"Hold it Against Me" is prime Britney, packed with aggressive electro jitters, a Euro-cheese riff that's strangely close to AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," and a weird breakdown where Brit moans, blows kisses, and snaps her gum.
The first single from her upcoming seventh album, the song (co-produced by Max Martin and Dr. Luke) recalls the synth-gloom ambience of Britney's 2007 gem, "Blackout," possibly the most influential pop album of the last five years.
Audio: Click to hear Britney Spears' 'Hold it Against Me'
The lyrics head toward Austin Powers/Benny Hill territory: "If I said I want your body now/ Would you hold it against me?" It isn't hard to hear a tinge of desperation in Brit's digitally processed growl, especially in the line "You feel like paradise and I need a vacation tonight." But even so, "Hold it Against Me" promises great things for her album, aside from the overall jaw-drop factor that Britney has hung in there to make a seventh album at all.