"Not Myself Tonight" is NOT "Dirrty"

Christina Aguilera has unveiled her new single, called "Not Myself Tonight" which you can listen to here (perhaps at some point the record company will deign to permit video embedding and, you know, diffuse the PROMOTIONAL video across the fragmented media consumed by its contemporary target audience...)

A few preliminary observations:

Firstly, Xtina could do with tipping her hat to Timbaland for inspiring the beats which underpin the song. Observant listeners will note they're almost exactly the same as in SexyBack.

Secondly, it doesn't have the immediacy (or the daring attitude) of something like Dirrty. It takes a few listens but there is undoubtedly some great stuff here (especially the "Tonight I'm not the same girl" shouty refrain). It has to be said, though, that if this is the start of a campaign which seeks to reinvent Christina, it doesn't quite do the job given that it seems to borrow production tricks which worked two years ago but which have become a little de rigeur now. On the other hand, it's a song which has just inspired a pop music blog do use the term de rigeur so perhaps, at least on this level, it's done something right.

Thirdly, this is a perfectly competent release to kick off the Bionic album campaign. But, if we were in Christina's camp, we would be just a little bit wary about hearing the word "competent" ascribed to this comeback single. The female solo pop market is currently about as crowded than it was back in the good old early 00s Christina/Britney wars. Britney's a good few months away from putting anything out which at least avoids those anachronistic comparisons to be wheeled out but now Christina is going up against the likes of Lady Gaga and, we absolutely regret to add, Katie Perry. Obviously the former provides more of an interesting creative foil, but nonetheless, the market for Christina Aguilera's brand of pop is there, but it's fairly fragmented.

Don't get us wrong, "Not Myself Tonight" can be fairly sure of a top ten placing come release day, but having put the Britney war behind her, Christina now finds herself competing with some pretty formidable new kids on the block. When seen against the backdrop of "Telephone", for example, "Not Myself Tonight" really can't afford to be looking dated and merely "competent". Not if it wants to cement Christina as one of the female pop stars occupying the throne which Lady Gaga and Katie Perry are pretending to.

On the other hand, if her team have learned from her past success, and the current success of Lady Gaga, then they'll know that a cracking video could help paper over some of these cracks... We wait in hope.