexy sensuality with its downbeat tempo and spacey synths, and "Kill the Lights" is an out-the-ballpark smash with its frothy tempo changes and matter-of-fact, detached vocal delivery.
It may take a few plays for the hooks to settle in, but these are songs are not Disney radio-fodder pop machinizations to be forgotten by next week. These hooks are contagious and, most importantly, completely fun.
Spears again attempts light, melancholy balladry in the vein of "Sometimes" and "Everytime (sp: Every Time)" after last year's "Blackout" was wall-to-wall sexual energy and party jams. "Unusual You" is a new variation on "Everytime" with a cushier, more understated hook that could spell surprise mega-smash, although such could also happen for full-throttle breakup ballad "Out From Under," even if its lyrics lean toward the overly literal. The soft, devotional "My Baby" provides a strong, unexpected conclusion.
Surprisingly, "Circus" is not a pure cotton candy/crackerjack sugar rush. Such a description is truer of "Blackout," which was unpretentious fun from top to bottom. Rather, it is "Circus" that is the more ambitious, mixed record, and, most importantly, it works where it should.
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24 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Britney Makes All The Right Moves On Circus, December 2, 2008
While Britney Spears has made more than her share of wrong moves personally and publicly, Spears & Company appear to have made all the right ones with "Circus", her sixth studio album. As presentation, performance, videos and visual appeal have always played a major part in the success of the pop music icon, Spears appears in much better shape, both literally and figuratively, to handle and promote this record. The smart moves made by the decision-makers-that-be include:
-Pre-releasing the album in high quality sound online. No worries about crappy-sounding leaks that can give a false, bad impression of the actual product. And, it gives a chance for 'non-fans' like me to hear that this record is surprisingly good. Also, it gets all of the contagious hooks into people's heads so they can't help but buy upon release.
-Taming the content a bit and 'changing things up' with song selection. There isn't anything outlandish here...yes, the special effects are all over the dance tracks as one would expect, but they generally seem to fit well...there are only a couple of songs that are a little over-the-top for me ("Mmm Papi", "Mannequin"). The heavy bass guitar groove on "Lace And Leather" had me hopping, and I generally don't even like Dance-Pop! The song "Circus" is perhaps the best dance track; everything about it works perfectly, and it's a very creative, original song.
But what really makes this album stand out from my perspective is how they change the mood with songs like "Unusual You", "Blur", "Out From Under" and "My Baby"...and the best word I can think of to describe them is 'refreshing'...we haven't heard anything like these from Britney in quite some time, if at all.
I believe that Britney sounds best when using the lower registers of her voice, and we get to hear that on "Blur", and to a lesser extent, "Unusual You". The slower "Out From Under" is eerily beautiful and the type of song I knew should could pull off, which she does convincingly. And while I admit her vocal performance on "My Baby" leaves a bit to be desired, I applaud her for what she's trying to do.
-Having Britney collaborate with the writers more on this album, and bringing back Max Martin (writer of "Baby One More Time") to help 'right the ship'. Whether she's singing to get back at those who seem to find 'pleasure in her pain', or trying to tantalize us with her sex appeal, or attempting to connect with us on an emotional level and tug at our heart-strings, it comes across more genuine and sincere...she sounds invested in these songs; like they're her 'babies'.
"Circus" is the culmination of quite the wild ride for Britney Spears, and by the sound of things, it may have been worth it.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Circus is pure pop heaven!, December 3, 2008
I love this album, and can't get enough of it.
My favorites: Womanizer, Circus, If U Seek Amy, Unusual You, Lace and Leather
My least favorites: Blur, My Baby
The songs are fun, the beats are edgy -- I really can't think of anything bad to say. Glad to see Britney is finally coming back on top.
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by Britney Spears 
