Christina Aguilera

Liberation

Liberation — her first full album in six years — is a return to relevance in a sense, as she wisely chooses to adhere to the culture’s current lifeblood of Hip Hop/R&B spoils, thanks to assistance from the likes of Kanye West, Anderson .Paak, Dumbfoundead, among others.

An album that keeps pace with modern pop trends while remaining true to Aguilera’s past.

Aguilera’s voice is arguably at its very apex — stronger, deeper, and fuller than we remember — and Liberation is a showcase of exactly what she can do with those pipes.

The pop survivor shows off her powerhouse voice, dabbles in try-hard slang, and takes tentative steps toward creative rebirth on her first album since 2012.

Liberation is symphonic and dramatic – everything diehard Aguilera fans would want in an album. But like most Aguilera albums, there are some hits and some misses.

Liberation is largely freed from the bombast that has marred Christina Aguilera's past releases.

Liberation sounds like it suffered a crisis of confidence midway through, as if Aguilera was beset by doubts at her ability to pull off a whole album of modern R&B.

Every track is polished and purposeful, but the sheer busy quality of her singing and overactive variety of the production ensures that Liberation never settles into a coherent listening experience.

In the end ... Liberation never reaches the heights fans likely wanted from Xtina, it serves as a pleasant refresher for a voice that has earned its place in the annals of pop history.

Liberation, her latest album, resurrects Xtina’s considerable presence as a vocalist, though her attempts at navigating the modern pop landscape still verge on aimless.