People outside this forum will spontaneously combust reading this.
But I agree with the NYT. Who else has got her pipes, can deliver as much emotion as she does without losing out on technical ability? This isn't a put down to the other enormously talented singers that this generation has also brought us, because they're great in their own ways, too. But really, she kinda leads the pack... not to say that there aren't some dangerously close contenders, though.
Her vocal ability is seriously underrated, though. We focus more on her showmanship than we do on her singing.