Circus (UK Deluxe Edition) (Incl. Bonus Track and Bonus DVD)

Review by Rudy Palma for Circus (UK Deluxe Edition) (Incl. Bonus Track and Bonus DVD)
Rating:
Last year’s “Blackout” was a strong pop record that sold well, peaking at #2 on the Billboard charts and yielding a handful of hit singles. “Circus,” therefore, represents more of a personal than musical comeback for Spears.

The good sense to release “Womanizer” – a chugging, energetic slice of guilty pleasure dance/pop with no self-conscious lyrical connection to Spears’ personal life – as the lead single for the album – her second #1 single and first of the late 2000s – has certainly paid off.

“Circus” contains many potential smashes, suggesting it may have a shelf life of significant length. The naughty “If U Seek Amy” is all sass and swagger, and the title track percolates and bubbles with hyperactive energy. “Lace and Leather” is spare, sexy sensuality with its downbeat tempo and spacey synths, and “Kill the Lights” is an out-the-ballpark smash with its frothy tempo changes and matter-of-fact, detached vocal delivery.

It may take a few plays for the hooks to settle in, but these are songs are not Disney radio-fodder pop machinizations to be forgotten by next week. These hooks are contagious and, most importantly, completely fun.

Spears again attempts light, melancholy balladry in the vein of “Sometimes” and “Everytime (sp: Every Time)” after last year’s “Blackout” was wall-to-wall sexual energy and party jams. “Unusual You” is a new variation on “Everytime” with a cushier, more understated hook that could spell surprise mega-smash, although such could also happen for full-throttle breakup ballad “Out From Under,” even if its lyrics lean toward the overly literal. The soft, devotional “My Baby” provides a strong, unexpected conclusion.

Surprisingly, “Circus” is not a pure cotton candy/crackerjack sugar rush. Such a description is truer of “Blackout,” which was unpretentious fun from top to bottom. Rather, it is “Circus” that is the more ambitious, mixed record, and, most importantly, it works where it should.

This deluxe edition contains a DVD including behind-the-scenes footage and the “Womanizer” video, 2 bonus tracks (“Rock Me In” and “Phonography”) as well as a 2-sided poster.

Review by Chris Ochman for Circus (UK Deluxe Edition) (Incl. Bonus Track and Bonus DVD)
Rating:
It’s rare nowadays that a CD stirs me so much to come out of hiding to write a review. I have written many many reviews here on Amazon, but it’s not often that I find something good enough to find it worth spending my time on.

That being said, let’s get to the meat of the review. I bought this CD simply because I loved “Heaven on Earth” from Blackout and I read that the lady who helped produced that track, had another track on this album, which is “Rock Me In” on the deluxe version. That really was the only reason I bought this CD was to hear that song.

Well, first off, Womanizer is an awesome title track, but it pales in comparison to the rest of this amazing CD. Every track bleeds with emotion. Every track leaves a trace behind in your head. It really reaches out to grab you by the neck to make you pay attention. Britney’s vocals have improved greatly since her early days and they truly do shine on some of the more ballad-esque tracks on the CD, especially on “Unusual You”.

Many of the tracks are really fun, great to dance to and blast in your car. A couple of standouts are “Shattered Glass”, “Circus”, “Rock Me In”, “Mannequin”, and “Radar”.

My favorite tracks on the album, “Shattered Glass”, “Rock Me In”, and “Circus”. Don’t get me wrong though, ALL these songs are amazing in their own right.

The Queen of Pop has truly finally returned after a few false starts, her talent shines on this album brighter than any previous release. Welcome back Britney.