it's britney, bitch.

Britney Spears, "Gimme More"

Who would have thought the bubblegum pin-up of the late 90s would have evolved into a cultural whipping post for all things wrong and evil in the world? Britney Spears managed to shock and entice us with her Lolita brand of pop sexuality, but now with two kids, twice divorced and her cooter available to all via the easiest Google image search, where does she stand amongst the new female titans of pop (Fergie, Gwen, Nelly, Beyonce)? Her contemporaries morphed into would be movie stars (sorry Mandy), sexpots not quite in on the joke (yes, that would be you Jessica), and wait--relevant, multi-platinum selling, genre-defying superstars (thank you, X-Tina), therefore this would seem somewhat of an opportune time to jump back into the game and prove to the world that you were once the leader of the pack. Granted, her sound is not entirely discernible (breathy come ons and slick production?), but throughout her career she has contributed some of the most perfectly odd-sounding and catchy pop/dance music, namely "Slave 4 U" and "Toxic." Unfortunately, with her current fall from pop grace (the shaved head, the crotch flashing, the K-Fed, the baby bottles filled with Coca-Cola) it's so much more difficult to not be distracted by her wild public life when she do desperately wants to turn attention to her "craft." Word of a comeback album has been in the works for a while and if there is anyone who could resurrect her career it is super producer Nate "Danjahandz" Hills, who co-producer such pop gems as "Promiscuous" and "My Love." This song could have easily been produced for any r&b honey or pop princess but that trademark Spears come-hither pulse in her voice is there and makes this song not entirely forgettable or regrettable, on her part. It's catchy and will probably be a hit on the radio, and in a way reminds us of a Britney from days gone by. This isn't retread but she is in no way pushing popular music forward at any stretch of the imagination. My suggestion to Ms. Spears is although she seems to have found the right sound to woo our hunger for decent pop music, it's the public's interest, or disinterest at this point, that she will have to woo over. The veil of mystery has been lifted a little bit on Ms. Spears as of late, so here's hoping she has a few secrets left in her and her life of meltdowns, rehab, and bad wigs are things of the past.