The first of Edward Elgar's two symphonies, in A flat major and first performed in 1908, has been described as the musical equivalent of St Pancras Station, London's neo-Gothic edifice. With plenty of party girl anthems - from the come-hither Do You Wanna Come Over to the cartoonish Private Show - she seems to be having more fun that anyone else in the business. Her sexuality is also, unabashedly, her strength, so the slinky R&B track Make Me featuring Californian rapper G-Eazy is a great choice for a lead single in an album that frequently explores the 34-year-old's sensuality.įollowing 2013's lacklustre offering of Britney Jean, Spears' ninth album Glory feels triumphant. Sho knows her pop sensibilities have got her this far and does a fine job of playing to her strengths on the latest 17-track work. Glory could do with more genuine moments, such as the surprisingly romantic Man On The Moon with its sense of yearning.īut its overall Auto-Tuned sheen is what listeners have come to expect of Spears. I Did It Again (2000) on Clumsy, complete with an "oops!" just before the dance break and chorus. There is a little throwback to the fun, pop cheekiness of Oops!. Now it seems she has to take cues from the current crop of pop giants, including Justin Bieber, for the acoustic guitar-laced Just Like Me, and even Selena Gomez, on the sultry, atmospheric Just Luv Me.īut the biggest influence on the album could still be the Britney of old. There is a touching ode to their bond in Brotherhood: "Brothers, how have you been, it's hard to imagine what things would be like without you."įans of the band would feel the same way.Īllied with superstar producer Max Martin, Britney Spears was a pop tastemaker in the early 2000s. While some of the tracks feel a little calculated - Party Animal fills the quota for a fast-paced arena anthem - the staunch friendship among the members remains genuine.