By Nekesa Mumbi Moody
The Associated Press

It happens to all Barbies. The little girls who once idolized them grow up and lose interest, leaving them on the shelf as a reminder of quaint, pre-teen days.

Seeking to avoid that fate with her fourth album, Britney Spears is in search of a new, edgy identity. But while trying to recapture fans who have moved on, she sounds more juvenile than ever.

In the Zone is a celebration of her newfound freedom and debauchery, with Spears sounding like a college freshman who's just discovered the party house on sorority row.

"Passed out on the couch and yawnin', just walked in and it's three in the mornin'," she coos on "Early Mornin'," while on

"(I Got That) Boom Boom," the Ying Yang Twins shout, "We fixin' to go to the club to get crunked with Britney!"

Too bad it's not as fun listening to this album as making it.

Though there are a few entertaining parts, the majority of the disc is pretty insipid. But it's not always Spears' fault when songs go bad. The R. Kelly-penned song "Outrageous" is simply outrageously silly.

Spears and Madonna generated more heat smooching on MTV than on the vapid "Me Against the Music."