Britney Spears, ‘Inside Out’ – Song Review

Rumor has it that 'Inside Out' will be the next single from Britney Spears' 'Femme Fatale.' The song is vintage Brit, with her breathy, sexy vocals having their way with a slowed down, sly beat that snakes around the song's body movin' melody.

While 'Inside Out' might not make her next installment of greatest hits, it's still another solid offering from Brit's comeback record. Brit Brit may be pushing the big 3-0, but she still has that babydoll voice down to a science. There are moments on the song where vocal distortion is applied to her vocals, warping them and giving them a sharper edge. It's the yin-yang interplay that we've come to expect from Brit's singles.

Brit also sings, "Hit me one more time / It's so amazing," which proves that she has reached a level of fame where she can reference herself in her lyrics, as you obviously recognize that lyric from her debut single, '...Baby One More Time.' That's how you know you're a cultural phenom -- when you can borrow a lyrical phrase from yourself over a decade later.

The verses are sped up, with Brit delivering her lyrics in robotic, talk-sing style. She's being sexually suggestive -- and really, when isn't she? -- when she coos, "Shut your mouth and turn me inside out / You're the only one who ever drove me crazy / Cause you know me inside out." How many pulses did that turn of phrase set racing? Anyone feel the blood rushing to their face? Also, note that Brit references her own lyrics again, as she did have a megawatt hit with a single dubbed '(You Drive Me) Crazy.'

Overall, 'Inside Out' is Diet Techno, with beats that are never too mechanized. They are always digestible by Brit's large cross-section of fans, be it teens, young adults or middle-aged men. It's a mid-tempo dance song that stops short of being too hard and that pulls back before it gets too overly sexed up.

Listen to Britney Spears' 'Inside Out'