REVIEW: BRITNEY SPEARS RETURNS WITH 'GLORY' ALBUM

Britney’s stronger when she’s defining the music landscape, not trying to be a part of it.

Our fave 2000s idol, Britney Spears has made her triumphant return with the release of her ninth studio album, Glory. The critics have already begun praising the album as a solid effort from the pop superstar, but we can’t help feeling that there’s a noticeable lack of the IT factor that has made Spears stand out in the past.

Don’t get me wrong, this album is good. A super solid improvement from 2013s' pretty awful Britney Jean. But with a lack of any bona fide hits, can we really compare the album with Ms. Spears’ past selection of great tracks like Toxic. 

Onto the album. Slumber Party and Love Me Down have wildly infectious choruses that’ll get you singing along intensely. The only thing is, they're not anything different from what's come around in pop for the last year or so. 

Special mention should be awarded to the albums' bonus tracks. Better is a banger, and Liar houses some low-key Justin Timberlake shade that should have you screaming. 

I’ve tested it out in my bedroom and you can dance along to every song (video evidence will be posted soon). 

Each song has a unique sound as well – Brit moves smoothly from the soft pop-whisper in Man On The Moon to the upbeat jazziness of Clumsy in a matter of two songs. 

But herein lies the problem. There’s lots of different musical styles in this album, but none of them really scream Britney. Where is the genre-defining excellence of 2007's Gimme More? There are no songs on this album that can survive the ages like Baby One More Time or Toxic.

With that in mind, Glory sounds like everything else. Just not the girl we were expecting.  

Glory is available on iTunes, Apple Music and Spotify.