'Britney Spear's Back' 5/22/08

The young music mogul who was caught up in a Britney Spears baby scandal last year (07) has lured the pop star back to the studio.

Producer J.R. Rotem has teamed up with hitmaker Sean Garrett to help the pop star make a start on a comeback album. And he insists Spears is back at her best after a crazy 2007 ended with hospitalizations for a bipolar disorder, custody battles and career issues.

He says, "She's great. She's like a master at what she does. She's a lot more experienced than most people. She just has the 'it' factor that not every artist has. "It's always nice to work with her."

Rotem briefly dated Spears last year (07) and hit the headlines when he suggested the pop star might be pregnant in a stray text message. A source close to Spears confirms the singer is working on the "experimental stages" of a new album - the follow-up to Blackout, which was released in October (07). And Garrett tells People magazine, "I'm just happy to see her back and recovering.

She's really shaping up and getting her whole situation back together. I'm really proud and happy to see her."