Britney goes back to her roots

Blonde has always brought out the best in her. But Britney Spears is still exploring her darker side.

The 22-year-old singer, who has dominated the charts as a golden girl, is now a striking brunette, complete with shimmering red highlights.

Sales of her latest single, Toxic, are falling fast - a less than encouraging sign as she starts a world tour. So Miss Spears, who has experimented with a series of looks lately, obviously fancied another change.

Her latest hairstyle, revealed during a break from her world tour in Miami, has caused consternation among her fans.

It is, at least, substantially better than the severe brown bob she inflicted on herself in April last year. And it appears a lot sleeker than the glue-tangled hair extensions she sported over the New Year.

It is also the colour she was born with - although there is little chance this latest shade came from anywhere other than a bottle.

Miss Spears's image has been more than a little confused lately.

Her trademark girl-next- door wholesomeness gave way to a bad girl phase, in which she dated Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst and actor Colin Farrell, stayed out partying and admitted she had tried drugs.

It culminated with a disastrous 55-hour-long marriage to a childhood sweetheart after a drinking binge in Las Vegas.

Lately the pressure to maintain her enormous early success seems to be too much to bear.

Last month she was photographed with a copy of the book Listening to Prozac, a work analysing how anti-depressants affect the body, along with a handbag in the shape of a coffin.

She was also seen in tears with her father Jamie outside a church in California.

Her schedule for the next few months is hectic.

After the U.S. leg of her tour she heads to Britain, where she will appear at eight concerts in April before moving through Europe.