Blackout spotlights Miss Spears

It's been five years since Britney Spears has had something more than her vagina to show off. In her fifth album, appropriately titled Blackout, Spears spits out her stale bubblegum pop, opting for an injection of trippy, table-top music.

Sonically, Blackout chauffeurs today's music to a new level of pop euphoria. Alluring electro arrangements fuse Spears' perfected bed-ridden whispers to create a musical orgasm. At times however, Spears appears to be lost in a trance of heavy production and ghostly back up singers, struggling to maintain her pitch.

Such is the case in "Freakshow," where Spears' voice gets caught in the tangled arrangement of robotic echoes and level changing hand claps. She recovers from her musical overdose with the usual order of voice enhancers and synthesizers keeping her addictive harmonies at their finest.

The ingenious minds of producers Danja (Madonna, Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake), and Bloodshy & Avant (Kylie Minogue, Kelis, Jennifer Lopez) put the midas touch on the majority of Blackout, creating the best sex-driven, electrical-funk music.

Lyrically speaking, Blackout is a shoulder shrug. There's nothing profound about "We can get down like there's no one around / We keep on rockin, we keep on rockin," but what more can be expected from Spears?

The album is a collection of substance-free catchy songs. And for the most part, Spears keeps her hands to herself, co-writing only two songs from a track list of twelve. Still, Blackout is blessed with a variety of hypnotic sing-a-longs penned by the likes of Marcella Araica, who wrote Nelly Furtado's "Maneater," and Keri Hilson, who wrote Timbaland's "The Way I Are."

Though the erotic, free-spirited vibe seems to work for Spears, the album is missing a song armed with stark lyrical penetration. Without it, Blackout is merely just an updated version of Spears, rather than a much needed reinvention. However, an attempt is made with Spears' strongest track, "Why Should I Be Sad," produced and written by Pharrell Williams.

The result is a dreamy, mid-tempo number made up of spell-binding bongos and tranquil chimes, draping well over Spears' airy vocals. Honest lyrics such as, "They could not believe I did it / But I was so committed / My life was so restricted for you," deliver a well-composed goodbye letter to her ex-husband.

To make up for the absence of a ballad, Blackout produces a slew of potential club hits. "Radar" is reminiscent of the 2003 smash "Toxic," but with an extra spike of zeal; the dry humping, "Get Naked (I Got a Plan)" will poison the ears of high school listeners after hearing Spears moan, "If I get on top, you're gonna lose your mind." Requiring an extra swipe of deodorant is "Break the Ice" which includes a potent hip- swaying bridge leading to a flirty shower-head hook.

Comeback worthy? That's a slow-cooked maybe. Blackout provides Spears with a missing piece to what seems to be a lackluster life. If coupled with the right team, momentum and sanity, Spears has a chance at reintroducing herself to the world of entertainment and re-establishing her credibility as pop's leading vixen.