britney spear new album "hot bathroom show"

Rebounding from what seemed like an endless spiral of personal crises and public meltdowns, tabloid queen Britney Spears is back in the studio and at work on a "brand-new album," according to a joint statement released by the pop icon's manager and her label, Jive Records.

"Britney Spears is spending her summer in the recording studio," the statement says. "She's working with a team of top-notch producers and songwriters. And we're very excited about what she's achieved so far."

With the intention of resurrecting her career, Spears released Blackout last fall, which was ranked among Rolling Stone magazine's Top 50 albums of 2007.

But its commercial reception was ultimately overshadowed by Spears' erratic behaviour that year, which included checking into and out of rehab, blowing off custody hearings and turning in a disastrous performance of the album's lead single, "Gimme More," at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.