Britney Spears is currently running around the country as one of the four judges on The X Factor. Her views and comments have some credibility as she is one of the best-selling artists to ever burst onto the music scene. The singer has released seven studio album thus far, six of them hitting the top of the charts. While it seems that every one of her albums has a great number of singles to choose from, it was her sixth effort, Circus, that contained the greatest variety. The three singles that did receive single treatment, "Womanizer", the title track and "If You Seek Amy", were great pop tracks, but seemed all too predictable. There are a handful of songs featured on the album that would have made a fabulous fourth single besides "Radar". A fifth and sixth single could have been possible also... But which ones?
If Britney's team had not made the decision to give failed single "Radar" a second chance at life, where it failed again, I would have quickly sent the unique and dark "Shattered Glass" to pop radio. The track was one of the shortest off the record and many criticized it as being part of the "album slump", but I could not disagree more. The track is moody, emotional and has a sense of revenge buried in. The singer's vocals may be Auto-Tuned beyond recognition, but I prefer them that way. The altered vocals give the song something extra, a reason I may enjoy it so much. Besides the robotic performance, I immediately fell in love with the songwriting that was showcased. Everything came together nicely to form a perfect, up-tempo pop gem that reached number 70 on the charts without an official release.
Saying "my face is gonna haunt you all the time" and comparing her ex's life to nothing more than broken glass makes the song the ultimate diss track and I am sure every scorned woman has played it a couple of times. Most of Britney's recent work has not impressed me as some of the forgotten singles from Circus. "Shattered Glass" is a beautiful creation thanks to its producers. It is a shame that it never got its time to shine, I'm sure it would have at least been a top twenty hit for the pop princess. I would classify the song as some of the artist's best work to date. Every time I come across the song I cannot help but sing and dance along. What shocks me more is the fact that it was only a B-side to my other single worthy choice.
Besides the deliciously up-tempo "Shattered Glass", the only other smart choice for a possible fifth single would have been the ballad-esque, slow "Unusual You". The song is near perfect. Yes I said that about a Britney Spears song. Compared to the rest of the album, it sounds like this great track was just thrown in because the project needed a true ballad. It seems to not fit in with the rest of the track list and it was able to stand out without even trying. Again, Spears' vocals are tampered with a bit, but they are given a more depressing feel to them. Lyrically, the song is supposed to be telling a story of the singer falling in love with someone she never expected to, but it is sad for her to reminisce about her past failed relationships.
What kills me most about this great song is the fact that it was already being serviced as the fifth single in countries such as Australia. Aren't they lucky? A music video for the song would have been amazing, I can only imagine the possibilities. Britney has not really been the go-to girl for ballads or slow jams, but she created a show-stopping moment here. Critics did nothing but praise the track, considering it the "gem" of the album and I agree. The song actually has meaning behind it, unlike her most recent club-ready disappointments. This is a song where I can see and hear that the artist is actually trying to make her career mean something. She sings of expecting everyone to break her heart, but how could you after listening to this piece of pop gold?
Besides the already mentioned tracks, "Kill The Lights" could have been a good single. Spears even held a music video contest for the track, but nothing materialized after that. Some amazing tracks that could have been hit were only released as bonus tracks in other countries or through the artist's website. Fans love pitting Spears and Lady Gaga against each other, but the two create perfect gems together. "Quicksand" is a beautiful song written by Gaga for Spears and was only available as a bonus track through iTunes. Single worthy indeed. "Amnesia", written by Gaga collaborator, Fernando Garibay, would have made a great single if more people knew about its strength. The song only saw a release as a bonus track in the UK and Japan. Too sad.
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