A little over a year after the release of Blackout, Pop Princess Britney Spears is going back to her roots with the release of her 6th studio album Circus. Working hard to overcome her poor paparazzi-prescribed image, Britney has worked hard over the last year to put her life back on-track and produce one of her best albums yet. Circus sees Spears re-teaming with some of her original collaborators, including Max Martin, who helped catapault her into stardom with such hits as “Oops…I Did it Again,” “Baby One More Time, ” and “(You Drive Me) Crazy.” I downloaded the album this morning and decided to give Circus a listen during my workout routine today and I agree with the critics here; it is definitely one Britney’s best albums! Although I really liked Blackout; it was a little too heavy for me and outside of “Gimme More” and “Piece of Me” I didn’t find many of the tracks “poppy” enough. Circus definitely brings us that pop sound that Britney fans are craving! If you’ve been a fan of Spears in the past, give Circus a listen. I would venture to bet, you’re going to really like it! A world tour is forthcoming so the opportunity to see Britney’s Circus come to life in an arena or stadium near you will quickly be approaching. Circus (from JIVE Music) is available from retail outlets nationwide or for digital download from iTunes.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
A Fun Circus
Knights End Abysmal Season
The UCF Knights ended their 2008 football season with an all-time low loss to the Blazers of UAB. It was the first time in over two decades the Knights were shutout at home, losing 15-0. The Knights’ overall record was a horrific 4-8 and 3-5 in Conference USA. Even more dismal, the Knights’ offense ranked the lowest in the nation at #119. The amazing “fall from grace” the Knights took in 2008 comes only one season removed since UCF was crowned Conference USA Champions and made an appearance in the Liberty Bowl, the crown jewel of Conference USA’s Bowl ties. Let’s hope 2009 proves to be a better year for the Black & Gold. With such a terrible season in 2008, many donors, Alumni, and season ticket holders have been clamoring for change, suggesting athletics strongly consider terminating Head Coach George O’Leary. Perhaps the off-season will be even more interesting than the season itself. GO KNIGHTS!!! GO BLACK & GOLD!!!
Not so Sticky, But Definitely Sweet
I had the honor of watching Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet World Tour just 8 rows from the stage last week in Atlanta, Georgia! I have seen the Material Girl live 3 other times with 2001’s Drowned World Tour, 2003’s Re-Invention Tour, and 2006’s Confessions Tour; but personally, I believe her latest Sticky & Sweet Tour was by far the best I’ve seen. Madonna’s shows are notoriously absent of her classic hits (minus Re-Invention, which was billed as her greatest hits tour) but in Sticky & Sweet, Madonna made sure to include a slew of the tunes which put her on the map. She performed such classics as “Boderline,” “Into the Groove,” “Like a Prayer, ” “Express Yourself (a-capella),” “Vogue,” and “La Isla Bonita” to name just a few. She also included many of the fast-paced dance tunes from Hard Candy and performed for a solid 2 hours! Perhaps some of my favorite performances were “You Must Love Me” from one of my favorite movies EVITA and one of my favorite Madonna tunes “Ray of Light.” Atlanta’s Philips Arena provided an amazing venue with great acoustics, staging, and lighting. For a 50 year-old megastar, Sticky & Sweet shows Madonna is just as strong as ever.