After a forgettable album and two-year hiatus, Britney Spears is back and better than ever. With “Femme Fatale,” Britney sounds fresh while retaining that distinctive Britney-ness that has made her such a star after seven albums.

Album opener and single “Till The World Ends” sounds almost identical to everything on the radio with its auto-tuned “oh, oh!” chorus, but Britney’s unique swagger places her above her whippersnapper contemporaries, the Taio Cruzes and Ke$has (who unsurprisingly co-wrote the song).

“Femme Fatale” also showcases a Britney unafraid to take risks, evidenced by “Inside Out,” a slow-motion dubstep orgy. Elsewhere she’s a Europop superstar who can still pull off lyrics like “Show your knee socks/drink tequila on the rocks.” Some kind of PokeFlute or the Ocarina of Time leads into the gem, “Criminal,” complete with a vintage Britney bridge. The only two misfires come, predictably enough, from talent-killer will.i.am—writer, producer and featured artist on “Big Fat Bass”­—­­and disco snoozefest “Trip to Your Heart.” However, “Femme Fatale” is clearly Britney’s manifesto to announce her return to the throne as the Queen of Pop.