Bubblegum pop with new texture

Let me get defensive for a second. I wouldn't quite call myself a Britney "fan"… more like an admirer, if you will. I look at Ms. Spears as an all-out entertainer. Her vocal talents are, well, absent. But Spears has the spunk and the flare that make her a shooting star whose luster doesn't seem to be diminishing anytime soon.\nHer self-titled third album is chock full of bubblegum pop, although slightly different than her past two discs. Think of ... Baby One More Time as Bazooka. One flavor, not much variety. Oops…I Did it Again can be thought of as Bubble Yum. A couple different flavors to chose from, but nothing spectacular. Britney can be looked at as Bubblicious -- there is more variety in musical style, giving Spears a new flavor to work with, yet still reminding us that it is just bubblegum.\nSpears' first single, "I'm a Slave 4 U," produced by hip-hop and rap masters The Neptunes, is fun. While it doesn't allow Spears to "sing" per say, she seems to have a blast dipping down into her lower range and right back up to the top again.\nThe album's first ballad, "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman," has writing talents, courtesy of Eminem favorite Dido. The track allows Spears to exhibit the best singing of her career thus far -- the sound is developed and full, without techno fluctuations or funky diphthongs. \nSpears covers "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," popularized by Joan Jett. She seems to be getting into the habit of remaking classic rock tracks, also covering "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."\nSpears writes several tracks on this album, among them, the 1970s disco, funky sounding "Anticipating," reminiscent of Janet Jackson.\nJustin Timberlake, Spears' boyfriend, lends writing and vocal talents with the final track "What It's Like to Be Me." Songs like "Cinderella," and the repetitive and rather drab "Boys," leave more to be desired in terms of lyrical substance and musical variety, but Spears has fun with them.\nIf she can manage not to lip sync and hit the right notes, many of these songs would be fun to see live with Spears' sensual and spasmatic dance moves. She is on her way to becoming total entertainer; case in point: look for her movie debut in February.\nRating: 5