Christina Aguilera Back with New Single "Not Myself Tonight"

Christina Aguilera is back with her long-awaiting new single. While the announced first single was "Glam," for unstated reasons the single was changed to "Not Myself Tonight." The track should prove to be an instant hit, covering all her main bases: teen girls, gay guys (the track nods to her bisexuality), and pop radio.

The single is from her upcoming studio album Bionic, her first since 2006's Back to Basics. While catchy and well-produced, "Not Myself Tonight" doesn't really break new ground, unless one wants to count the numerous bleeped "f*** you"s. And there lies the problem: Christina seems to be banking on her Xtina side to carry her on to a new generation of fans. But it's 2010, not 2002, and what passed for controversy in that era seems tame by Lady Gaga standards.

"Not Myself Tonight" is a solid pop offering. Thumpy, insistent, and awash in synthesizers, likely what Britney Spears' "Gimme More" would have sounded like had she been in a place of coherence at the time of its recording. While Britney seems to have reclaimed her pop throne (while slowly but surely reclaiming her coherence), it will be interesting watching Christina compete in a new pop era so completely removed from the teeny-bopper 90's that ushered her into the consciousness of American popular culture.

Her latest single is a savvy marketing move, if not her most outstanding piece of work artistically. Hopefully the album will expand more fully on the conceptual characterizations that critics and fans have come to admire from this admittedly well above-average pop artist. With Madonna, Britney, Jennifer Lopez, and now Christina Aguilera all back on the charts, it remains to be seen how they'll fair against an era ruled by "Poker Face," "Single Ladies," and a gaggle of hyper-young starlets ready to "Party in the USA."