With her body re-toned, hair regrown and mood restablized, Britney Spears is poised for a comeback. The weave is gone, the babies and Federline are back in tow, and all shady paparazzi have been banished from Britney’s traveling troupe. Having survived a three-ringed personal fiasco of her own, Spears catapults back into the pop arena with her sixth studio album, aptly titled Circus.

In many ways, the album follows in the footsteps of the now-ubiquitous first single “Womanizer,” presenting up-tempo offerings that are both radio- and club-friendly.

Spears establishes strong residence in the territory of adult dance music, moving away from the saccharine pop that characterized her early career. Like every other Spears album, however, Circus rides on strong upbeat numbers, but falters when the tempo slows down.

The album’s title track is a shamefully catchy number that positions Spears as a commandeering ringmaster, possessing something her personal life so woefully lacks ­— control.

“Kill the Lights” is a sarcastic nod to Spears’s tumultuous relationship with the paparazzi. The album’s strongest and most unorthodox song is “If You Seek Amy,” an upbeat, highly synthesized offering about an elusive figure named Amy that seems to be an alter ego of Spears herself.

But the album drags with weak slower songs, most notably, “Out From Under” and “Blur.” Spears doesn’t have the vocals to pull off ballads, which her producers should know by now. In haphazardly alternating both vulnerable and brazen personas, Circus suffers from a slight case of personality disorder.

The biggest hurdle facing Circus, however, is not musical; rather, it is the professional redemption of an artist now more known for an over-exposed personal life. For the past two years, Spears has been on an odyssey of absurd behavior, navigating a violent storm of divorce, rehab, custody battles and belligerent paparazzi with her ever-present frappuccino in hand, all culminating in two involuntary psychiatric commitments.

Considering Britney’s cataclysmic 2007, the fact that this album even exists is impressive. The fact that it’s relatively good? Astounding.

Multiple personalities and inconsistencies aside, Circus contains some of Spears’ best songs in years. The album presents a woman slowly regaining control of her life — if only by acknowledging its absurdity. As long as she doesn’t take another gurney-strapped ride anytime soon, Circus has the potential to be Spears’s musical resurrection.

— Contact Julia Cox.