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Music News: Britney Spears: "Circus" era discussion
Member Since: 12/6/2007
Posts: 8,865
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Quote:
Originally posted by bruninho
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The font kinda  the photo maybe, I think it's the best so far 
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Member Since: 9/25/2001
Posts: 26,816
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I mean I like that, but not as an album cover.
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Member Since: 6/26/2005
Posts: 3,231
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i wish they would have used the same font for the Circus cover that they used for the Womanizer cover, i thought that was cool with the lines extending out from the letters.... kinda like in my avatar (which is a simple version of that font that I tried to make lol)
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Member Since: 11/13/2008
Posts: 4,129
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SWEET! "Womanizer"is now platinum  Go Britney!
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Member Since: 9/4/2008
Posts: 11,720
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Here is my review:
Britney Spears ''Circus''
Review
10 years ago, Britney Spears appeared on the scene with her debut album ‘’Baby One More Time’’ and I was instantly hooked. My obsession was just growing with the years and by the time her fourth studio album, ‘’In The Zone’’ was released – I was borderline obsessed. Then Britney’s personal struggle started and with it came years of waiting and the album ‘’Blackout’’, which had it’s brilliant moments, but always failed to impress me overall. Was it the lack of musical direction or just the overall bitter aftertaste of Britney’s shenanigans during the time of the release, I don’t know – but it was just too much for me to handle. The songs seemed pretentious and sad considering Britney was singing about being ‘’hot as ice’’ and ‘’new and improved’’ while falling apart in front of the world.
At that point, I had already given up on seeing the pop princess back on her throne ever again. However, after years of disappointment and havoc, Britney’s life started turning around and with the help of her family Britney started working on a new record mid-2008. This record was labeled as the comeback record of the Britney Spears we all once knew and loved. Quickly and steadily, things have started to change and soon enough Britney’s sixth studio album, ‘’Circus’’, was announced. Now, we finally have a chance to hear it.
I waited a few days before writing my review because I wanted all the songs to sink in a little bit so I could give a fair commentary on the new material.
The album opener and the first single ‘’Womanizer’’ and it’s electronic intro rips into the album and has you instantly hooked. Say what you say about Womanizer, but this song is pure pop crack. It’s addictive and radio friendly, deliciously reminiscent of Britney’s older hits like Toxic. And that wasn’t a coincidence, I bet you. The single is a clear message that the old Britney is back and it does a mighty fine task at proclaiming this message to the world. Sure, it might not have been the personal insight into Britney’s mind during her dark times, but maybe that’s for the best. Womanizer is a great, empowering comeback single and the fact that it was her first #1 single since her breakthrough single really speaks volumes.
The second track and, predictably, the second single ‘’Circus’’ is definitely the high point of the record, and quite possibly – of Britney’s career. This album may not be perfect start to end, but this song is a true comeback song. Strong lyrics, catchy hooks and a fierce breakdown make ‘’Circus’’ one of Britney’s strongest tracks yet – if not the strongest song she’s ever recorded. You can just imagine lots of fire, wild animals, whips and leather on stage during the performance of this song. The song has the message that Britney is ready to come back onto the stage as the fierce performer she once was, but it also has a smart innuendo about the media circus that’s always revolving around her. If this song becomes a radio hit, it could mean that pop music is finally back on top. This is Britney at her best, doing what she does best.
Track 3 is the highly anticipated Guy Sigsworth ballad ‘’Out From Under’’. It’s a really beautiful track about a relationship that lingers on even after it’s over and technically speaking, it’s a really good pop song. However, I feel that the songs purpose was supposed to be personal, and it just doesn’t feel like that at all. I wish Guy and Britney wrote another ballad in the same vein with lyrics written specifically about Britney, instead of taking from the Bratz soundtrack. It is rumored that this track will be the third single, and I’m really curious how this will do because it doesn’t sound like the stuff you’d hear on the radio post-2000. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, considering it sounds like it came out of Britney’s ‘’Oops!... I Did It Again’’ album.
Straight back to the up-tempo stuff, we get ‘’Kill The Lights’’. Just like any Danja production before, the song isn’t bad but still feels unfinished. There’s always a certain something missing to his tracks, and you can feel it. I remember him saying how he doesn’t like working for pop stars like Britney Spears, so maybe that’s the reason. However, Kill The Lights is the most mainstream track on the album, sounding like many recent urban/pop tracks that dominated the radio in the past few years. This song is the most reminiscent of Britney’s last record, and it may be one of the reasons I’m not going crazy over it, but I still can’t say it’s a bad song. The best part of the lyrics is the opening verse where Britney proclaims ‘’you don’t like me/I don’t like you/it don’t matter/the only difference/you still listen/I don’t have to’’ in a confident, secure manner that was never audible on the creative mess that was ‘’Blackout’’. Danja once again goes over the board with his long intro to the song, proclaiming Britney the new Queen of Pop, which just sounds egoistical and delusional. When you self proclaim yourself things you are not, it immediately feels kind of sad.
‘’Shattered Glass’’ follows, and in less than 3 minutes, it shows that this album is different than Blackout. Haunting lyrics, a passively-aggressive mellow sound mixed with lyrics of delightful revenge and some seriously surprising twists and turns production-vise make this song a really enjoyable listen. Fairly experimental (for Britney Spears, atleast – the sound has already been explored by many pop artists like Kylie Minogue), it feels fresh and new and is definitely one of the best tracks on the record.
‘’If U Seek Amy’’, a smart wordplay with the words ‘’**** me’’ makes a really fun pop song. It’s definitely not what we expected from Max Martin (‘’Baby One More Time’’, ‘’Oops!... I Did It Again’’, ‘’Overprotected’’), but it still remains delightfully catchy. The lyrics are quite dumb and not really insightful, but with a hook like that it doesn’t really matter. Cocky and loud, this time around it sounds fine because Britney actually has the looks to pull it off (unlike on Blackout). The only complaint is that it sounds a bit like P!nk’s ‘’So What’’, but I’m sure P!nk wouldn’t mind – she’s always adored Britney.
‘’Unusual You’’ is another track in the vein of contemporary electro-pop like ‘’Shattered Glass’’. Mature in its thematic, it definitely feels like an artistic improvement over the shallow tracks from ‘’Blackout’’, however it still feels kind of outdated. While I really enjoy it, I could also see this track as a nice b-side off Kylie’s latest record ‘’X’’.
After that, we have another Danja production called ‘’Blur’’. This is the track that pleasantly surprised me. The song is moody and dark, and it’s a definite 180 from their previous work. It sounds nothing like the ‘’Gimme Gimme/Get Naked Get Naked/Get Back Get Back’’ tracks he used to do, and manages to sound mature and serious. The song itself transcribes the feeling of the morning after a wild night almost perfectly, maybe even better than the Moby masterpiece ‘’Early Mornin’’ from her fourth studio album.
‘’Mmm Papi’’ follows. I truly have no words to explain or to even question the reason why this song was ever recorded. OK, Britney co-wrote it. She probably likes it. But for Christs Sake, this song just screams b-side! It doesn’t fit the theme of the album at all and it just breaks the flow of mature pop songs on this album. Yes, the song does get into your ear and it’s catchy – but you still can’t avoid feeling stupid listening to Britney stupidly repeat ‘’mmm papa love you, mmm papa love you’’. One of the bonus tracks, like ‘’Amnesia’’, ‘’Quicksand’’ or ‘’Phonography’’ would make for a much better choice. Oh well… moving on.
After the low point of the record, we get another highlight called ‘’Mannequin’’. This song immediately pulls you in, sounding advanced, fresh and straight out of the future. Honestly, if ‘’Slave’’ was recorded in 2049 – I’m pretty sure it would sound like ‘’Mannequin’’. Unusual structure, unusual lyrics and unusual production make this one of the most experimental moments in Britney’s entire career. The song has a great rhythm a good melody and makes for one hell of a dance song. Immediately excellent.
When you hear the title ‘’Lace And Leather’’, it might sound like a dark trip into the world of S&M, but it’s not quite it. 90’s inspired in its sound and production, it makes for an interesting listen. While it’s not up there with the album highlights like ‘’Circus’’ and ‘’Mannequin’’, it’s definitely not a bad song and fits the Circus theme well. I also think the song will make for a good performance on the upcoming comeback world tour.
The last track on the official tracklisting, called ‘’My Baby’’ – written by Spears and produced by Guy Sigsworth is a nice little ballad about Britney’s life with(out) her children. It does feel kind of tacky at times, but it also captures the sad, haunting feeling of loss in the chorus. Just like in ‘’Everytime’’ - Britney’s weak voice actually works in her favor this time, transcribing the feeling of an insecure person that’s mourning very well. However, I hope that Britney can do better lyrically in the future.
The album also includes a couple of excellent bonus tracks like ‘’Phonography’’, ‘’Amnesia’’ and ‘’Quicksand’’ which could have easily made the official tracklisting. ‘’Phonography’’ and ‘’Quicksand’’ would even make good singles, I think. There are also ‘’Rock Boy’’ and ‘’Trouble’’, which are standard good (but not good enough) bonus tracks. The only horrid bonus song is ‘’Rock Me In’’, which should be quickly forgotten and never again recreated.
Overall, ‘’Circus’’ is a natural progression from Britney’s older material. While she strayed away with Blackout, we can forget that considering she wasn’t really being herself during that period. There are not many hits on this album, but the few that are hit-worthy will be more than enough with the buzz of Britney’s comeback. The point of this album was to prove that Britney can make a comeback, and I think it will work very well in her favor. As a fan, I would have liked more artistic involvement from Britney, and a more thought out tracklisting. The album seriously tumbles down in it’s second half, and if it wasn’t for the excellent ‘’Blur’’ and ‘’Mannequin’’ I would be seriously upset by it’s shortcomings. Good thing we have good bonus tracks to make up for some weaker moments like ‘’Mmm Papi’’. This album feels like a definite improvement and you can see that Britney is trying hard to grow up, reminding me very much of Madonna’s ‘’Bedtime Stories’’ album. In hope that the follow up to ‘’Circus’’ will be Britney’s ‘’Ray Of Light’’, I conclude this review.
Bring on the performances and the tour, we all can’t wait to see you back on that stage doing what you do best, girl.
STANDOUT TRACKS: Circus, Womanizer, Shattered Glass, Blur, Mannequin, Quicksand, Phonography
TRACKS TO SKIP: Mmm Papi, My Baby, Rock Me In, Rock Boy
OVERALL RATE: 8/10
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Member Since: 12/6/2007
Posts: 8,865
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Banned
Member Since: 7/28/2005
Posts: 9,146
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Did she re-record "Radar", or did they just add some stuff to the production? And they might as well put "feat. Candice Nelson" because she's the only one I hear on the good parts 
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Member Since: 2/1/2008
Posts: 996
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Quote:
Originally posted by musicb_/
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Member Since: 12/25/2003
Posts: 13,870
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International Chart Update for Wednesday:
Global Singles Rankings
Finland: #4 (+9)
Norway: #9 (-7) 
New Zealand: #13 (=)
Spain: #19 (=)
Global Digital Only Rankings
Spain: #19 (=)
Global Airplay Rankings
Canada: #5 (-1)
Croatia (International): #5 (+2)
Australia: #8 (+4)
Russia: #8 (+7) with 13,215 radio spins this week.
New Zealand: #23 (-8) with 724 spins, however it only dips down 2 to #5 on Pop Airplay.
Czech Republic: #35 (+17)
Slovakia: #66 (NE)
Global TV Airplay Rankings
New Zealand Music Channels:
Juice TV: #14 (+4) Chart run: 18-1-9-18-14 :lol:
MTV: #15 (-9) Chart run: 1-7-6-15
For DIARIO, Womanizer soars up 10-7 on the Chilean Top 100 Singles chart. Notice how it's the highest ranked english song on the chart & the only one inside the top 10?  Massive in Chile!
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Member Since: 8/14/2007
Posts: 29,341
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New peak in Finland!! 
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Member Since: 4/18/2008
Posts: 2,194
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Quote:
Originally posted by Hector
International Chart Update for Wednesday:
Global Singles Rankings
Finland: #4 (+9)
Norway: #9 (-7)
New Zealand: #13 (=)
Spain: #19 (=)
Global Digital Only Rankings
Spain: #19 (=)
Global Airplay Rankings
Canada: #5 (-1)
Croatia (International): #5 (+2)
Australia: #8 (+4)
Russia: #8 (+7) with 13,215 radio spins this week.
New Zealand: #23 (-8) with 724 spins, however it only dips down 2 to #5 on Pop Airplay.
Czech Republic: #35 (+17)
Slovakia: #66 (NE)
Global TV Airplay Rankings
New Zealand Music Channels:
Juice TV: #14 (+4) Chart run: 18-1-9-18-14 :lol:
MTV: #15 (-9) Chart run: 1-7-6-15
For DIARIO, Womanizer soars up 10-7 on the Chilean Top 100 Singles chart. Notice how it's the highest ranked english song on the chart & the only one inside the top 10? Massive in Chile! |
Great to see it's top 5 in Finland. Mah at New Zealand and Norway. Hopefully it will go up in the next few weeks [after she performs, perhaps].
Say Hector.. do you think she'll lose/gain points on the WW chart this week?
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Member Since: 10/14/2008
Posts: 14,986
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Quote:
Originally posted by musicb_/
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LMAO
Afte trying to read the whole fuss, seeing that expression made my day
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Member Since: 11/13/2008
Posts: 4,129
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Has that song got some momentum or what?
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Member Since: 12/25/2003
Posts: 13,870
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It should lose some points but still remain in the top 5 because even though she's decreasing in the sales charts, she's increasing in the airplay charts globally.
Most happy about Australia, where the only airplay ten from Blackout was Piece Of Me (#9 peak on airplay).
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Member Since: 8/14/2007
Posts: 29,341
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Womanizer won't be #1 on the World Chart. That's such a shame. Unless she sells crazy physicals in France and Japan I don't see this topping the chart.
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Member Since: 8/14/2007
Posts: 29,341
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Also, does Russia have like lots of radio stations? Because the amount of spins is insane.
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Member Since: 10/14/2008
Posts: 14,986
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I don't care anymore (about the WW chart)
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Member Since: 4/18/2008
Posts: 2,194
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Quote:
Originally posted by Hector
It should lose some points but still remain in the top 5 because even though she's decreasing in the sales charts, she's increasing in the airplay charts globally.
Most happy about Australia, where the only airplay ten from Blackout was Piece Of Me (#9 peak on airplay). |
Cool, thanks.
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Member Since: 6/16/2006
Posts: 443
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Quote:
Originally posted by mylicious
I forgot my name, i forgot my telephone numba  |
if you wanna see me... he don't even know it..
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Member Since: 10/14/2008
Posts: 14,986
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So any Circus predictions!
Album - Opens with 600k... DEF 3 Platinumer
Single - Top 10 I'd say with a smashing video
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