Larry Rudolph Details Britney Spears Album Plans

Britney Spears' summer won't be all rest and relaxation here in 2008 (like it has been every year since, oh, 2003): The pop singer will be spending time hard at work on her yet-untitled next album, according to her manager.

"Britney Spears is spending her summer in the recording studio, working on a brand new album," manager Larry Rudolph said in a statement.

"She's working with a team of top-notch producers and songwriters, and we're very excited about what she's accomplished so far."

THG NOTE: That must mean she hasn't run away screaming at least!

Britney Spears spent time in and out of the studio in the spring, fueling rumors of an upcoming album. But at that time it was "recreational," Larry Rudolph said.

"She's been going to the studio, she's been having some fun. But it's all recreational for her," he said. "She's like, 'I want to go to the studio because I want to have some fun' and that's what it's all about. There's no schedule, there's no agenda, there's no anything. She is just enjoying herself."

In the studio, "She's giggly," he added. "Some days she'll go in and get nothing done. Some times she'll just play around a little bit."

But Rudolph said there was a reason behind the playtime: "She's the type of person who has the eye of the tiger. She'll likely wake up one day and decide she wants to do more than that. Whether that is a day from now, a month from now or a year from now or five years from now, I have no idea."

We'd put our money on the five-years end of that spectrum.

After a difficult year that included mental meltdowns and an ongoing custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline, as well as widespread criticism of her last "comeback," Rudolph says Spears is feeling like her old self again.

"Britney Spears has got people around her that really care about her and are there to point her in the right direction in respect to the things she should be concentrating on – her life," Rudolph said.