Maybe There’s A Light In Blackout

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably already heard that Britney Spears has released her fifth album, the aptly titled Blackout.

Paparazzi take delight in documenting the struggling singer’s every move and, for now, it looks like that could be all the publicity Spears needs, according to a source reportedly close to her label, Jive Records.

The source told the New York Daily News that Jive has given up trying to get Spears to tour, or to even help market the album.

"They can’t get Britney to do anything!" the source said. "They did get her to do one photoshoot for some promotional materials, but beyond that, they can’t trust her to even show up. This album could’ve been so much bigger with Britney involved.

"Jive is just hoping to continue riding the Britney wave. The label can’t afford to waste their money hoping to get some of her time to help promote this. She’s too busy [hanging out] in a club somewhere."

But isn’t that what this record is all about?

While Britney’s sometimes overproduced and robotic sounding voice may be the least dominant presence on the album, somebody did their homework when choosing the collaborators and the production teams for Blackout, who made a good dance record.

At best, the album has been called Spears’ "best work ever," while other reviews compared her sound to that of a "blowup sex doll."

Some have gone against the trend of calling this Brit-Brit’s "best ever" – a low bar of a standard already. The San Francisco Chronicle gave it an "empty chair" (the "little man" that usually sits in it had left the room, like he did for Paris Hilton’s album).

"Things I’d rather do than listen to Britney Spears’ new album," wrote the paper’s Aidin Vaziri. "(1) Change Koko the talking gorilla’s diaper, (2) Watch ‘You’ve Got Mail’ twice, (3) Eat the Malibu chicken platter at Sizzler … ," etc.

Ultimately, good and bad reviews appeared to meet at a common ground: It’s a dance record, and Britney Spears sings on it.

"Blackout is more than serviceable as a dance record," a Los Angeles Times reviewer wrote. "If it isn’t high-quality pop, it’s not quite an utter defeat for the embattled Ms. Spears."

And considering the sort of year Spears has had, what more could she ask for?