(Reporting and writing by Alex Dobuzinskis)

As she works on her comeback, singer Britney Spears awaits the release of her album “Circus” on Dec. 2. But fans can start delving into the album now with the release of extended segments from six “Circus” songs that were posted on Thursday at the Web site of New York radio station 103.5 KTU.

One of the songs, “Womanizer,” was already released in September, and another song “Kill The Lights” turned up on the Web site YouTube this week, then was taken down within hours and later reposted. With lyrics that include the words “Mr. Photographer, I think I’m ready for my close up tonight,” the song is a clear reference to her paparazzi-filled life. The video posted online for the song features images of Spears pole-dancing, demonstrating that Spears shows no signs of changing gears from the sex-fueled persona that helped shoot her to pop stardom.
    
Other songs included in the nearly 8-minute segment posted on Thursday at KTU’s Web site were: “Circus,” “Out from Under,” “If U Seek Amy” and “Unusual You.”
    
It remains to be seen how far the album “Circus” will propel Spears as she seeks to make a career comeback from the public meltdown she suffered in 2007 and early 2008. Since the album will be released on her birthday, the singer stands a chance to give herself an outsized present if “Circus” is a hit.

Britney Spears is making her comeback — again. First step: release a catchy single. And so, on Friday Britney’s song “Womanizer” finally hit airwaves, four days after its scheduled release and a week after a snippet was leaked.
    
The song is an upbeat if slightly repetitive electropop number lasting about 3:40. It comes off Spears’ album “Circus,” which is set to be released on her 27th birthday on Dec. 2. The song was produced by The Outsyders, a group based in Atlanta.
    
It has lyrics that include: “You say I’m crazy/ I got your crazy/You’re nothing but a womanizer” In the song’s chorus, Britney sings, “Boy, don’t try to front/I-I know just-just what you are/Womanizer, you’re a womanizer, baby.”
    
It remains to be seen what Britney’s fans think of the song, but it’s definitely catchy. In a snap judgment, the Los Angeles Times music blog Soundboard reached the conclusion that “Britney is back. She actually seems to be awake this time.”

Last year in late August, Britney released a song, “Gimme More,” which was also billed as a “comeback” tunes after months of Britney finding herself making headlines for erratic behavior. At that time, she was embroiled in a bitter custody battle over her two sons with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

She sang “Gimme More” at the MTV Video Music Awards in September ‘07, but was  panned by fans and critics. By January of this year, she found herself in a Los Angeles-area hospital under psychiatric evaluation.

But since February, after her father and lawyers took control of her affairs, Britney has seemed to be on the mend. In fact, at this year’s MTV VMAs, Britney won three awards for her song, “Piece of Me.”

So one wonders: could this “comeback” be the real deal.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis)

Radio stations were supposed to start playing Britney Spears’ new single “Womanizer” on Monday. But instead the pop star’s record label pushed back the release by a week. 
    
The last minute delay comes after a 37-second segment of “Womanizer” was leaked and played on the Web site of a Nashville, Tennessee, radio station on Friday. The leak had a short life that day, as Spears’ record label, Zomba Label Group/Jive Records, told the station to take the song off its site.
    
Wendy Washington, a spokeswoman for the record company, said on Monday that the single’s release was pushed back.
    
“Yes, the mix is being finalized and is expected to be done within a week,” Washington said.
    
The leaked segment of “Womanizer” was not an immediate hit with commentators on the Web. The site Hollyscoop.com said the fake song “Candy From Strangers,” posted online last week by a Spears impostor, was more catchy than the leaked song from Spears herself.
    
The single is off Spears’ album “Circus,” which is scheduled to be released on the pop star’s 27th birthday on Dec. 2.
    
Spears has a lot riding on the album, because after a turbulent public meltdown last year she appears to have gotten her life back on track, giving her the chance to make what could be the biggest comeback in years in the rollercoaster music business. 
 (Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis)    
     
    

 Was it Britney, or wasn’t it?
    
Two songs that sounded like new work from the revitalized pop princess circulated briefly on the Internet this week, but only one of them was real.

Less than 40 seconds of a song called “Womanizer” made its way to the Web site for Nashville, Tennessee, radio station 107.5 The River on Friday  – but it was soon taken down.

 It appeared a couple of days after ”Candy From Strangers” circulated online, with a vocal track that some commentators said sounded deceptively like Spears.

Wendy Washington, a spokeswoman for Zomba Label Group/Jive Records, said the leaked preview of “Womanizer” was a Spears song and not a fake.  It is the first single off her upcoming new album  “Circus” and is expected to be released to radio stations on Monday.

“A radio rep played a rough mix of ‘Womanizer’ over the phone for a Nashville radio station, 37 seconds of this rough mix was recorded by someone at the radio station and that is what this leak contains,” Washington said in a statement. 
     
Spears, 26, is climbing back after a public meltdown that dominated show business headlines for much of the past 18 months, but last week she won three trophies at the MTV Video Music Awards.  
    
(Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis)