Music: Britney Spears
Forget the reality whiplash of Sept. 11; it was always frivolous to care about the artistic development of Britney Spears. Her promoters may call this album an evolution, but, like all things Britney, it's no more than a successful diversion that just happens to have titillating words and groans. I'm a Slave 4 U and I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman are rebellious (but not really, silly!); Boys offers the wisdom, "Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em," while Let Me Be and the Max Martin-produced Bombastic Love are irresistible pop. So what if it sounds exactly like her other two albums? Musical evolution will take care of Britney soon enough.
--By Josh Tyrangiel
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