Britney Spears Hits a Low Note

Britney Spears Hits a Low Note

Mixed reviews and fuzzy tour plans put a damper on the release of her latest album, "Femme Fatale."

Britney Spears fans who weren’t able to make her San Francisco show Sunday were treated to footage from the mini-set on ABC’s Good Morning America Tuesday. "I love music," she told a crowd of 5,000 loyal fans. "It's my world. It's my everything."
But should Spears be singing the blues?

Reviews have been mixed for Femme Fatale, the singer’s first album since 2008’s Circus.

New York Daily News’ Jim Farber says Fatale “finds her more pliant, poker-faced and remote in the creative process than ever. As it turns out, that’s a good thing. It’s her first album, since becoming a star, on which she didn’t claim a single writing credit.”

But USA Today’s Edna Gundersen notes Spears’ “voice, swamped by the fastidious production, is thin and colorless.”

And though the Los Angeles Times’ Carl Wilson says it’s “an awesomely efficient machine for fueling a dance floor, a workout or even a vigorous bout of housework, it never invites more intimate listening.”

Notes a CNN critic: “I do wish Britney would do something a little different this time around to reflect where she is in her life. We know she can wear skimpy costumes and dance. But I want to see something different – maybe something more personal, more mature.”

Spears’ tour also may have had its first setback: Hours after she announced plans to hit the road starting June 17 in Sacramento, Calif., a Billboard report surfaced, claiming that Spears’ touring partner, Enrique Iglesias, has pulled out (no official announcement has been made).

Nevertheless, Spears is staying positive, Tweeting to fans that she is more “excited” than ever for people to give Fatale a listen.