At age 29, and as mother to two children, Britney Spears can’t dance anymore. This fact was made painfully apparent by her two most recent music videos for “Hold It Against Me” and “Till the World Ends,” the first and second singles respectively from her new album, Femme Fatale. Critics and consumers alike have speculated that perhaps Spears’ somewhat tired, aged persona is to blame for Femme Fatale’s disappointing chart performance since its release on March 25.
All images aside, Spears’ music does suffer somewhat from a sense of last-ditch desperation to appear “hip.” However awkward an effect this effort may have in places, the introduction of highly popular modern musical techniques results in the best album Spears has produced in nearly a decade.
To describe Femme Fatale in a word immediately calls to mind the relatively new cultural term “wompy.” Yes, as in dubstep. In a rather blatant attempt to stay on top of cultural fads, Spears has ditched her traditional poppy, somewhat rock-ish roots for an album entirely synth; it’s techno, it’s dubstep and it’s wompier than hell for a Britney Spears album. And it kind of works.
Such tracks as “(Drop Dead) Beautiful [feat. Sabi]” and “Big Fat Bass (feat. will.i.am)” stand out in particular, simply begging to be danced to. The music itself within the majority of the album is rather outstanding; the middle section is particularly standout, featuring the two aforementioned songs and several other worthy, wompy dance tracks (in particular “Trouble for Me,” which is SO dubsteppy it’s almost funny—but not in a bad way).
The problem that arises amidst these stylistic changes is Spears herself. The two standout songs on the album both feature other artists whom Spears leans on heavily for vocal variety and support. The fact is that her voice, throaty as ever, just isn’t that enjoyable to listen to, especially in conjunction with such smooth synthesized beats. Spears is truly the straggler here; the music is fantastic, the backup dancers talented and attractive, but she struggles to keep up.
Ultimately, the vocals and lyrics are fairly mediocre. However, for a Britney Spears album, they are standard—the difference here is the genre change, which makes this the best Britney album in years. The music which backs up classic Spears vocals is undeniably fun and wholly deserving of club play if not top 40. Femme Fatale is a recommended purchase for anyone who enjoys dance music and doesn’t mind the occasional vocal or lyrical oddity. And of course, for loyal Britney fans, it’s a must have.