Celine Dion's "Loved Me Back To Life" Is Inhabiting The Wrong Body

That siren to top all sirens, Celine Dion is back with a new studio album. This is a special announcement for many of her most ardent supporters, not to mention people who are curious to discover what all the fuzz has been about since she burst onto the scene in 1991 with "Where Does My Heart Beat Now?" I regret to inform you that you still might not get the clearest picture of Celine's majesty as a performer if "Loved Me Back To Life" is what you base your initial knowledge on. That's because the song channels the dramatics of a younger performer such as Avril Lavigne or Christina Aguilera. When Celine sings the title words I don't get the reminder of the Celine who belted out "My Heart Will Go On" or her remake of "The Power of Love". Instead I am reminded of Christina's massive vocal range. Celine's earlier hits combined with the smooth almost classical music savvy of the musicians surrounding her made her chops a supremely one-of-a-kind MGM Grand Las Vegas worthy tour-de-force. The processed tune set forth here merely hints at a woman trying to see if the market she pretty much owned from 1991-1997 still has a passion for her. I know artists like Madonna aren't beneath teaming up with more contemporary artists like MIA to cater to the latest youth movement. After all, being a changeling has been a Madonna trademark since the innocent days of "Lucky Star". But why should Celine have to kowtow. Smart marketing maybe but it's just as much an example of attempting to fly without a net as when Madonna leaned in that direction with the "MDNA" release. I daresay Celine caters to more of a mature audience than Madonna and is less inclined to resort to modern artificial sounds as background enhancement. Celine, like Madonna, is larger than life. However, Celine hasn't quite hit the level of "getting away with" image altering that Madonna has employed as a relentless marketing technique. Besides which Celine strikes me as being too earthy a soul to do anything other than be the truest self she can be. Record buyers have responded well to this untainted portrayal. I shudder to think what they'd do if they realized Celine's sort of straining to be hip. When she sings "night after night" my ears find it a little heavy on the bravado. I still picture her in Vegas hamming it up to buffet motivated tourists who go for this kind of dinner and a show. Let me be clear. I'm not dissing Celine, the woman. It's her shocking detour from authentic expression of self that has me both scratching and shaking my head. This is one member of the adult contemporary club who doesn't, shouldn't, and flat out ought not to feel obligated to cater to the lowest demographic rungs. That's the face she usually brings to the world to this point anyway. "Loved Me Back To Life" is living out its days as an impostor. Give me a dingle when the real Celine reemerges from the fog.