Britney Spears: Blackout

****1/2 out of *****

Britney's back with nearly the best album of her career. Blurring the lines between dance, pop, retro, and even R&B, this CD is entertaining in the sense of escapist fun. She really has nothing to say, but it nearly doesn't matter. When dance-pop sounds this good, the audience seems to stop caring, especially when the "singing" is done more by a voice-enhancer than the actual artist.

On Blackout, Britney weaves an endless web of self-indulgent club tales, and every track is a stand-out. From the teasing opener ("Gimme More") to the oddly R&B-tinged closing track ("Why Should I Be Sad"), Spears has produced the most accessible album of her career. Also, Britney (read "high-paid producers) gets experimental this time around, namely on "Freakshow" and "Toy Soldier." "Freakshow" is a hyper-sonic, futuristic club banger, while "Toy Soldier" is a manic and snare-happy answer to Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl."

However, the other tracks are equally solid. "Heaven on Earth," possibly the best track on the album, is a pleasant throwback to early dance-pop. It's like a modern, laid-back "Let the Music Play." And "Piece of Me," rumored to be the album's second single, is insanely catchy. A thumping sing-along, the lyrics are actually (nearly) fully-decipherable on this one. Listeners may never catch what she's saying in certain sections of the album, but they probably won't care that much, as this album is solely about the beats.

Blackout is the perfect choice for anyone who even remotely enjoys pop music but doesn't take it too seriously. A four-and-a-half out of five rating only because of the fact that actual non-altered human vocals are nowhere to be found on this album.

(Just a note: don't pick it up for the kids. It's a bit of a wonder this one didn't get a parental advisory.)