Britney's starting to 'zone' out

Oopstress Britney Spears seems fixated upon one thing and one thing only with the release of her new record In the Zone: SEX. \nThe theme is so overarching that the album might as well be dubbed In the Erogenous Zone. The whole "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" schtick is permanently laid (pun intended) to rest. Spears moans and breathes heavily through none-too-subtly-titled cuts ranging from "Breathe on Me" to "Touch of My Hand," the singer's unintentionally hilarious ode to self-love. \nThough the record's mind is trapped in the gutter, it isn't without its merits. "Me Against the Music" is a mildly diverting first single featuring Spears' pop predecessor, Madonna. In all honesty, the cut's better than it has any right to be (much like the album itself), and a remix that appears in the disc's waning moments is even better. \nGranted, I'm not a fan of Spears nor have I ever been. I don't own any of her previous works and know her solely through the singles, which I don't like. As such, In the Zone is surprisingly decent but still a big, fat wad of overly sexualized teen pop pap.