Britney tries one more time for a hit

After hearing the same horrible stories about Britney Spears’ personal life day after day in the tabloids, it is about time for a new sound from the pop star.

Throaty vocals, personalized lyrics and techno beats mark Spears’ new sound on her album Blackout, released Tuesday. Spears’ first album of original material since In The Zone represents a departure from her previous songs and current pop trends. Just as her first album .Baby One More Time refreshed hit-hungry pop fans in 1999, Spears does it again with her much-anticipated fifth studio album.

Although Spears has married twice and had two sons in the past three years, she still imparts the same sexy, available message that made her famous.

With Blackout, Spears targets an older audience than her previous albums. This is evident through the dance club quality of the songs, the pre-album tour in 21-and-up nightclubs and her mature music video for the album’s single “Gimme More.” (An explicit version of is available online in case you need something else to talk about). However, the album’s songs “Toy Soldier” and “Hot As Ice” do not fit, sounding like they are sung by and marketed toward pre-teens.

While the album is sure to fall victim to scrutiny for being over-produced, die-hard fans will not care. If her questionably sober MTV Video Music Awards performance in September could not stop “Gimme More” from reaching number one on the iTunes Chart and Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs, nothing can stop Spears now.

Kimberly Rubenstein may be contacted at k.rubenstein@umiami.edu.