I am currently listening to Britney's new album Circus. The much-touted comeback album. And while I'm not the target demographic, (it's my teen-aged daughter's iTunes purchase that's playing) I can listen with an open-mind (and ear) to the quality of the music and tell you -- this is not a winner. Britney has had a really rough time lately and while I'm all for comebacks and second chances -- I hate to say it, but this album will provide neither for Ms. Spears. Sorry BS fans.

I'm a little surprised that she's trying to make her comeback into the world of pop music. I would think that with her latest antics she would try to lure fans from the hard rock crowd, you know, followers of Alice Cooper or Black Sabbath -- or any of those "head bangers." Or maybe she could try the extreme punk rock scene. She could shave her head and beat cars with umbrellas on stage -- that would pack the house. She might think of that for her next album. She's a lot more hard core now, and singing for pre-teens might not work for her anymore.

As someone who enjoys irony, I had to smile at the title of the album -- and that was my first clue as to the autobiographical lyrics. In the song Mannequin Britney sings that, "All eyes are on me / in the center ring" and we all know that's true. My 78-year old mother knows every single thing that's going on in Britney Spear's life -- yet she can't name a single of her songs. Britney pokes a lot of fun at the paparazzi all through the album. I really enjoyed the lines, "Mr. Photographer there's more to me / than what you see." And while I appreciate the bittersweet message, I didn't find myself wanting to sing along. I like that Britney is being playful about all her troubles -- and I enjoyed the tongue in cheek feel to the album, but found that musically there was very little else to smile about. The tracks are very techno-pop and really overdone here. And Britney's voice sounds alternately robotic or synthesized, coming across almost like a Peter Frampton effect -- "Do you feel like I feel?" -- no, Brit, I don't.

The main event of Circus is the song Womanizer which is by far the best track on the album -- but still falls short of her previous hits. The little stutter that she has going all through the chorus is a little distracting. "I, I, I know just, just, what you are..." It reminds me of the way that Elvis kind of of "Uh huh, huh, huh, hey, hey, hey'ed" his way through all of his songs -- but with Britney it feels labored, and a bit less charming. But the song does have a good dance beat and is musically reminiscent of her "Ooh baby, baby" days. I'd recommend just buying the single off iTunes for 99 cents.

I was really pulling for Britney with this album. I was a fan of her earlier music. And while I admit she was always two-parts sex symbol and one-part singer, I'm disappointed that the balance is slipping even more for sex symbol. Her nude appearance in the "Womanizer" video is totally out of place. It's like a gratuitous "boob-shot" in teen movies. I know she's in a sauna -- but, hello? Women don't writhe around nude in saunas (we sit with our legs crossed, usually in a towel). And she's accusing a man of being a womanizer, while she sings to him naked and sweaty ... does anyone else see a problem in that logic?

Okay -- asking Britney to be logical might be asking too much. But I think it is fair to ask her to cut back on all the tricks, the overdone techno effects, the writhing - sweaty nudity, and just sing again. She needs to dial back the skank factor and go back to just plain slutty. It worked for her. So overall, not a great review for Circus -- I admit that I liked Womanizer (not the video -- too whorey) and am still rooting for Britney to make a comeback soon. It won't be with this album. But hopefully another (better) album soon.