Critics Weigh In On Britney's 'Circus'

The cover of Britney Spears Circus Jive RecordsAccess Hollywood

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Britney Spears' new album, out this week, is likely to be a huge hit, but is her "Circus" the three-ring extravaganza of albums past? The critics have spoken, and it seems that Britney's back -- mostly.

"'Circus' gives Brit pop a whole new meaning," Ann Donahue writes in Billboard, praising her "double duty" between ballads and club-ready dance tracks. "She is in a class of her own."

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And the New York Times' Jon Pareles noted that Britney's past scandals helps the songs, rather than distracts from them.

"Ms. Spears's publicized private life lends humanity to a musical presence that's largely synthetic," he wrote. "Most of her new songs are crisp, cunning dance-pop with a touch of schoolyard singsong. Just before they grow mechanical, they're zapped with new effects or catchy melodic interludes."

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Entertainment Weekly's Chris Willman gave it a "B," calling the second half of "Circus" "a first-rate electro-pop album" but criticizing disappointing production work by Dr. Luke and longtime Britney collaborator Max Martin.

"Circus" currently has a 66 out of 100 average score on Metacritic, a Web site that aggregates reviews.

The fans have already reached a verdict, however, on at least one song - the album's first single "Womanizer," which broke records when it shot from No. 96 to No. 1 in a single week.

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