Britney plays it safe with new single
The artwork for Britney Spears' new single "Hold It Against Me" which hits radio on Jan. 11, 2011. Credit: Jive Records
The launch of Britney Spears 3.0 - the balanced, drama-free version of the pop superstar - begins Tuesday with the release of her new single "Hold It Against Me."
Though many radio stations, including New York's Z100, got the jump Monday on the club-ready song - the first release from Spears' still-untitled album due in March - its official release to radio and iTunes comes Tuesday.
Like her current low-key, non-tabloid persona, Spears plays it a bit safer on the thumping dance track, which features a new-millennium lyrical update on the Bellamy Brothers' country classic "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me."
For her first single since 2009's "3," Spears teams up again with longtime collaborators Max Martin and Dr. Luke, but there aren't many distinctive hooks built into "Hold It Against Me" - no unique vocal take like "Womanizer" or singular synth squiggles from "Toxic."
Instead, she goes for straight-up dance pop, a bit tamer than her "Circus" fare, but as catchy as anything from her followers Ke$ha or Katy Perry have come up with lately.
Spears apologized to her fans Monday for "Hold It Against Me" showing up on radio early.
"I couldn't wait any longer," she tweeted, to the delight of her fans. "Hope you don't mind."
