Back to Basics

Before even looking, I knew the community reviews were going to be a dumpster fire. Not every album is going to be Led Zeppelin II. The whole point of using this site is to broaden your horizons. It's embarrassing seeing people reacting to this album like they're being asked to shoot the family pet. I agree that it's not a great album. It has some of her best songs on it, but the entire album has one specific vibe to it that gets a bit old very quickly. She's a phenomenal singer, but it all feels a bit one-trick after a few songs. The backing tracks all sound a bit samey after a while too. Some of them are very sparse too. And I'm not sure that this album is as deep as she seems to think. Still, it's not horrible. You guys are just babies.

I somehow feel a bit sorry for her here, maybe she’s a victim of her own success? As a teen pop superstar phenomena I’ve never really taken her seriously. She’s devastatingly attractive, has a massive voice, she is writing all her own stuff and working with brilliant producers. But it is still a bit too pop for me. I get the feeling this album will catch some hate on here, but if you can get past the perfect pop packaging she’s a very talented artist and there are some good tunes on here.

Tried to listen with no prejudice. Disc one is fairly painful; unchallenging dusty beats with Xtina moaning over the top. Disappointed to find out most of it was produced by DJ Premier. 'Thank You' was frankly embarrassing, as was the section naming famous musicians. Saying "Billie Holiday" out loud doesn't musically align you with your hero, it just reminds me that I could be listening to something better than this. The songs on disc two weren't all that, but were a far better use of her voice.

Love me some Christina and not ashamed

Christina is apparently the queen of releasing bloated, saccharine albums with ironic titles. Multiple tracks on this album have a distracting vinyl crackle that fades in and out constantly. I thought it might be a problem with Spotify, but it turns out this was an intentional production choice, which is baffling. Best track: Without You

I fail to see how a bog standard, basic pop album is something that must be listened to before you die. Genre defining? No. Ground-breaking? Hardly. Paradigm shifting? Not even close.

Some excellent ballads with jazz and other influences What a voice, comparable to Adele Favourite song: Mercy on Me

It’s a long album, but you can choose any song and be blown away by her talent. Definitely changed my view of her, since I always just had her a generic pop star in my head. My bad.

Can’t believe it’s my first time hearing this. Front to back bangers

I previously thought Christina Aguilera was a pop artist because of other people's songs that she was featured in. But this album clearly shows she is confident working with a variety of genres, so one of the themes of the album - getting inspired by old-school rap and soul music - works really well. The songs themselves also cover a variety of moods and themes so that anyone can find something to enjoy: the vibe varies from sweet to bold, from heartbreaking to weird and funny. And yet, the album does not feel disjointed, but rather a genuine expression of Aguilera's different sides as a person and interests as an artist.

I liked the first disc well enough, although I felt a bit like an outsider… especially through the Thank You song at the end (seems she and her fans are having a personal moment I didn’t feel entirely comfortable listening to). I wasn’t sure I was up for a second disc. To my surprise that second disc really connected with me! The best Christina I’ve listened to. Fantastic!

Such a long and terrible album....honestly nothing redeeming about it. 1/5

It started of fine and there were some moments i liked, but it went for way to long and there are some really bad moments too. Couldve been tolerable if it was like half as long. But then it still wouldnt be good, i would just not hate listening to it as much.

When I said that Stripped was a long, epic album, I didn't realize we weren't through. Woah! This did really feel long sometimes, but man it also packs a lot of amazing stuff in it! I'm impressed! I'm blown away! A powerful tribute to the women who inspired her.

This was way better then I expected it! Wow, I did miss it back then I guess. I can’t remember any song. But hey now I know it and can go back to when I want to

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would

For the world of pop, although it leans heavily to R&B, this is a very ambitious album. It experiments in original ways that still keep the album enjoyable. The songs are beautiful and, it goes with saying, so is Christina’s voice. The production is impeccable. I wouldn’t necessarily say that it overstays it’s welcome, however, if one didn’t think the project was becoming repetitive on disc one, than one must have felt it on disc two. For an hour and nineteen minutes, it still makes an incredible effort in that all the songs sound fairly individual. I enjoyed it, great album. 4/5

I really quite enjoyed many tracks on the album…more than I expected. I think that if the album ran shorter I would have liked it more.

Très belle prestation de la part de Christina, malgré une longueur d'album absolument insoutenable, Deux albums 4/5 d'affilé, ce n'était plus arrivé depuis des millénaires

Une Christina Aguilera des grands jours qui samplera les choristes et invitera d'ailleurs Kad Merad en duo sur le morceau en question. En parlant de choristes, j'en profite pour vous partager une anecdote. Quand j'étais en classe de CP, la maîtresse nous annonça un beau matin qu'un monsieur allait nous apprendre des chansons. Ce vieux monsieur arriva bel et bien accompagné de ses mystérieuses intentions (je suppose maintenant qu'il était pédophile). Nous apprîmes donc lesdites chansons, totalement idiotes au passage, et n'entendirent plus parler du vieux pédo pendant plusieurs mois. Vers la fin de l'année, alors que nous étions tranquillement en train de travailler en classe, celui-ci se pointa pour nous annoncer que nous allions nous produire le lendemain soir dans une grande salle de concert devant des milliers de personnes. "Tu te fous de notre gueule ?" répliqua l'ensemble de la classe. Vous vous en doutez, nous avions complètement oublié ses chansons à la con et le concert fut une cacophonie.

Way way better than expected. One I'd never have checked out.

Christina Aguilera does pop to perfection so this album does not disappoint on that front. It has that speakeasy flavour that I remember being popular at the time but it doesn’t date the album too badly. The length was daunting and I think it could have been much shorter but it flows well and keeps hitting highs all the way through.

My poptimism must be back in full force, for I overlook the distractions of faux-analog to pronounce the first volume of Back to Basics 75% successful. Christina's voice explodes with power and pretty much never lets up, noted length-induced fatigue aside. The sustained performance over 00s RnB is pretty unique, but the second disc is more interesting if a smidge less impressive. The double LP is certainly sprawling, doesn't feel the need to vary overmuch, yet gets away with a very small number of skips.

Production is too busy, mostly over-sung but the talent is undeniable

It's very 2000s if you're into that

Vintage aesthetics are perennially wrung out in pop music, and this album seems-self aware of that fact. As a matter of fact, that’s dang near one of the theses of the album. But I don’t give points for self-awareness. Christina’s vocal delivery is a great match for the album, however. She has an aggressive, over-the-top rendition of a vintage voice, which is absolutely made for a 2000s vintage pop album. Unfortunately however, this album is a rocket ship with no fuel. Christina builds the foundation for unique ideas about vintage promiscuity and womanhood, and reaches farther back for samples than many of her peers, but the ideas hardly ever go anywhere. What makes the album unique, feels almost buried under unremarkable love songs and the excess of 2000s album structures. If the trends had been in Christina’s favor, maybe this album would have aged better with other artists building on it. Alas, the pop zeitgeist would be looking to the future instead of the past for about 5 years following this album, so it stands alone. And this is not an album that benefits from standing alone.

Ahh why do these albums have to be so long? This was two albums smashed together for no reason. In isolation I dind't hate either, but together it's dumb. I liked the 2nd one more. Still because of the excessive length I disliked it. Cut out the fat and make something good.

The title is a misnomer. So over produced with the face 50s sound and other business going on.

Well, today is July 4th and also my 500th album. I was really hoping for Bruce Springsteen's Born In The U.S.A., but, here we are with my second and final Christina Aguilera album. The randomness of the universe does not appear to care about my hopes. As much as I didn't want to see something like this come up today, I'll give it a fair shot. I thought Stripped was very good, so this album might surprise me too. Just like Stripped, this album was full of Christina's excellent vocal talents. As I mentioned on my review for Stripped, this isn't my favorite era of pop music, but man, the singing on this album just blows away its contemporaries. To top it off, this album featured some great production that really bolstered the 'back to basics' theme. However, that theme really held the album back on the first half. I felt like the sound was really repetitive on the first half, and Christina really didn't do a lot with the album's theme. The whole name dropping section of "Back in the Day" is probably the best example of the lackluster nature of the first half of the album. "Ain't No Other Man" was one of the few songs I recognized off of this album, but it's a fun song, worthy of being easily recognizable. "Oh Mother" was also great. I liked that it was similar to "I'm O.K." off of Stripped, but with the focus shifting to Christina's mother. When the second half of the album started with "Enter the Circus," I was afraid that the album was going to take a weird turn. However, as soon as Christina's vocals started, that fear was put to bed. The second half of the album didn't feel as confined by the back to basics theme, and had more exploration of sounds and themes. "Candyman" was the second song off of this album that I recognized, and it instantly evoked a visual of that old LG 2 Chocolate commercial from the aughts. Man, phones have come a long way since then. I enjoyed the sexual energy and lyrics of "Candyman," and it was the most fun song on the second half of the album. "Hurt" was the last song that I recognized, and I enjoyed its lyrics and epic sound. Overall, this album was fine. The biggest downside of this album is that it was restrained by its theme, and a good portion of the tracks felt like filler. It's a long album, especially for something that feels a little one-dimensional for a good portion of its run time. Still, Christina Aguilera is an amazing vocal talent, and there's some solid production work on this album as well. Back To Basics isn't as good as Stripped, and that's okay.

The second disc was a lot better than the first. Without wanting to put words into the artists mouth it definitely felt more like what they wanted to make whereas the first disc felt a bit, manufactured, for lack of a better term which made it a bit difficult to get through. Most of the songs on the first disc were written by half-a-dozen people, whereas the second just a couple. Felt a lot more personal and a lot more interesting. Stand out songs: - Welcome - Hurt

Was she that big back then? So much that we need to hear at least 2 of her albums before we die? I don't think so. There are more popular, and better-sounding, and more influential 21st century pop than her, which aren't included in the list.

“This is my back to basics album.” *releases an 80-minute double album with the most excessive mid-00s production possible*

I procrastinated a lot on this one. I was basically like, “what can I do other than listen to a double album by Christina Aguilera that’s been removed from the book?” I’m not saying that this is my personal hell (not even close - that would be having to listen to anything by The Grateful Dead), but there are a lot of other things I would rather listen to than this. Pop music isn’t for me. It’s disposable, often doesn’t transcend the era it was recorded. If that makes me a snobby asshole, so be it. I won’t deny Christina Aguilera’s talent, she’s a great vocalist, but life is too short to try and force yourself to enjoy things you don’t have much interest in.

Too long, every song almost sounds the same.

This exercise presents the odd revelation, such as this: despite my being mostly a “vocals optional”* kind of listener, there are certain singers who bring involuntary quivers to my ears and knees, and Christina Aguilera turns out to be one of them. This is not a good album: the first half is passable, but lacks the bangers of its predecessor; the second half is an unfortunate descendent of Madonna’s “Hankie Pankie” period. Yet Cortina’s charisma and sheer belt kept me interested. I had fun until the faux-jazz smothered it. She’s one of the few pop singers of her generation I could pick out in a blind lineup. The loudly saucy lyrics also kept my spirits up. I’m guessing some might turn their noses up at the wobbly mix of emancipatory vibes and “I’m diiirtyy” provocations, but life’s too short to have your cock and not eat it. Simon, this reminded me that I only put two pop songs on my playlist for our 2003 Deep South trip and that “Beautiful” was one of them. Can you remember the other? *Steve Albini

The intro song is so corny I'm sorry. I think I didn't really like any of the self-referential songs (Still Dirrty) because they were very plainly written and just not every interesting. The "Thank You" interlude was also weird to me? The sampled fan voicemail selections were... interesting. The second half opens... interestingly... with Nasty Naughty Boy, which was. A song. It's incredible how sexual some of these tracks are while also being decidedly not sexy.

She's clearly a very talented singer but this severely did not need to be a double album. It's incredibly bloated. I'm not sure what was more uncomfortable to listen to, the horniness of "Nasty Naughty Boy", which features literal sex moans a la boys goofing off in a middle school classroom, or the 5 straight minutes of ego stroking on "Thank You".

Jesus CHRIST pick a fucking note already! This fucking sucks. And there is a LOT of it. I'm so fucking mad I have to listen to this shit. It's going to ruin my day. Like how fucking vapid do you have to be to play voice mail from fans praising you in the middle of your album?

I see this gets a lot of hate on here, and it seems to be pretty justified. At a minimum, she answers the question "how strong was the cocaine in 2005?" quite definitively. Otherwise, how can you explain the hubris of the first song, the overlong track list with no major tunes nor significant variety, or the ear-bleeding cringe of the "fan messages" sampled on "Thank You" (what's worse, if these are real or if they were made up in the studio? I can't decide). The back half is a bit better (i.e., most words are sung using the correct amount of syllables, and there are some amusing Viz-level entendres in the lyrics) but that's not saying much. Sorry, Xtina - too long and too shit even for a 2

I feel like the greatest artists always have a signature style and Aguilera's voice is so unique that it makes me cum instantly. Back to Basics draws back the curtains and stabs a dagger of joy into your back. Faultless.

So damn cool. Lot of energy

Of course Christina’s voice is fantastic! There wasn’t a single song that I didn’t enjoy, and most of the album (all but three songs) were new to me. This felt like two completely separate albums, and I honestly feel like the album would’ve benefited by being released as two separate albums. It was almost too much Christina at once. Especially since the two halves of the album are so stylistically different from each other, I think two 30-40 minute albums would’ve been better than one almost 80 minute album. But anyway, this is 4.5 stars for me.

Heel sterk popalbum. De jazz en soul uit de 20s zijn heel sterk te horen. Ook ballades als 'Hurt' zijn prachtig

A tour de force. Is there any better guilty pleasure then Christina cheerfully belting out old timey tunes about sex? Ain't No Other Man and Candyman are just good fun. Hurt is a beautiful counterpoint. A great collection of songs sung by one of the great singers of our generation.

Wow. CA can sing. I guess growing up and being anti-pop and having genie in a bottle being rammed into your brain you kinda tune some things out. Really impressed with vocal talents and going away from poppy vibes and going for soul. This album being 2 disc you’re gonna have a couple sleepers but she could have easily put a solid 12-15 tracks for one mega bang. Anyways it was really good.

Couldn’t find this album on iTunes but I listened to her Essentials. Lots of well-known songs.

I was fully expecting this to be the lesser known and less good album from an artist whose good album is already gotten but goddamn was I wrong. As a gen zer who only knew Christina Aguilera from moves like jagger and sorta genie in a bottle, I never realized that she has probably the best voice of the 00s maybe the 21st century. She can pull off the most operatic and full throated vocals as well as the slower and quieter tracks. She was going for a tribute/theme of old 50s/60s icons and she actually managed to pull it off without sounding out of her league. Candyman and nasty naughty boy were my favorites but I can’t really think of a track I didn’t like.

Classic album. I still like Stripped overall more. I would put that one over this for this list imo

Came into this album sceptical and I bloody loved it! The sample of Genie in a Bottle in Thank You threw me but I really liked it! The whole of Disc 2 in itself is a masterpiece and a joyous listen. The opening 2 tracks were mint, candyman was great in a different way. Nasty Naughty Boy turned me on a little. And the rest of the disc was just mint. Listened to this album twice because it was that good.

Christina Aguilera was one of the performers in the 90s reboot of the Mickey Mouse Club, and she may be the most talented of that very talented bunch. Her dynamic voice has an impressive range, and allows her to create pop songs with the sounds of R&B and soul tracks. Back to Basics is an impressive double disk - 85 minutes with 22 tracks. The content is certainly not "basic." Several tracks are orchestrated and performed like vocal jazz standards from the 40s. The incredible range of the songs is impressive. While the album received mixed reception from critics, it was very well received commercially. This album, and the tour that followed, propelled Aguilera into superstar status - a performer with far more range and creativity than "just" a pop music star.

Nice.

Not my style but a good production

Forget Beyonce or Taylor Swift, give me this lady Any day. Beautiful voice. Loved it

I appreciate this. She is an excellent singer and some of the song were well timed for where I am now.

She's so talented

Soft 5 here. The excellence of Christina Aguilera's singing cannot be understated here. She's amazing in all senses of the word. I take issue with portions of Disc 2. It has great tunes, but lacks the cohesion Disc 1 seemed to have. But this album was definitely worth the listen and will definitely be revisited. Hard to pick a favorite here because I liked so many, but I'll go with 'Ain't No Other Man' and 'Hurt' for Disc 1/2 respectively.

This woman can sing

Guilty pleasure alert! that said...no album should be 80 minutes long. holy smokes

This album is a bit like Simply Red - such a powerful voice that gets a little overwhelming after a few tracks.

Some surprisingly good bits

A lot better than I expected. I remember really hating on Ain't No Other Man & Candyman when they came out. 10-year-old me had particular tastes when it came to music. Anyway, this kind of pop record really shows that Christina is more than whatever the media thought she was. Back to Basics is a great album and almost a "re-branding" of sorts. It seems a bit long, but the songs go by quicker than you think. Sidenote: I really liked "Oh Mother" as a HUGE fan of Bruno Coulais' work on Les Choristes.

I dock one point for the heavy use of tech (samples) when time and money was likely available to pay a few more great session musicians, maybe some that the ladies she is paying tribute to have used, but four stars for the message: "I've waited for some time To get inside the minds Of every legend I've ever wanted to stand beside So here I stand today In tribute I do pay To those before me who laid it down and paved the way" Niiiice.

Allow me to say, I love "Ain't No Other Man", but I'm going to have to pace myself here. The Wall is the same length! Ok, Disc 1 is done, I definitely enjoyed it more than I thought I would, more than other crooners like Britney Spears & Mariah Carey. Disc 2: oh this is a Tom Waits record Alright it isn’t, but she had me fooled It’s melodramatic, and the bloat is real, but I’d still go far as to say that they should’ve kept this in the book. It’s a decent representative of 2006 pop music, and it’s kinda silly only 4 albums make up that year in the new edition of the book HL: “Makes Me Wanna Pray”, “Ain’t No Other Man”, “Slow Down Baby”, “Here to Stay”, “Candyman”, “I Got Trouble”, “The Right Man” Not as crazy about: “Hurt”

Never really listened to Christina Aguilera but this album is pretty solid

The handful of her song I've heard before already let me know she has an incredible voice, but this is the first album of hers I've listened to all the way through. Wow. She is superb at her craft and I really enjoyed this. What a voice, what expression, what soul!

El comienzo de Oh mother es como la canción principal de Los Chicos Del Coro. Está bastante bien el disco.

Ugh - I braced myself when this album turned up - but but but - it turns to be a pretty half decent record. First half is a strong showing of R&B, Soul and Gospel influences that are actually tasteful, then this second is split between some decent pop ballads and had it ended at the ‘Thank You’ track it would been an actually great record. But then it kind of descends into this gaudy cartoonish cabaret that gets old very very quickly. But if you skip that - this is a good record. I would never have guessed.

Side B !

Très bon album de pop, j'aime beaucoup l'influence des années 40/50 et sa voix surpuissante supporte bien les paroles. Malheureusement, en faire un double album, c'est quand même chaud, la deuxième partie semble de trop.

Once she gets away from the Mtv inspired pop songs, her true range comes out and you can really see what an amazing artist she is.

I was often surprised by this record and I enjoyed it much more than I expected to. It has soul and style.

Great, powerful voice! Tracks are often similar.

Not my go-to genre, but her vocals are impressive, and these tracks draw from her 1920-1950's inspiration in an interesting modern soulful R&B style.

Love me some Christina, though very long and some songs I'm not so sure about.

I don’t have a lot to say for this one. Nice catchy songs and cool production. It loses me a bit as it goes on and it’s a bit bloated though.

Christina is a true diva of the 90s (and early 2000s) - not Brittney or Pink or Arianna. She has such a unique, powerful, soulful voice - which is a good thing because most of these songs aren't that good on their own. She makes them interesting to listen to. A true talent, even if you aren't a fan. I'm guessing this will be the only album of hers on the list, which is why it's getting a one-star bump. Everyone should listen to and appreciate Christina in their lifetime. This is the album to listen to (granted it's too long).

I literally listened to this album on repeat all day. It did not get old. She has amazing vocal range and diversity in the music she makes. Honestly really good.

Christina Aguilera's 2006 album "Back to Basics" holds a special place in many hearts, acting as a nostalgic soundscape for those who grew up with it. I, too, have fond memories of listening to this iconic album on repeat in my mum's car during my childhood. The track "Thank You (Dedication to Fans...)" not only carries the weight of gratitude but also echoes the reminiscent vibes of her debut hit "Genie In A Bottle," a song that propelled her to international stardom. The second half of the album takes a bold leap into the realms of old-school jazz, blues, and soul, showcasing Aguilera's versatility. The burlesque vamp "Nasty Naughty Boy" stands out with its trumpets and audience cheers, creating a vivid late-night showgirl atmosphere that feels reminiscent of Moulin Rouge. However, the decision to release a double album raises questions about its cohesion, and while the material is strong, the segregation of certain throwback tracks onto the second disc creates a noticeable imbalance. Nevertheless, gems like "Mercy on Me" showcase Aguilera's staggering famous belted vocals, making it worth revisiting this album to fully appreciate its intricacies.

J: chu chu chuuli N: temas icónicos

Surprisingly, I really liked this album. It had a diverse sound, ranging from soul to blues to jazz. I should listen to more of her music. I give this 4.5 stars.

Surprisingly enjoyable. Pop is not my style usually.

Pretty classic C.A., hard to not love.

Hard not to move.

Solid album, lots of variety and good sounds but wouldn't listen every day

I was a big Christina Aguilera fan as a kid. Looking forward to this. This album is such a product of the 2000s with all of the disc scratching sounds every few seconds lol. I love it. Oof. Track 7 hurts. I have a feeling that I'm going to like the second disc of this album better than the first. The opening track to the second disc is freaking me out in the best way. 4/5 Dang she's got a great voice.

Schöner Pop. Stimme noch nicht ganz so nervig.

Didn’t expect to see Christina Aguilera on this list, not my favorite album but not bad either!

Another big name female pop star to surprise me. 4

Favorites are "Makes Me Wanna Pray" and "Here to Stay"

back to basics acts as a beautiful tribute to all the artists that came before christina aguilera! she pays homage to all kinds of artists, whose contributions created music to what it is today. she is mostly influenced by r&b and jazz, and she throws a lot of names around. honoring these musicians is done so respectfully and creatively. "back in the day" has aguilera reminiscing of the old days, and it's a delightful way to kick off the album. however, the second half of the album goes in another direction. aguilera still uses the same r&b of the first half, but doesn't reference the tributes and frequently uses a circus theme. i don't think it's an accident linda perry produced the entire second half--and the two of them wrote each song together. the sampling of traffic's "glad" in "makes me wanna pray" was outstanding. in fact, the sampling is so well done that aguilera changed the song completely! the touch of the gospel choir was brilliant, too. but to use a jazz rock song as a sample shows me aguilera's fearlessness and creativity. it's not a sampling choice you'd expect. i can appreciate that aguilera included her own personality in her songs. the lyrical themes are right in her wheelhouse. "still dirrty" is undeniably a xtina song, and it's a continuation from her previous hit, not a carbon copy. it fits in extremely well with the stylings of this album, too. like, those trumpets?! not to mention, she includes short snippets of her previous songs. aguilera has always had one of the most beautiful voices in all of music. what set her apart in the pop craze of the late nineties was her voice! throughout the album, she uses her vocal talents but they might stand out the most toward the end of the album with the slower, emotional songs. this album does a lot of things right! i found myself impressed. to be honest, i am reminded of prince's 2003 musicology album. but all artists are inspired by previous music, and there's no rule aguilera couldn't do her own album like that. an apologetic 3.5, rounded up to a 4.

Better than I expected

After her fourth album, Stripped, appeared on this illustrious list I assumed no further Aguilera albums would be included; and if there was to be only one I was surprised it wasn't Back To Basics. Well, here that album also is, which, whilst unnecessarily long, is, nevertheless an excellent pop record and likely her best. On Side A Aguilera brings street cred from the likes of DJ Premier - whose beat on Ain't No Other Man gets even the usually snobby B-Boys and Girls up on their feet - whilst Side B is the souldful ballad-heavy second side, produced entirely by Linda Perry, which helps give this a sold, cohesive identity and and includes the track Hurt, another excellent pop record in the vein of Beautiful, also written by Perry.

Pretty good. More soul/r&b than I remember from her popular more pop tunes. Not really my thing, but the music and her voice are infinitely better than someone like britney spears. Good mix of songs, well produced. 3.7.

Fun concept, well executed, and lets Christina belt for an hour

Very fun album. I can see how she has influenced many singers, she has a very unique and powerful voice and is clearly a really technically good singer. I enjoyed listening.

She’s so full of herself. Standouts: Ain't no other man, Oh Mother, Hurt 3.75

Enjoyed this album much more than I thought I would. Try it out!

Great voice.

As good as she's ever sounded musically. No hits but a good album.

7/10 actually super solid production but, I’m not a fan of this genre