B in the Mix, The Remixes [Deluxe Version]

Britney Spears isn't our trashiest blonde, our worst lip-syncher or even our most dysfunctional teen-pop artist anymore (Paris Hilton, Ashlee Simpson and Lindsay Lohan, respectively, have taken those crowns). But even as haters and clear-thinking fans hope that the new mother takes a break from the spotlight, Spears still demands attention, and so last year's greatest-hits collection is followed by a seemingly even more redundant remix album. The good part: Aside from "Toxic," just about every original track is bettered here. The five other remixed tracks from 2003's In the Zone are nearly as electronic and sleazy as "Toxic" was the first time around, and Dave Aude trumps the Neptunes on his guitar-bolstered mix of 2001's "I'm a Slave 4 U." Although nothing can rescue Spears' freakishly sappy flop single "Someday (I Will Understand)," the other new track, "And Then We Kiss," brings a simpatico blend of symphonic strings and dance-rock guitars.