"This will make my grandparents proud," Aguilera has said of this project, and, indeed, the ballad-heavy album seems to have been made with grandparents in mind. Other than the saucy, horn-accented "Falsas Esperanzas" and the mildly percussive "Cuando No Es Contigo," the new tracks lack a pulse. Instead, they pair her expressive and, at times, excessive voice with backdrops that make a standard elevator tune seem like a full-orchestra rendition of "Livin' La Vida Loca." None of producer Rudy Perez's songs approaches the depths of dreck-peddling diablo Diane Warren, whose nauseating "I Turn to You" gains nothing in the translation to "Por Siempre Tú," but his compositions are frustratingly bland, and the few promising numbers have been polished until they've lost their shine. Aguilera continues to improve as a singer, with both her dazzling bluesy growls and show-stopping high notes displayed in fine form on "Contigo En La Distancia," but her dilemma remains the same in any language: She needs better material.
