Shaved heads, umbrella attacks or another marriage biting the dust - you can always tell when a new Britney Spears album is imminent by the size of the headlines.
But Britney Jean, the pop star's eighth album, has been remarkably free of drama. Ironically, the result is some of the blandest music she's made.
Unlike the funked-up electropop fun of 2011's Femme Fatale, here Britney sounds bored with herself, delivering a self-reflective concept record on the pitfalls of fame. And in will.i.am and David Guetta she's backed by some of the least interesting producers around.
It Should Be So Easy is AutoTuned up to the eyeballs, Body Ache is a dancefloor cheesefest, and the bonkers rap-ballad Chillin' With You drags in Britney's sister Jamie Lynn for a duet.
It's a mixed bag, but Britney Jean is saved by the few moments when the star of the pity party for one gets crazy on the synth-driven banger Work B****, delivers saucy euphimisms on Tik Tik Boom, and mimics Daft Punk-style robo-breakdowns on Til It's Gone.
