Finally, after two long years, reigning Queen of Pop Britney Spears delivers her seventh studio album,
Femme Fatale. The highly anticipated LP, of course, delivers to it's full potential in my opinion. All Britney albums are good records. Her early albums (Baby and Oops!) are fun albums and paint the picture of the reviving teen pop of the late 90's/early 00's.
Britney shows the departure from childhood,
In The Zone shows a new mature Britney,
Blackout is a sinister beat joyride, and
Circus is an icy-bubblegum pop record.
Circus definitely demonstrated the return of true Britney and was a solid pop album but it never quite lived up to
Blackout (my personal favorite) and
In The Zone . But does Femme Fatale rank among the best? Here is a track by track review:
Till The World Ends- 7.5/10
I was very nervous when I found that this Ke$ha co-written song was going to be on the album, let alone Brit's second single. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Ke$ha's music but that wasn't the road I wanted Britney to go down. But I turned out to be surprised by the final result. Yes, on one listen the song is generic (good for a second single though) but the more I listen, the more I find the beat extremely fresh and very addicting. The O O O's are infectious and the bridge has a great trance with Britney's vocals. Not her best song but very solid and a good choice for a second single.
Hold It Against Me- 10/10
Everyone knows this song by now. Even though it's potential was never met, it doesn't change the fact that it is a great song. The intense beat on the verses is great and the vocal melody to the chorus is ear candy. The dubstep breakdown is edgy and great to my dubstep loving ears and to top it off with the return of the chorus I love so much in a high energy, dance ready backing beat. Great choice for the first single and it definitely shows growth whether the haters want to admit it or not.
Inside Out- 7/10
This took some time to grow on me. Everyone loves it, but at first it didn't catch me. But the icy, electropop/ soft hints of R&B captured me after a while. The beat is intense and not your typical Dr. Luke production (thank God). The throwback lyrics in the chorus are wonderful for us original Brit fans too. Overall, it's great and I'm glad it grew on me because it's a good pop song.
I Wanna Go-8.5/10
This is great! There were rumors that this was a weak track but it certainly is not! It's just all around fun song! Yes, the chorus is digitized in stutters but that is redeeming about the song. The chorus starts out soft and held back like Hold It Against Me but then goes forth with no mercy with an intense beat. I see single potential for this.
How I Roll- 10/10
Awesome! It's a midtempo but still a very fun song! It gives me the feeling of when I hang out with my friends and is great to listen to before you go out! It's refreshing also to not be all up in your face. It's got some beautiful vocal melodies in it and very one of a kind. It may not be single worthy exactly but it's still one of the standout tracks on Femme Fatale.
(Drop Dead) Beautiful [Feat. Sabi] -8/10
At first, I thought Oh Lord, a collab. At a first listen, I was horrified by Sabi's verse but on a second listen, I realized it flowed well with the song. The vocal melody at
Look at you, Look at you/Be my sweetie, Be my honey tonight is truly the best part of the song. Brit's victorious return after Sabi's verse with the repetitive (drop dead) beautifuls are also quite, epic.
Seal It With A Kiss- 9/10
I don't know why some people consider this weak. I love the dubstep instrumental and I LOVE LOVE the vocal melody in the chorus! Nothing much to say about it, but that's good. The song is simple yet delightfully good.
The Big Fat Bass [Feat. Will.i.am]-8.5/10
I can see why people hate this. I love the intro with the piano riff and Britney's trance inducing speaking voice (I can be the treble baby/You can be the bass). The overuse of autotune stops this from being a 10/10. Will.i.am's verse is surprisingly very good (and least autotuned, yet another surprise....).
Trouble For Me-10/10
I consider this a Hot As Ice 2.0 expect better! This song is great! Great for a party and the chorus is killer! Another standout for me personally on the album.
Trip To Your Heart-9.5/10
Another grower for me but very nice! The opening synths are infectious and the song is very tender compared to the rest of Femme Fatale. This is like Unusual You meets Heaven On Earth with a mix of something new. Very refreshing and great! Hopefully this doesn't become underrated.
Gasoline-8/10
I like this, not as much as everyone else, but I really like it! It's more laid back but the verses are addicting (to me--at least) and the bridge and is out of this world! Love it-- it truly represents the title Femme Fatale in the lyrics.
Criminal-10/10
This is my favorite song on the album. Love the flute, the beat, the guitars, the vocals, the lyrics, -- EVERYTHING! Best song on the album, hands down. This is a good step for Britney and definitely will stand out to everyone.
Album Rating: 9/10
Overall, this is a good album and one of Britney's best. I still haven't decided whether or not it has overtaken Blackout's throne for me, but it wouldn't surprise me if I did. It's a good pop album but Britney takes it to another album. This will definitely be playing all summer when I'm going out!
You are truly one of my favorite members 
