Britney's back... and Akon, too

New albums from one-time chart-toppers dominate the music racks this week. We look at two new studio efforts that are hitting stores in the UAE now.

CIRCUS BY BRITNEY SPEARS: From the synthy open of Womanizer to the regretful ache-spurring Blur, Circus gives Brit pop a whole new meaning, as the singer does double duty as a dance diva and broken-hearted balladeer.

It's no easy feat, but when Spears shoves aside the tabloid trauma and hooks up with the right producers, she's in a class of her own.

The iPods of anyone who has been dumped recently will have Out From Under on repeat, and if censors turn a deaf ear to the racy wordplay of the chorus to If U Seek Amy, it could move beyond the club to radio.

But here's one quibble: On beat-blasting tracks like Circus and Kill the Lights the lyrics rehash the "it's deeply weird to be famous" themes Spears already locked down on Lucky and Piece of Me. Here's to moving on.

FREEDOM BY AKON Last month, UAE regular Akon told Billboard he was leaning toward a Euro-club sound for his new album. He does just that on the techno-driven We Don't Care, with its thumping bassline and organ-like riffs. He does the same on the dance track Keep You Much Longer, which takes its cues from Haddaway's What Is Love?

But there's no shortage of traditional boom-bap. And while Troublemaker and Holla Holla each sound a lot like earlier Akon songs, ultimately they're highlights for that very reason.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.