Britney's 'Blackout' surprisingly bright

Oh, Britney. You really had us worried for a second there. First you put a lazy two-word sample on repeat and called it a single. We definitely didn't want any more of "Gimme More." Then you made it even worse by sleepwalking through it at the Video Music Awards. And then you finally killed it with that thoroughly dreary video. And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, you turned out what might just be the year's worst album cover! Come on Britney, is this the cover to your comeback album or Hilary Duff's latest collection of Disney songs?

Thankfully though, "Blackout" doesn't live up to the disastrous connotations of its title. To be honest, it's as good as any of us could have hoped for, given the apparent fragility of its singer's sanity. In fact — and this I really wasn't expecting — it's the demented flavor of "Blackout" that makes it so distinctive. In its best songs, Britney sounds completely out-of-control, toying with her naughty party-girl image and at times playing it up with such shameless abandon that she gives the album an unexpectedly dangerous edge. It reminds me of Madonna's latest, "Confessions on a Dance Floor," except replace "dance floor" with "strip joint." "Blackout" has the same heady, futuristic feel as Madonna's album and is definitely designed to be played at clubs, filled with saucy, bass-heavy anthems and — thank God — not a single ballad.

The highlight of the album is "Piece of Me." It sounds like Britney's about to lose it, and it sounds awesome. From the crashing beats to the clipped orgasmic screeches that open up the song, "Piece of Me" is utterly off-the-wall dance-pop, the kind of music I'd imagine would be ruling the charts in 3007, not 2007. It almost sounds like Bjork. I bet you didn't see that comparison coming. It's also the one song on the album in which Britney directly addresses her public image, and she does so brilliantly, never making it clear whether the "you wanna piece of me" hook is designed as come-on or criticism. It's this ambiguity, paired with the song's salacious, utterly deranged execution that makes it so thrilling: One minute you want to get into bed with Britney, and the next you want to run away in terror.

"Gimme More," her first single from the album, isn't her only misfire, though. Another is the irritatingly catchy "Hot as Ice": a bit too 'NSync for my tastes and one of the few moments of predictability on the album. There is also the hilariously titled "Why Should I Be Sad?" which veers dangerously close to slushy sentiment. As for "Toy Soldier," it's so far off the rails that it gets really irritating really quickly.

All things considered, "Blackout" is surprisingly consistent for a dance-pop record, and there certainly aren't any catastrophes here. More importantly, it's got some of the edge and attitude that made the year's best pop album, by Britney's former beau Justin Timberlake, so irresistible. Though it only rarely reaches the heights of that album, it's as good as could be expected from a musician recovering from the worst celebrity image meltdown since Michael Jackson. As long as Britney continues along this more daring road and doesn't retreat to the safety of teen pop, her career may have some life in it yet.