On several songs, men are thanked for their faith, strength, support, commitment and tenderness (“Blessed” “What a Girl Wants,” and a remake of the All-4-One ballad “I Turn to You”). “Reflection,” which first appeared on Disney’s Mulan soundtrack, is about a woman longing to reveal her true self. Other tracks desire lasting love(“Somebody’s Someone”) and to preserve a relationship poisoned by naysayers (“Love Will Find a Way”).
Being “rubbed the right way” is the teenage singer’s lone criteria for giving her body away on the shrewdly sexual “Genie in a Bottle.” Equally hormonal, “When You Put Your Hands on Me” admits that a man’s touch makes her “feel sexy” (“I feel ready and I lose my self-control”). On “So Emotional,” Aguilera tells a lover, “It’s either black or white/We’re making love or in a fight.” She invites a boy to join her for an all-night party on “Come On Over.” The otherwise positive “I Turn to You” and “What a Girl Wants” both allude to love and affection through the night.
Another Mouseketeer hits the big time. Reminiscent of the pop/R&B stylings of Mariah Carey, these ballads and club grooves are powerful and passionate. “It’s important to me to be a positive role model,” the 18-year-old Aguilera insists. She could start by reevaluating the sexual ethics in her lyrics. This disc will only serve to undermine teens’ resolve as they struggle to stay sexually pure. Fans of this style should try CCM’s Point of Grace or Jaci Velasquez.
