• Record Label: Jive
  • Release Date: Mar 29, 2011
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 707 Ratings

User score distribution:
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  1. Apr 27, 2015
    9
    In The Zone, Blackout, and Circus were all pretty innovative by pop standards, and while Femme Fatale has a somewhat more mainstream feel to it, the production is what really sets it apart from other pop music out there and gives it that signature Britney touch. The music is very synth heavy which gives it a lush sound, but the dubstep beats make it edgy in a way that's actuallyIn The Zone, Blackout, and Circus were all pretty innovative by pop standards, and while Femme Fatale has a somewhat more mainstream feel to it, the production is what really sets it apart from other pop music out there and gives it that signature Britney touch. The music is very synth heavy which gives it a lush sound, but the dubstep beats make it edgy in a way that's actually reminiscent of Bjork on Homogenic. It's pop bliss from start to finish, with only a few weak tracks. The bonus tracks are also worth checking out too. Expand
  2. Feb 28, 2021
    7
    This album scream "dance" and "summer" and it's definitely her redemption, bringing confidence and power more than ever in her career. Spears didn´t have such set of triumphant singles for a long time, as well as such perfectly produced album. It's so good to see her shine again.
  3. Dec 7, 2016
    7
    At first, I didn't like it. I thought it was overproduced and void of Britney herself. However, after several listens it suddenly sunk it. It's a bold and brilliant dance record. The production literally screams at you, but in the right way. Full of hooks, full of electronic goodness and full of sex appeal. An album designed with one goal on mind - to make the listener want to dance. DoesAt first, I didn't like it. I thought it was overproduced and void of Britney herself. However, after several listens it suddenly sunk it. It's a bold and brilliant dance record. The production literally screams at you, but in the right way. Full of hooks, full of electronic goodness and full of sex appeal. An album designed with one goal on mind - to make the listener want to dance. Does it achieve this? Totally. Expand
  4. Aug 9, 2013
    5
    One of the worst Britney Spears CD's. Her highly autotuned voice gets annoying, and the songs are horribly written. Definitely not a good album, only four or five good songs.
  5. Nov 21, 2016
    7
    A step-up from circus. The only song i found to be sub-par was (Drop Dead) Beautiful. Till the world ends was great, and Criminal was very good. Other good songs are:Hold It Against Me, Inside Out, I Wanna Go, Big Fat Bass and Gasoline. The rest are average or just fine. Overall a quite consistent and a pleasant (unexpectedly) record.
  6. Oct 21, 2017
    7
    Trazendo uma sonoridade eletrônica misturada com música pop, que a própria Britney popularizou em 2007 junto com Kylie Minogue, Femme Fatale é um dos principais CDs de 2011. Responsável pelos sucessos "Hold It Against Me", "Till the World Ends" e "I Wanna Go".
  7. May 29, 2012
    10
    In My Opinion Britney's Best Album!
    I Listen To Every Song Almost Every Day! Best Songs:
    Til The World Ends I Wanna Go How I Roll
    Worst Songs:
    Big Fat Bass
  8. Oct 8, 2011
    3
    So this is what people call as pop music this days. I don't think Madonna would approve this new phase of Britney, and she even could lost her "Princess of Pop" rank. It's just pour electropop, with crappy lyrics, and strange beats, she just made pop for pop.
  9. Apr 12, 2012
    10
    This could possibly be Britney's most fresh and innovative album. She tried different music elements that she hasn't tried before and made these songs chart toppers. Although she has been bashed for her little input on the record, to be truthful hardly any pop artists write their songs these days. I think her vocals sound fresh and up to date with what is happening these days. StandoutThis could possibly be Britney's most fresh and innovative album. She tried different music elements that she hasn't tried before and made these songs chart toppers. Although she has been bashed for her little input on the record, to be truthful hardly any pop artists write their songs these days. I think her vocals sound fresh and up to date with what is happening these days. Standout tracks on the album are "Till the World Ends", "I Wanna Go" "Up n' Down"(On Deluxe Edition) and "Criminal". A very underrated album in my opinion Expand
  10. Apr 8, 2018
    7
    de los mejors albumes de su carrera, y tambien de los mejores albumes del año
  11. Dec 16, 2014
    5
    Britney excuse me but this album is not good, you have the potential to make (at least compose) best songs, there are few that can be enjoyed this album.
    Highlights: Drop Dead and Till The World Ends
    Lows: Gasoline and Do not Keep Me Waiting
  12. Apr 2, 2011
    10
    Its amazing. I love all the crazy melodies and the beats. Even Big Fat Bass isnt THAT bad. My only problem is the lyrics.

    'You're so bright, like a dream' 'Seen you out tonight smiling and talking' 'Steaming like a pot full of vegetables' Also people need to stop talking about her not writing any of it. Rihanna didnt write ANY of loud. Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley didnt write
    Its amazing. I love all the crazy melodies and the beats. Even Big Fat Bass isnt THAT bad. My only problem is the lyrics.

    'You're so bright, like a dream'
    'Seen you out tonight smiling and talking'
    'Steaming like a pot full of vegetables'

    Also people need to stop talking about her not writing any of it. Rihanna didnt write ANY of loud. Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley didnt write and even Pavarotti lip sync's!
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  13. May 21, 2011
    8
    One of the best album of the year and Britney Spears best album . The songs on her are more dance and techno. Better . I love this Britney Spears. Every Britney Spears album was good she have not made an bad album yet. All the songs are good good party songs. She have songs you can play at parties and just songs you can play just because the song is good. Britney style is different fromOne of the best album of the year and Britney Spears best album . The songs on her are more dance and techno. Better . I love this Britney Spears. Every Britney Spears album was good she have not made an bad album yet. All the songs are good good party songs. She have songs you can play at parties and just songs you can play just because the song is good. Britney style is different from everybody else. She never change style. All her albums are pop rock and dance pop with some electro and techno mix. The album starts off with one of her best song she made in her career Til The World End. Great song. They lyrics are good and so is the beat. Then the next song on the album is Hold it against Me a hit song. The album basically starts off with two of her best two songs of her career. Great way to start off her brand new album. Every album she make has a song you cant stop listening to. The guess appearance on the album are amazing. Sabi is feat on the song (Drop Dead) Beautiful. This song is really good 5 star song. and Will.I.Am is feat on a song called Big Fat Bass. One of my favorite two songs on the album. Every song on the album is 5 stars or 4 stars song. Some might be 3 and a half stars , maybe two. If you wondering if you should get this album . You should . This is her best album this is worth getting. Britney spears album is one of the best of the year. If you a Britney Spears . Get this album. I think even the none Britney fans like this album from Britney Spears, Britney Spears is a hitmaker. I'm not a huge Britney Spears fan but i cant help it if her album are good. Britney Spears isn't the type of artist that I will be dying to get the album or listen to but when her songs play it put a smile on my face. Britney Spears is an amazing artist. Expand
  14. Sep 10, 2016
    8
    Definitely better than Circus, Britney sounds more confident and upbeat. Despite not liking much this new electronic vibe, the album still has great moments and some notably Britney characterization.
  15. Feb 28, 2020
    10
    "Femme Fatale" is the definition of pop excellence. In my opinion it’s the lighter version of "Blackout". If you want a deep and personal album, "Femme Fatale" isn’t for you but if you want a fun dance pop album this one right here is the perfect choice. The album is filled with feel-good bops from start to finish. The majority of the album consists of fun dance pop songs ("Till the World"Femme Fatale" is the definition of pop excellence. In my opinion it’s the lighter version of "Blackout". If you want a deep and personal album, "Femme Fatale" isn’t for you but if you want a fun dance pop album this one right here is the perfect choice. The album is filled with feel-good bops from start to finish. The majority of the album consists of fun dance pop songs ("Till the World Ends", "I Wanna Go", "Trouble For Me", "Big Fat Bass", "Up N Down"). But Britney does change it up here and there. The dark electro-pop songs "Inside Out", "(Drop Dead) Beautiful", "Gasoline", "Scary" and "Selfish" are some of the best, sexiest and most interesting songs on the album. "Trip to Your Heart" is an electro-pop ballad that sounds like the little sister of "Heaven On Earth" and "Unusual You" from Britney's previous two albums. On songs like the #1 hit "Hold It Against Me", "Inside Out" and "Seal It With a Kiss", Britney experiments with dubstep and the results are incredible. "Don’t Keep Me Waiting" is probably the biggest standout on the album as it’s a pop-rock track. On "He About to Lose Me", Britney‘s voice is almost completely unedited. It’s a mid-tempo song that features an acoustic guitar and it’s one of the most emotional songs on the album. "Criminal" also incorporates real instruments like the guitar or the flute. It’s an amazing mid-tempo pop track that deserved to do much better on the charts. Especially the bridge is beautiful. The award for the most experimental song on the album definitely goes to "How I Roll". It’s a fun, quirky, feel-good, mid-tempo track and doesn't sound like anything Britney has done before. Overall "Femme Fatale" was one of the best albums of the 2010s. It’s not meant to be incredibly emotional and deep, it’s just a fun dance record. And it fulfills its job flawlessly. It never gets boring as all the songs have a unique touch and Britney experiments with a lot of different sounds. The only song that I don’t like completely is "Trip to Your Heart" but even that one isn’t bad. This album is a pop gem.

    Favorites: Hold It Against Me, Scary, (Drop Dead) Beautiful, Till the World Ends & Selfish
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  16. Mar 24, 2013
    10
    Britney's Best Album! Till The World Ends, I Wanna Go, Drop Dead (Beautiful), And How I Roll Are My Favorite Songs!
  17. Jan 6, 2014
    8
    I have never been a Britney Spears fan and never will be, but she did do some good music here. The singles are all fun and upbeat and keeps the filth commonly associated with her to a miminum
  18. Sep 6, 2014
    8
    Femme Fatale é o álbum mais comercial de Britney. Há algumas faixas como "Big Fat Bass" que poderiam ser trocadas facilmente por outra qualquer. Não é nem de longe seu melhor álbum, mas também não é o pior.
  19. Jan 28, 2017
    8
    Hinario, um dos melhores da britney, nunca entendi porque tem fã que odeiam esse album é um dos melhores lançados em 2011, tem varias musicas boas como criminal, hiam, up n down...
  20. Jun 23, 2018
    1
    Britney sounds a lot like a programmed bot than her previous effort and there are no emotions at all. This is an album that has no purpose and even the name of the album is very random. No vibes of a femme fatale are detected in the tracks and you can barely hear her voice. This is disappointing.
  21. Jun 30, 2011
    10
    The Queen of Pop is Back and better than ever! This album is her strangest yet the best album she's ever recorded. The production is amazing and the vocals are much better than circus. I wish though she wrote some of the songs but other than that the album is a masterpiece. The highlights of the album include "Till The World Ends", "Trouble Fore Me", "Criminal" and "Selfish" which isThe Queen of Pop is Back and better than ever! This album is her strangest yet the best album she's ever recorded. The production is amazing and the vocals are much better than circus. I wish though she wrote some of the songs but other than that the album is a masterpiece. The highlights of the album include "Till The World Ends", "Trouble Fore Me", "Criminal" and "Selfish" which is included on the deluxe edition. Expand
  22. Sep 20, 2011
    1
    Out of the blue, I found myself reading excellent critics applauding this album. And contrary to what most critics said, I found this absolutely ridiculous and over the top. I gave it some tries and listened to every song several times... My judgement is there's only a decent song on it - "How I Roll", probably the most one-of-a-kind track Britney has ever sang...Wait... She doesn't singOut of the blue, I found myself reading excellent critics applauding this album. And contrary to what most critics said, I found this absolutely ridiculous and over the top. I gave it some tries and listened to every song several times... My judgement is there's only a decent song on it - "How I Roll", probably the most one-of-a-kind track Britney has ever sang...Wait... She doesn't sing at all in FF because they kept pressing the auto-tune button in every single track. We all know Britney's cup of tea is not exactly her voice but at least they could have been more restrained at overprocessing those tracks. Criminal is an ordinary gypsy tune. Big Fat Bass has got to be some kind of ears (and patience) crucifixion. Trip to your heart is almost good but the tedious repetitions and the cheap disco background make it come up short. Till the world ends still gets me thinking I'm listening to a Ke$ha's album... I Wanna Go looks like a demo and the lyrics probably written by some 16yo. . Trouble For Me truly defines what Britney is for herself. Any other person could have done this... but just because it's Britney, a reinvention of herself, bla bla bla, damn, it's so brilliant, fresh and etc. Please...! Expand
  23. Mar 27, 2020
    7
    It's an okay album. All single choices are good (especially "Criminal" - love it!). However besides singles and some songs (like "(Drop Dead) Beautiful") whole album gives me "weird" feel and it's not so memorable like it's predecessors.
  24. Mar 29, 2011
    7
    Pop princess, Britney Spears came back with energy and entertaining album "Femme Fatale." Instead of defending her throne as Pop princess, she is more determined to take K$'s Queen of Clubland throne. Her voice is processed and sounds similar or much robotic than K$ or her alter-ego Blackout (2007). It's fun, danceable but it lacks Spears real persona and it relies more on her producers.Pop princess, Britney Spears came back with energy and entertaining album "Femme Fatale." Instead of defending her throne as Pop princess, she is more determined to take K$'s Queen of Clubland throne. Her voice is processed and sounds similar or much robotic than K$ or her alter-ego Blackout (2007). It's fun, danceable but it lacks Spears real persona and it relies more on her producers. The musical structure and composition is almost the same. She tries to re-invent Blackout to make it more better but I still think Blackout sounds better. Expand
  25. Sep 10, 2011
    9
    Britney's back with a new masterpiece. The only thing missing? Ballads. "Femme Fatale" neerds a real ballad, and we can't consider "Criminal" one. Max Martin, who is one of the best songwriters ever, wrote fantastic songs though, and Britney sang them amazingly. It's only sold 1.4 millions copies worldwide right now, but it's going to sell more throught the weeks.
  26. May 23, 2011
    8
    While you can call her the Femme Fatale, album #7 is something better: improvement. And I mean lyrically and sonically. She's come a long way, jumping from the unusually usual Circus to a new and better territory. This new ground is a place she's gone to before. Remember that album she explained as "embracing life fully"? Yes. That was her greatest album. And with her latest going alongWhile you can call her the Femme Fatale, album #7 is something better: improvement. And I mean lyrically and sonically. She's come a long way, jumping from the unusually usual Circus to a new and better territory. This new ground is a place she's gone to before. Remember that album she explained as "embracing life fully"? Yes. That was her greatest album. And with her latest going along the motions of Blackout, it didn't come out as repetitive: it's infectious. Expand
  27. Aug 4, 2019
    6
    Of the albums released in the 2010s, this one is her best in my opinion. This song has two of my favorite Britney songs on it: "Criminal" and "Gasoline." It also has great songs like "Inside Out," "Trip to Your Heart," and "He About To Lose Me."
  28. Jan 30, 2016
    6
    Album assez inégal, ancré dans son temps avec des sons électro dance qui ont assez mal vieilli.

    Coup de coeur: Inside Out et les pistes bonus de la version deluxe.
  29. Nov 2, 2018
    8
    The album overall is very consistent and for those who like electronic music this album is a must. With catchy lyrics and fun production the album is perfect for those looking for something to dance to. Favourites include Trip To Your Heart, Till the World Ends, Inside Out, I Wanna Go and How I Roll
  30. May 26, 2011
    6
    The album is nice but nothing more than that. Although meaningless, "Hold It Against Me", "Inside Out", "I Wanna Go", "Gasoline" and "Criminal" are catchy and fun. However, the other tracks are forgettable.
Metascore
67

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 25
  2. Negative: 1 out of 25
  1. May 24, 2011
    80
    Despite a slew of hit singles and eye-popping sales figures, Britney Spears has never released an album as coherent from start to finish as her latest, Femme Fatale.
  2. The poppers keep on coming right through the bonus tracks of porn-lite funk-lite that's quirky and clever front to back.
  3. Apr 5, 2011
    70
    Femme Fatale equips Britney with material which is strong enough to enable the original all-American Pop Princess to hold her own in such an overcrowded context.