There's a cinematic mystique to Christina Aguilera's new album, Liberation. It's a feeling and emotion as much as it is a literal technique — the first song and title track, made by film composer Nicholas Britell (Moonlight), is an orchestral prelude that sounds like a film trailer, with Aguilera saying, "Where are you? Are you there?" while a child's laughter can be heard in the background.
The album that follows is so considered in its structure that even its duds — of which there are a few — work within the context of the album's framework. A compelling narrative is built from the first full track, the Kanye West-produced Maria, which samples a young Michael Jackson as Aguilera searches for her lost sense of self.
As the track winds out with an emotive pop hook ("don't run away, don't run away, no"), the message is clear: Aguilera knows that, as a pop star of the noughties, her biggest enemy of late has been irrelevance. From her six years on The Voice to her confused 2012 outing, Lotus, she's been battling to find her place back in the modern pop consciousness, and on Liberation, she's trying something that just might work: embracing her most authentic self.
The record's shinier first half continues after Maria. Sick of Sittin' is a rock-and-roll battle cry that hits back at her years quite literally sitting in a chair on The Voice ("it's good pay, but it's slavery"). That's followed by an empowering triple hit: Fall In Line, introduced by an interlude of young girls stating their dreams and aspirations, is a full-throttle trip-hop ballad that allows Aguilera and guest Demi Lovato to unleash their most towering vocals, complete with massive ad-libs and runs.
