Can an Almost-30 Britney Really Make a Comeback?

Britney Spears, and of course her handlers, seem to think she’s ready for a full-on comeback—and judging by the success of new single "Hold It Against Me," she's giving it a good go. But is a Britney comeback possible in the new world of pop, where Ke$ha (who can certainly “offer a few dance hooks in a girl-gone-wild package”) and Lady Gaga (who “has almost single-handedly reinvented the blonde dance beast aesthetic”) have swept in and taken over the spot once held by Brit, wonders Mary Elizabeth Williams on Salon.

“As a colleague mused recently, Britney after Gaga is like going back to the greatest bar in your midsize hometown after a year in Manhattan. It's still comfortable; it just doesn't seem as eye-popping,” Williams continues. It might help if Britney offered up some introspection on her new album, but if the single is any indication, all we’re going to get is the same old “glitter and earworms and aggressive come-ons.” Of course, "she could keep pumping out coolly efficient disco beats from now until the apocalypse … but as she veers toward 30, she can't keep partying like it's 2001 forever." Click for the entire column.
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