Music

There can’t have been many people rubbing their hands together with more glee at Britney’s public downfall than the Jessica Simpson camp. One of a crop of clones that appeared in the immediate aftermath of Ms Spears, her descent into obscurity seemed inevitable, but with the 2002 reality show ‘Newlyweds’ (in which she ‘played’ the endearingly dippy blonde) and a role in the 2005 remake of ‘The Dukes Of Hazzard’ (in which she played a marginally smarter blonde) she has managed to keep herself in the public consciousness.

Now though, with that pesky Spears off being all rebellious, the stage is set for her to corner the market in harmlessly sexual, lightweight pop, and her fourth – fourth! – album is one that pushes all the correct buttons. Mercifully, the ballad action is kept to a minimum, but present and correct are a cheesy ’80s cover (‘You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)’), a samba-flavoured one (‘Swing With Me’) and ‘The Lover In Me’, which is so like 2000-era Britney, it’s ridiculous. Long available in the States (where it received a decidedly lukewarm reception), the album’s success over here will depend largely on whether the nation thinks it needs a new old Britney. Which, of course, we don't.