"Scream & Shout" will.i.am ft. Britney Spears

I make no secret my general disaffinity for will.i.am, whose bloated sense of his own genius has already produced two of the year's worst songs. So imagine my surprise that "Scream & Shout," the umpteenth single from his eternally delayed album #willpower, is actually, ahem, pretty good. This sleek house track sounds like a surefire club smash, with a throbbing synth beat that is pure electro ear candy. Even better, will.i.am and his superfluous rhymes mostly take a back seat, allowing guest Britney Spears to shine in moments both absurd (an extended riff with British accent) and rapturous (a harmonious oh eh oh refrain). Plus, any reference to "Gimme More" is all right in my book. B+