From the synthy open of "Womanizer" to the regretful ache spurring "Blur," "Circus" gives Brit pop a whole new meaning, as the singer does double duty as a dance diva and brokenhearted balladeer. It's no easy feat, but when Spears shoves aside the tabloid trauma and hooks up with the right producers—on this album it's Guy Sigsworth, Danja, Dr. Luke and Max Martin—she is in a class of her own. The iPods of the dumped will have "Out From Under" on repeat, and if censors turn a deaf ear to the racy wordplay of the chorus to "If U Seek Amy," it could move beyond the club to radio. One quibble: On beat-blasting tracks like "Circus" and "Kill the Lights" the lyrics rehash the "it's deeply weird to be famous" themes Spears already locked down on "Lucky" and "Piece of Me." Here's to moving on.—Ann Donahue