And for Aguilera, there's no need for a skilled publicist - her amazingly mature voice is one of the rnest pop-soul instruments to come along since the auspicious debuts of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. When she moves into ballad territory the result is not always sterling, occasionally dipping into a pot of over-earnest pop. On the emotive "I Turn to You," Aguilera channels the early style of Houston through a rose-colored glass, helped along the way by Diane Warren-penned lyrics that spend a little too much time honoring the nameless, faceless "you" of the title.

Yet on "Reflection," the track recorded two years ago for Disney's Mulan, Aguilera's then 15-year-old voice is as strong as someone who's twice her age and the song is just as memorable.