Christina Aguilera, the last of the Mickey Mouse Club cast to make it big in the music industry, following members of *NSYNC and Britney Spears. However, the thing about Christina is that, well, she has a far better range than anyone currently in the music industry at her age. Anyone. And she seems set to prove it on her self-titled debut release.

The album begins with the beat of the first hit single, "Genie in a Bottle." Second hit single, "What a Girl Wants." Both of them musically smooth and vocally excellent, however, things truly begin to kick up with the first ballad here, "I Turn to You." Powerful stuff, and her loud, overdone vocals never feel more at home again. It's subtle at points, but bombastic in others with a slow buildup. Christina croons the soulful song, eventually exploding with emotion toward the end.

See, just about every song here has a section where Christina is just singing for the sake of showing off her range. Mariah Carey used to do it, too, but it's annoying until she learns some restraint. Otherwise, there isn't much wrong with the CD. "Love Will Find a Way" has too much of a Mariah Carey flavor to it, with its tone and the numberous vocal layers. The first single Christina ever released, "Reflection," for Disney's Mulan soundtrack, is a lame ballad that lacks a strong hook or anything special whatsoever. The closing song, "Obvious," isn't breathtaking, either.

But what's left is "Blessed," which would have made the perfect closer, and a bunch of dance numbers. All of them have some sexy music them, while Christina's voice shows off its incredible range and power. That's pretty much the blueprint for the majority of the album, and more or less, it works.

Christina Aguilera's debut album is quite the accomplishment for the then-young singer. Why? Because it is far more consistent that Britney's first two albums combined, and the material is far more mature than anything either of those albums can hope to accomplish. Her superb voice will carry her, sometimes questionable hair and all, to the top if she can get over the multitude of minor problems here.