Britney Spears' comeback a success

Britney Spears' new album 'Blackout', the singer's fifth studio album and first album of new material since 'In the Zone' from 2003 is set to be a huge success, despite the recent controversy surrounding her personal life.

'Blackout', goes on sale worldwide on October 30th - and although Britney's public image has taken a hit recently, with accusations of drug use, bad parenting and excessive drinking, the album is being predicted to match the success of her past hugely successful records.

Geoff Mayfield, Billboard's director of charts, said: "You almost have to throw out the rule book when you evaluate her. You might think the attention she has got does not bode well, but the first single has been very well received."

Britney's comeback single 'Gimme More' is currently riding high at number six in the UK singles chart, and peaked at number 17 in the US Billboard chart.

Blackout is heavily produced by Nate "Danja" Hills and the Swedish duo Bloodshy and Avant, who also produced Brit's smash hit single 'Toxic'.

Barry Weiss, the President of Jive Records' parent company Zomba Label Group, emphasized the label is doing its best to keep the focus on Britney's music, not her.

He said: "The sound is a maturation from her prior albums. "With so much noise out there about her, we are trying to keep the focus on the music as much as possible."