Britney Spears, 3

Max Martin and Britney Spears: a pairing that has spawned some of the most memorable (and risqué) pop tracks in recent years. Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise then that when these two pop heavyweights come together, the resulting song packs a mighty punch.

‘3’ picks up where spring’s Martin/Spears offering ‘If U Seek Amy’ left off. In the hands of Martin, Britney (now back at the top of the pop pile), has progressed from innuendo laden schoolgirl starlet (…Baby One More Time), through to defiantly saucy don’t-call-it-a-comeback queen (“All of the boys and all of the girls are [still] begging to ‘If U Seek Amy’”) and now cheekily affirms her confidence with an invitation to participate in a three-way ‘union’ in ‘3’- flipping the innocence/experience (image/melody) combo of her breakthrough hit on its head.

The insanely catchy, bouncy melody and Spears’s mischievous vocal delivery assures that the subject matter never comes across as smut, but as a sneakily whispered school yard round that builds to crescendo (chanted complete with a wink, nudge, clap-along beat and a giggle). Bang on trend with electronically blended vocals and stabs of synthesizers that punctuate the beat, this song will equally at home on pop radio (where the smoother verses drive the sing-a-long elements) and with a beefed up, floor shaking, gritty bass line in the clubs.

The hook and thumping rhythm of the chorus will no doubt produce a myriad of group routines on dance floors worldwide and hopefully the video will offer its own signature combination to complete the craze. ‘3’ is also begging to be remixed and you can bet that MCs will be fighting each other to be the first to lay down vocals over the track upon its release.

Naughty but nice (the embodiment of the controversial Miss Spears herself), ‘3’ is the perfect track to build hype for her upcoming singles collection. Bubblegum pop with a sassy, deviant streak- giving into its pull is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

Review by Ali

Check out the posts below to listen for yourself.