The New York Times reviews Christina Aguilera’s latest release, the double-CD Back to Basics, but it’s difficult to tell if the critic liked the CD or not. Much of the review is a lament over the shrinking celebrity of pop singers and today’s tabloid culture.

From the critic’s comments, the CD set is full of autobiographical lyrics including a couple of odes to her new husband, Jordan Bratman. From where I’m sitting, if it is his influence that has redirected the focus of her career than he has earned whatever accolades she gives him.

While the X-tina persona she put on for some time was kind of sex-personified, she was always a better talent than that. Her voice is far better than that of her contemporaries, and if she wanted to be more than a flash-in-the-pan it was always going to need to be her focus. By toning down the sexuality and turning up her talent, she has returned to discussion to her “freakishly huge voice” rather than her latest outrageous adventure.

The turnabout seemed to come around the same time as her relationship with Bratman, so which came first? I would assume that one of the reasons she is so devoted to him is that he gave her a direction which she was quite obviously lacking at the height of her X-tina phase.

She has the potential to move beyond the limits of the pop genre and become a true vocal superstar if that remains her focus, so I’m glad to see she has refocused herself on becoming more than just your typical pop tart…

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