While her previous two albums shot her to the top of the charts and into every teenage boy's fantasies, Britney Spears`s third offering justifies itself as a full-length listen. Titled Britney, it tries to reposition Britney from ‘Bubblegum Teenybop Star' to a more mature ‘Queen of Pop'.

Britney will be 20 years on December 2nd and she's casting off her Lolita-like image on this album - quite a change from her 1999 debut Baby One More Time... There are new musical styles on this album, including funk, soul and rock. Britney is by far her most personal album and she tries to put her own authorial stamp on it. She has co-written five of the songs and has even collaborated with singers Dido and boyfriend Justin Timberlake of ‘NSync.

On the single I`m a Slave 4 U, the singer promises she`ll do anything you want as long as it`s dancing to her electrofunk tune! Lonely reveals Britney`s exploratory side with a funky rhythm and Overprotected is a clear declaration of her independence and heck, she even throws in a few curses!

Her cover of Joan Jett`s I Love Rock `n` Roll is not too disappointing thanks to the strong guitar riffs that back up her vocals. Boys, which brings back memories of the 70s soul era, whips out a surprisingly tuneful bridge that dramatically rescues an oestrogen-dripping but otherwise negligible song. The electric violin intro on Bombastic Love and the plaintive Cinderella about a guy who took her for granted are worth a listen too. The disco tribute Anticipating and the slow ballad I`m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman provide respite from mass-produced, machine-tooled music.

A creative addition to the CD is the special video feature that previews her upcoming role in the film Crossroads, so all you Britney fans out there, make sure you get this CD.

All in all, evolution in the right direction. Get it now!