Artist: Britney Spears
Track: “Work Bitch”
Album: TBA

The pop icon who kickstarted a new wave of solo female acts at the end of the 1990s is doing whatever she can to keep her career alive with a trendy, albeit completely forgettable single that leaves a lot to be desired.

Hitting the net Sunday (9/15), the long-awaited return of the girl who did it again is nothing more than a derivative, EDM-eccentric track that carries almost no unique qualities whatsoever when stacked against everything at radio right now. It’s slick, dance floor ready music meant for clubs that will sell to diehard fans and people trying to keep their workout playlists current while preparing to battle winter weight gain. From anyone else, I could accept such efforts, but this is Britney Spears – a woman who saved her career more than once with innovative pop songs – and to see her file in line behind what everyone else is a disappointment in the biggest way.

Britney Spears has rarely, if ever been celebrated for the depth of her music, but she has completely bottomed out with “Work Bitch.” She allows herself to take a backseat to DJ Otto Knows’ production, and in doing so becomes lost in the song. Anyone could sing on this track and it would leave with the exact same impression of confectionary emptiness. It could be Britney Spears as easily as it could be Adam Lambert, the gals of G.R.L., or Keith Urban – the point is that it doesn’t matter who sings because this isn’t a single built on songwriting or hooks, and without that element there are not many reasons to care about Britney’s presence on the track.

While I’m sure “Work Bitch” will find an audience that embraces it with open arms, it will take much better material for Spears to reclaim her spot atop the pop music echelon. This is passable at best, and for someone like Britney Spears passable should not be considered acceptable. I praise DJ Otto Knows for his work behind the boards, but this is not the star we once we knew. The popularity of club-infused pop has already begun to fade, and it would be a shame to see Britney fall into the trap of cashing in on a fad a few months too late.

Review written by: James Shotwell (Follow him on Twitter)

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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