Review: Britney Spears’ ‘Britney’

Except for a couple of guilty pleasures, the music on Spears’ first two albums seemed as limited as a dead-end street. So it was against all odds that I found myself looking forward to this new collection. Call it the triumph of personality.

Spears has emerged as the most appealing by far of all the teen-pop stars. She may flash that smile as fast as the shutter on a paparazzo’s camera, but it feels genuine every time, whether onstage or during her appearance on MTV’s “Diary” series.

If you add her trouper mentality and knack for reinvention to the mix, Spears seems only a couple of key career moves away from the kind of reign enjoyed by her role model Madonna.

“Britney” (in stores Tuesday) was supposed to be a convincing first step toward that more sophisticated stance. She went into the studio with some red-hot producers from dance (BT) and R&B/hip-hop (Rodney Jerkins, the Neptunes) to reach beyond the early fan base, which was cultivated by producer-songwriter Max Martin’s assembly line.

Alas, the most winning track still carries Martin’s touch. “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” co-written by Martin, colleague Rami and singer Dido, is again aimed at the early teens and preteens. And it’s a bull’s-eye: a statement about the awkwardness of adolescence that has a persuasive, anthem-like quality. Three other Martin-assisted tracks are less interesting if you’re older than 12 but should keep the target audience satisfied.

Spears’ attempts at “growth,” including several of her own compositions, are mostly stunted. The themes of youthful independence and sexual desire are a bit edgier, but the words are still in the vocabulary and sophistication range of the original audience. The BT tracks didn’t make the final cut, and several of the others--aside from the Neptunes’ saucy “Boys”--seem like rejects from Michael and Janet Jackson efforts.

This is Spears’ most spirited album ever--for her crowd. For the rest of us? Maybe next time.

Britney Spears

“Britney”

Jive

Two stars