Reviews (page 3 of 7)
I found the first disc extremely tedious. She obviously has a stunning voice, but technical skills cannot make up for a lack of emotion. I was ready to write-off this whole thing, but the second disc is an entirely different thing. There is nuance, emotion, feeling, interest, like nothing on the first disc. On its own the second disc would score a four, the first one drags it down though.
There is this common conception of Christina Aguilera as the most talented pure singer of the TRL era. “Sure she makes disposable pop but she has such an amazing voice!” Admittedly, she does the stereotypical R&B trills or glissandos or whatever those “aAAaaAasAAAA”s are called but that is just style, not quality. You can do those and still have a bad, croaky unpleasant sounding voice, which is what I think is the case. I don’t know what other people are hearing that I’m not but I don’t see why she is considered a better singer than anyone else. In fact, I think her voice sounds pretty terrible. So you add a bad voice to generic pop music and sex moans and then sprinkle in the worst offense of all: pretentious boring songs where your fans thank you for your greatness or you name drop actual artists and you’re left with a fairly terrible listen. I’m glad this was cut from future editions of the book and wish I hadn’t had to listen to it.
She has a fantastic voice and this is a pleasant R&B/Pop Album but this isn’t something I would regularly listen to.
It's alright.
I was better than I thought it was going to be, plus Biggie popped up at one point which gives this an extra half a star.....
I can see how she's trying to vary her style and experiment so I've given the album an extra star for that. She's got an amazing voice but sometimes it would be nice if she sang something softer rather than belting it out! I had to listen in 3 parts as the album was so long and a bit full on at times
Not for me 1/5
Det är något fel på inspelningen som fanns på apple music. Hennes röst är irriterande redan men det låter som där är några artefakter på inspelningen också. Hennes engineer måste hatat henne
Enjoyed it more than I expected, though it plodded on for too long
No podcast
damn shes loud :0
I recognize this is good music. Nothing I'm personally eager to listen to again but very enjoyable and full of love and passion!
Just seems so generic and unremarkable. And way too long.
Surprising pretty hot and fun
Can’t believe this in a double album. And can’t believe this is on this list. And can’t believe this one doesn’t hav genie in a bottle.
The album was uneven but overall an enjoyable listen due to great vocal performances. I could have done without the incessant vocal runs on disc 1 though, and disc 2 music was more interesting. Lyrics were corny throughout. Favorite songs: Welcome, I Got Trouble, Ain’t No Other Man
Outstanding voice and some catchy pop songs but album is overlong and the final track of disc 1 is incredibly cringey
This is not a double-length Christina Aguilera album. This is, as the listening experience, as well as the tracklist writing credits on Wikipedia make clear, two distinct albums with different style and flair. The first side (Christinaboxxx) is the album with the standard pop of its time, mostly some form of Beyoncian R&B, it sounds alright but it's not really something great or lasting for me. There's a bit of variety, but mostly by the end it left me getting a little weary of the stylings, not really looking forward to another disc of it, but I was in luck, because... The second side (The Perry Below) is the album where things take a turn, the writing credits shrink down all the way to mostly two per song, each at least featuring Aguilera and the newly-introduced character Linda Perry, who is apparently the main everything of the band that made "What's Up?", as famously covered by esteemed and celebrated musician He-Man. Now, in addition to this whole album (Back To Basics), this second disc itself is also essentially split into two stylistic halves. The first half initiates things by telling you that this disc is going to be a completely different experience from the 47 minutes you've already spent, and it does so the best way that it knows how; by playing circus music. It sounds pretty fun and made clear the declaration that this album would clown upon my expectations. The rest of "first-half Disc 2" adopts a bizarre sultry lounge-swinger style, harkening to days of music so old that they don't show up on the 1001 list. The second half of disc 2 is the emotional soul-ballad side, possibly my favorite of the Three Faces of Christina Aguilera's Back To Basics. Each karate stance Aguilera adopts comes with one moderately-big hit song, the Form of the Contemporary Pop Star receives "Ain't No Other Man," the Form of the Film Noir Club Singer receives "Candyman," and the Form of the Moodful Balladist receives "Hurt" which is probably my favorite. It's a very engaging way to end the brevity of the second face and welcome the feeling-forward substance of the last few tracks to send off the album. The rest of this ending zone is nice too, "Mercy on Me" felt nice in particular. That was a real freaking weird album
Interesantes sonidos, no me esperaba eso de aguilera. Aún que un poco repetitivo
No modern pop album has any right to be that long.
Best Song: Ain't No Other Man. This bring you right back to that mid 2000's feel. Big, loud production, random breakdown in the middle, singing her own backup vocals. It's got it all. Worst Song: Welcome. If there is anything that this whole list has taught me, it's that I despise the circus aesthetic, especially in music. Overall: This really felt like a sprawling, gargantuan gift to Christina Aguilera fans, chock full of self-referential little nuggets. If I were such a fan, I'm sure I would love this album. Given that I'm not, it just felt really goddamn long, and her seeming style of "singing more is singing better" makes this a tiring album.
If nothing else, Christina Aguilera has always been known for her booming voice. This album is a bit more sappy than other 2000s Pop stars, but it's still a solid album nevertheless. Mainstream 21st Century albums in this generator are usually knocked down, which isn't fair. Favorite Track: "Ain't No Other Man".
Pretty solid .The song Hurt is epic .
candy man good
This was a little long, but I’d forgotten how damn talented Christina is, even on mediocre music.
It's pretty one-note for the most part. It's really not for me, basically. I'm not against pop and pop adjacent music, but this is about as middle of the road as you can get, which means that it's ultimately not that interesting to me.
A couple of good songs, quite a bit of filler. This really didn't need to be a double album with a track that's just a string of answering machine messages from fans. Ain't no Other Man is still a bop though
*exagerated Jon Lovitz voice*: Still dirrty? Still DIRRTY. STILL dirrty. STILL! DIRRTY!
Well, at first I was pleasantly surprised, the first half was catchier than I expected. This would be much better as a single disc. As it stands, fine.
Surprisingly good, but overly long. Some great songs and moments, but a lot of filler that could’ve been cut out.
I guess I found a guilty pleasure. I really liked this.
Decent, not great pop. Incredible voice, but not a lot of substance past that. 3
There’s always a minor feeling of dread when a double (or bigger) album comes up. Thankfully though the first half was okay, the second was quite good so overall a happy experience
Wasn't looking forward to this but it's better than I thought. She can obviously sing, but the songs aren't bad. Far too long though and her attempt to be a Serious Artist wears thin. Overall pleasantly surprised
This album is too long. A song in which you put fan messages that praise you, is by the way really weird. However Hurt is a classic and a terrific song, Candy Man is fun and ofcourse is Christina a very talented singer.
It's not my style.
you are very talented miss christina
Occasionally you hear someone you respect but aren't particularly into. When I think of girl-pop defaults, Christina Aguilera is on the second tier. We're up there, but it's not quite the same as Britney Spears, The Spice Girls, even Alicia Keys. On a technical level it's easy admiration, but when pop sinks into my skin it's because it's obvious, and I feel like here we're between admiring past genres and heavily implementing the urban feel of 2000s production. This album would be something else with a little Dr. Dre in there, if that's what we're aiming for, but he's not and the project is over an hour long. I'm happy you wave your vocals girl, but it's not exactly timeless. 2.3/5
I get what she’s trying to do, but her voice is too big and polished for it to work well.
Nope. Can't stand her.
Opening thought an unexpected hip-hop inspired album with potential. But then the songs started and I wish it was more just clean vocals without trying to play with beats because whatever this is does not work for me. The fan song was embarrassing that it was only compliments saying how great she is on her own album. Can't wait to review this as my least favorite album so far
It’s fine for what it is, and I admire any artist who pumps out a double album. Favourite track: Ain’t No Other Man
En 2006, Christina Aguilera est intouchable, elle a survécu à l'ère des "Teen Idols", elle a balancé l'image de sainte-nitouche avec Stripped, et soudain, elle décide de nous pondre un double album de 78 minutes. Le concept ? Un retour aux sources. Le jazz, le blues, la soul des années 20, 30 et 40, mais moulinés à la sauce moderne. Sur le papier, c’est le genre d’ambition qui me botte. Dans les faits, c’est une autre paire de manches, un voyage labyrinthique entre génie pur et remplissage indigeste. Dès les premières secondes, on comprend l’intention. Aguilera veut prouver qu'elle n'est pas qu'une machine à tubes pour radios FM, mais une héritière d'Etta James et d'Ella Fitzgerald. L'esthétique est léchée : look de pin-up, micros d'époque, et un son qui craque comme un vieux vinyle oublié dans un grenier poussiéreux. En pleine ère de la pop synthétique et du R&B préformaté, sortir un album qui sample des cuivres de l'entre-deux-guerres, c'est presque un acte de rébellion. Et c’est là que le disque marque ses premiers points car on ne peut pas lui enlever cette volonté de bousculer les codes. La grande idée de cet album, c’est d'avoir invité DJ Premier. "Preemo", c’est l’architecte du son Gang Starr, et associer la diva au pape du boom-bap new-yorkais était un pari risqué, mais c’est l’idée la plus brillante de l’album. On sent ici une véritable recherche sur la texture. Ce n’est pas juste de la pop qui imite le jazz ; c’est une collision frontale entre le craquement des vinyles d’avant-guerre et la frappe sèche du hip-hop des années 90. Les beats sont lourds, les cuivres sont tranchants, et Christina s’y installe avec une assurance insolente. C’est là que se cachent les pépites, les morceaux qui justifient à eux seuls la présence de l’album dans cette liste des 1001 disques. C’est efficace, c’est intelligent, et ça réussit le tour de force de faire sonner le passé comme si c’était le futur. Si l'album s'était arrêté là, on tenait un chef-d'œuvre de la pop moderne. Mais voilà, le problème du "trop", c'est qu'on finit toujours par se prendre les pieds dans le tapis. Le deuxième disque, produit essentiellement par Linda Perry, nous emmène dans un tout autre délire. On quitte la rue et les samples hip-hop pour entrer dans une salle de spectacle de Broadway. Orchestrations massives, choeurs gospel, ambiance cabaret... C’est le côté "grand spectacle" de l’entreprise. C'est là que l'album commence à devenir pesant. On sent l'envie de faire "vrai", de faire "authentique" avec de vrais musiciens et des arrangements organiques. Mais c’est aussi là que le côté un peu pompeux de l’exercice pointe le bout de son nez. C’est une orgie de sons, une accumulation de couches qui finit par étouffer l’oreille. Et puis, il faut parler de LA voix. Christina Aguilera possède l'un des instruments les plus puissants de sa génération. Personne ne peut le nier mais le souci, c'est qu'elle l'utilise comme un marteau-piqueur. Elle ne chante pas, elle performe et chaque note est l'occasion d'une envolée lyrique, chaque refrain est un prétexte à la démonstration technique. Sur certains titres, c’est bluffant. On se prend la claque, on reste bouche bée devant une telle maîtrise. Mais sur la durée d’un double album, cette gymnastique vocale devient une épreuve de force et c'est cette absence de nuance, ce refus de la simplicité, qui empêche l'album de vraiment toucher au cœur. On arrive enfin au point qui fâche vraiment : la durée 78 minutes. C’est le péché originel de beaucoup d'albums de cette époque. Pourquoi vouloir à tout prix remplir un double CD ? Pour l'ego ? Pour le marketing ? Il y a sur Back to Basics une quantité non négligeable de titres que l’on pourrait qualifier poliment de "remplissage". Des morceaux qui tournent en rond, des ballades un peu trop mielleuses qui n'apportent rien à l'édifice. Si on avait réduit tout ça à un disque sec et nerveux de 45 minutes, on aurait eu un classique instantané. Ici, on doit trier, on doit zapper, on doit se forcer un peu pour arriver au bout. C’est dommage, car le projet initial est d'une grande noblesse. Au final, qu'est-ce qu'on en retient de ce Back to Basics ? Une ambition folle, une production de DJ Premier aux petits oignons sur le premier disque, et quelques morceaux qui sont de véritables leçons de pop-soul. On ne peut pas dire que c'est une bouse, ce serait faire preuve d'une veritable mauvaise foi. Il y a du talent à chaque étage, du travail, de la sueur et une vraie vision artistique. Mais il y a aussi un ego qui déborde du cadre, une durée qui frise l'indécence et un manque flagrant d'autocritique dans le choix final des morceaux. Au final c'est une note mitigée pour un avis qui l'est tout autant. C’est le cul entre deux chaises : le génie technique d’un côté, l’ennui de la répétition de l’autre. Un disque qui mérite sa place dans les "1001 albums" pour son audace et son impact, mais qui reste un objet difficile à dompter au quotidien. C’est loin d’être infâme, c’est même par moments brillant, voir très brillant mais c’est surtout... beaucoup trop.
Christina's voice is still great, but still not my kind of music. I'd put this one below Stripped personally.
I’m going to go Back to Basics listening to her music as it’s been awhile ❣️🙏🏻
Things Everyone Says About This: A few pretty good bangers Christina really can sing Monotonous production (except a few spots) Way way way--by like an hour--too long Things I am going to say: See above
Started off better than I thought with catchy, well-produced tracks, but went downhill from there to become tedious and grating.
The talent is clearly there, Hurt in particular is beautiful. But the first half is an average 00’s r&b influenced pop album and the while the second half is more interesting to listen to, it’s no better.
Thought I'd hate it but I didnt. Some of the music combined with her voice makes me wonder how she has never done a song for a Bond movie. Seems perfect for it.
love it, very versatile voice
Don’t really know how to rate this one. Thought the first half was kinda boring apart from Ain’t no other man. But the second half once “the curtain had risen” was really fun. Shame the whole album wasn’t more like the second half
I liked this! I'm as surprised as you are.
Not a big fan of the older school jazzy 1920s style of her music or voice.
Xtina is a great singer whose songs do nothing for me. It's a shame because she has a great great voice.
Not in my edition of the book! 2006. 2 stars. Cracking pair of lungs and some decent songs - but it's a self indulgent double album, with lots of filler. If this had been edited down to a single album it would be an easy 3, maybe even a 4.
In the intro we're told "this how music should sound" then we get lifeless, over production, caterwauling and the choice of two backing tracks, mid tempo with fake vinyl crackle and computer generated "scratching" or down tempo and lacking emotion. Not sure if this project is an ego out of control, a blatant cash grab, or both but it's embarrassing to have to listen to this as an album that must be heard
Takes me back
The first disc is better than the second like most double albums. Why are there so many double albums. Hip hop vibes. I liked the Thank You track and the throwback hits are good too.
Absolut das beste Album was ich je gehört habe sehr berührend und wunderschön Lieder mit tiefer Bedeutung nach denen ich lange gesucht habe
The only Christian Aguilera I knew was the one song off her first album "Genie In A Bottle" as it played on MTV all the time when I was watching MTV heavily. When I saw this album as my album of the day, I was a little apprehensive as I'm not a pop person and wasn't thrilled. However it's clear this isn't a carbon copy pop album as the one I am familiar with. Aguilera really pulls from her influences of the era jazz swing era with sultry vocals, some techniques to make her sound more old timey (like on "I Got Trouble") and overall elevates herself here a bit.
Una de las sorpresas de la lista. Tenía a Aguilera por una cara guapa con un vozarrón, pero este disco tiene muchísimo concepto y es un temazo detrás de otro, con un gustosísimo trabajo de sampleos, como un recorrido por los clásicos americanos, sustentado, obvio, por ese vozarrón de caerse de culo.
Beautiful voice but you get tired of the vibe of the album very quickly
There are some really good tracks on here but it doesn’t really have the depth to merit its length.
YGTBFKMWTS 1
Listenable but not my favorite
I like a bit of power pop, especially when I'm running. Modern pop is surprisingly clever and self-aware, not to mention full of banging production. So I tried to be open minded about this but Christina Aguilera is none of those things. These tracks are flaccid, boring drones accompanied by witless, saccharin lyrics and neither hold any originality or interest. Putting out an entire double album of this weaksauce is borderline insulting.
I'd give this 2.5 stars. It has some good music and some good samples, but in the end, there is a lot of pop trash and the whole effort mostly still feels like a reason to sell records, not actually push anything forward. That being said, I do think there are some songs that are more interesting and better than a lot of other pop out there. So, I'll bump it up to 3 stars for now, though part of me is tempted to do 2.
Nah … she’s got some pipes on her though …
Fine I suppose - just doesn't do it for me though.
This is a really wild album, in a good way. Some real bangers. A lot of range! Long, but a lot of fun.
No thanks
Not sure what this album made up its mind to be whether it was disco jazz big band or Cabaret it had a bit of everything, but not everything but I liked what was good was very good
I think I would have liked this album more if it hadn't been a double. The concept of going back to what inspired you is fine. Just don't dilute the product by adding self aggrandizing fluff.
You’re testing my patience here
Too long to keep my attention for something so mediocre
I admit I skimmed through songs . It's not bad, just not for me and extremely long
Wasn't bad, just loooooong. some bops on it though, and some wank, if it was condensed down to a single disc we might talk
Bluesy vocals
Christina Aguilera has a gorgeous voice, all the songs show how great of a singer she is, ballad, big band orchestra etc, her voice range is amazing. Good album, a lot of songs. A delight.
I liked side B a lot more than A I love a lot of the ways she plays with vintage sounds in the latter half of the album. I'll definitely come back to this one but 3 stars just because I'm not super into the first half.
Long, but deserving of a double album.
I listened with an open mind but I really didn't like this. Not hip-hop, not pop, not funk, not R&B but somehow a weird mix of not the best bits of those things? She's got an incredible voice but it's also a bit annoying. Oh also I only ever listen to the first disc, I'm not doing 2.
In some songs she sings great. But why so cheap (lyrics and sounds)?
Первая часть ни о чем Вторая часть поприятней, но все равно слушать одни сраные мелизмы устаешь. В моменте даже почувствовал себя Ларисой долиной 😉 П.с. Hurt - ахуительнная песня
Enjoyable. A real depth and soul to some of these tracks.
Definitely too long, but there are good parts to the album. Does drag a bit as its all very similar Standout songs: Aint no other man Still dirrty Candyman
Idk but I love it leave me alone
This is too long and self indulgent. But somehow it works
Great album. Christina has such a great voice, sultry and powerful. There’s a nice mix of old school inspired r&b and more modern pieces here.
Still Dirty is my new hyperfixation song! Thank you Christina
I did not realize how dirty Christina Aguilera was in 2006 lol but I do like her voice
second half is more interesting than the first half by a lot
Look, that was probably better than I thought
This is #day578 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… Christina, Britney, Justin, and all those early '00s pop and R&B folks, including girl and boy bands, were part of my childhood. This kind of stuff was always on TV and the radio. As many have mentioned, she's definitely got the voice. But almost 79 minutes of Aguilera belting about going back to basics on a Monday morning is kind of too much. I think having to hear one album of hers before you die is more than enough. But, hey, there's one more to go... This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day579.
Good voice, too over-produced for the sound she is going for.
Probably could have died before listening to this. But didn’t so…
Favorite songs: Ain't No Other Man, F.U.S.S. (Interlude)
Christina Aguilera is undeniably gifted. And there are some great songs buried in here. But they're alternatively neglected and abused. She seems to have zero capacity for nuance. She holds Miles up as an influence, but she missed one of his most important lessons - "It's not the notes you play, it's the notes you don't play." Her constant OVER-souling is exhausting. And the computerized backing tracks are soulless. These two fundamental characteristics are constantly exposing each other, creating a schizophrenic tension that not only never resolves, it never abates in the slightest, for even a second. Finally, fuck every artist who can't or won't edit an album down to under an hour. It's the surest sign that any artistic intention has been subverted by either a run-away ego, or an unrestrained business model. I have to add that once again this list chooses to celebrate a commercialist "paying homage" to artistic legends, while it all but ignores the legends themselves. I'm 600 albums into this project. Here are the artists name-dropped in this, THE SECOND album from Christina Aguilera so far, and the number of albums, by them on the list: Aretha Franklin (2), Etta James (0), Otis Redding (1), Billie Holiday (0), Ella Fitzgerald (0), Louis Armstrong (0), John Coltrane (0), Donny Hathaway (0), James Brown (0), Gladys Knight (0), Lena Horne (0), Marvin Gaye (1), Minnie Ripperton (0), Nat King Cole (0), Ray Charles (2), Stevie Wonder (3), and Miles Davis (2). Off the top of my head, I'd add the following female jazz and soul singers: Sarah Vaughan (0), Esther Phillips (0), Abbie Lincoln (0), Chaka Khan (0), Roberta Flack (0), Carla Thomas (0), Diana Ross (0), Donna Summer (0). Give me a fucking break. Give me any album by any of one of these legends over this, any day.
Somewhere in here is a 3 star single album.
Bloated. Dull. Far too long. Overloaded with glitzy production, and thin pastiches on the second disc. Not loaded in any way with melodies, or songs with any heart to them.
Not for me
I don't dislike it, but near 80 minutes of Christina Aguilera's intense vocals and musical style is a bit much. The hits are good, some of the other songs are alright and a bunch on here is pretty forgettable. There was a lot more R&B in here than I expected. I think this album would have been better as a single CD, with some of the less memorable songs cut off or kept for a deluxe edition or something.
Glossy, retro-styled pop / soul revival built from brassy horn sections, vintage-inspired beats, piano flourishes, and powerhouse, melismatic vocals moves like stepping into a beautifully decorated throwback ballroom—impressive, confident, and likable, yet so committed to its aesthetic that the same dramatic sound keeps circling back again and again.
Ég hef mildast í afstöðu minni á síðustu árum, en ég er samt ekki hrifin af þessari rödd og þessum endalausu raddfimleikum. Þetta er faglega unnið og ekki leiðinlegt, og þá er skýr munur á plötu 1 og 2, sem er kostur, en hér er ekkert sérstaklega eftirminnilegt og ég planlegg ekki aðra hlustun.
Definitely can see the appeal but I’m definitely not the target audience
This was a tough one. She has amazing voice obviously however as far as this album is concerned. I thought the first half was pretty forgettable, the second half was definitely better but still mostly not my thing. 2.5
Nemam opciju da nisam odslušao...........
If Christina Aguilera was bald, she'd be Christina Havenohaira.
On paper this actually sounds cool, having a lot of jazz and soul influence. The intro had me really skeptical, but Makes Me Want to Pray delivers! It's got a real throwback soul feel, and Christina's vocal is powerful. There are a few more moments where those influences shine through, but ultimately this relies much too heavily on typical 2000's pop production and hooks, mostly I assume, to maintain its ability to sell.
I really cannot fathom why this is rated so low. The album didn't create world peace or cured cancer but it's not like this is the worst creation ever. There are some fantastic songs on here that will but anyone in a good mood so why are so many here being so mean? Best songs are Still Dirty and Candyman (yeah, go figure). 7/10, you people need to get your priorities straight.
I enjoyed that more than i expected. Some really cool songs on this album
I don’t know what I was expecting, but this quickly proved to be one of the biggest surprises for me on this list. I was struck by the quality of the music and production, Aguilera’s undeniable talent, and I enjoyed the “throwback” concept of the album. It’s LONG. Makes Me Wanna Pray kicks it off and drags you right in. But don’t miss some of the most captivating and vulnerable songs that come later such as Oh Mother, and much later: Mercy on Me, and Save Me From Myself.
Aguilera is an amazing vocalist hidden behind a double album of pop mediocrity.
Man, what a voice! This feels like the album where she finally let loose with the full power of what she was capable of. Just amazingly beautiful.
This was fine. She’s got a great voice but the album was just OK.
a little eclectic, but also very fun to listen to and more unconventional than i expected. feels very influential on the pop music coming after!
This is one hell of a voice. I'm honestly not sure how much of a hand she had in writing her songs, so I'm just going to comment on what I know she did. She can sing like hell
Some interesting production here. It is way too overindulgent for my taste. Christina has a good voice, but boy, can she oversing. Not every note needs a vocal run. And if this is her "let's get back to the music revival," she is missing the lesson of some of the R&B artists she calls out. Restraint is a skill, and she ain't got it. That said, production and some unexpected samples and beats save this one a bit. Not all the way, but... enough. 5/10
7/10 Best songs: Back in the Day, Ain't No Other Man, Welcome (after the weird beginning), Nasty Naughty Boy, I Got Trouble, Hurt There is no denying that Christina Aguilera has a fantastic voice. The album is meant to go "back to basics" by drawing on musicians like Etta James and Otis Redding, but also by referencing songs from her own archives, either lyrically or musically. I find the former interesting but sometimes the 2000s pop vibes overwhelm it (the burlesque Nasty Naughty Boy and the bluesy I Got Trouble are probably the strongest in this genre, and the second disc is far and away the stronger of the two in this regard), whereas the latter is sort of meh (I find self-referencing kind of tacky tbh). One criticism I have is that this album frankly lacks nuance. I know that's not the point of this style of pop music, but singing "he took it out on her face" is very... low-level-of-entry kind of lyrics, you know? That being said, it's actually a pretty interesting album overall, but at times it's not very successful, and it never should have been more than one disc - they seriously needed to cut the wheat from the chaff. Worth listening to. Also, having looked at other reviews... Good lord you people are a bunch of misogynists.
Boring
I dreaded listening to this until I remembered this is probably the album Primo produced a lot of. You can hear the signature DJ Premier sound on most of his tracks, but it's also fun to hear him branch out a little from his gritty mainstays of samples and scratching. I knew the intro song was Primo before even looking it up, for example. Anyway, as a pop album, this one is a little more soulful than most. It's also more musically involved. The first track is a gospel throwback. Back in the Day solid Primo again, including sampled snippets of rapper quotes peppered throughout. The Ronson track is solid as well, Slow Down Baby. The second disc in this double able is all produced by Linda Perry, and it's also pretty solid, with tons of throwback nostalgia. Really a good album that lifted my overall opinion of Aguilera, which wasn't admittedly high before, though I always thought she had more of a voice than Brittney or Jessica Simpson. 4/5
meh.
I have negative associations with this generation of pop music, so I expected to hate it. I didn’t like it, but I think it is more generic than bad.
I can't deny the pipes, a couple tracks are pretty great, but beyond those there's almost nothing on here that I'd actively want to put on. And the double album went forever.
Mid but she bad
She's better than Brittany. Yeah-ee-ee-AH!
After Disc 1, I was ready to go to 2 stars on this, but Disc 2 and its collection of old timey pop styles drove me crazy. It was at that point that I started questioning why I spent an hour and 18 minutes with this album. Way too long.
Liked this way more than I expected. Couldn't stand a few songs, but quite enjoyed a few, particularly Slow Down Baby. Later edit: BTW I didn't get around to listening to the second disk.
2/5 - For about 30 minutes, I was OK, but I lost the thread entirely during Enter the Circus. How is a double album "Back to Basics"?
4/5
I dont often listen to pop from this era but I always find myself enjoying it
Her voice is good but every song sounds the same. Mid 2000s rnb inflected pop was boring then and is boring now
I like this album
Not my thing. Like the second disk better. Candyman will always be in my heart tho.
This was a slog. To put out a double album and have not a single one be memorable makes me really question why this is included in the list. I give two stars for at least drawing on good influences, but I would never consider this to be influential in itself. The “dedication to fans” bit was pretty amusing though given that it was just playing fans’ dedication to Christina.
Good voice, but still wasted on poppy garbage. The second disc was better than the first. 2/5
I’m as surprised as you are.
5/10 – Mediocre
Really picked up in the second half
You wouldn't know it from the other music I listen to, but I am a pretty big fan of Xtina's. Her vocals are so fantastic and she clearly invests a ton of stock into hiring qualified production technicians and session musicians on her records. This one is probably her best, with its throwback sound in tandem with plenty of 2000s pop staples like scratches and sampling. It all works really well, though- the pop hooks just keep coming on this thing, including "Ain't No Other Man," a classic mid-2000s pop banger, or "Still Drrty," a sequel to her 2002 smash that "cleans it up" fitting the album's aesthetic while still staying in the lane of the original. Despite the album's length, it maintains a really strong energy for its whole runtime.
Als je uit deze 1u en 18m alle goede momenten bij elkaar neemt, daar een album met een normale runtime van maakt, is het een mager 3'tje. Nu een erg mager 2'tje.
Best wel wat fuck de haters nummers op dit album. Slapt best wel
Geweldige zangeres, maar ik kan echt helemaal niets met deze stijl. Een soort mengelmoes van bigband doo wop-bende en moderne pop. Zelfs DJ Premier op de productie kan de boel niet redden. Vermoeiende listen.
Surprisingly good at times even as she punishes us with her confidence that 22 tracks is what we want. Christina Aguilera had a truly great, contemporary pop album among these songs. And yet, as a whole, this record really misses the mark. In her position as executive producer, she was the one responsible for identifying the issue. Back to Basics is proof that we all need an external editorial voice from time to time — even if we're good at that skill ourselves — it can be hard to step back and see how the elements operate in aggregate. If this album had been her best 10 to 12 tracks sequenced compellingly it would have been an undisputed classic in her genre. I don't think Aguilera is super concerned though, it obviously performed well enough.
pretty cool. i was surprised to see more experimental stuff on this album which was really fun.
Less “Back to basics” more back to bloated and overloaded pop with questionable lyrics. She’s got a fantastic voice but this is overlong and fairly average
This is from the final era where Pop music was at least bearable (the 80s were stellar, mind you). With this metric in mind, the album isn't horrible. Just not very good. 2.5/5
Just because you can sing doesn’t mean you should
the extended syllable queen strikes again
This is so bloated and absolutely doesn’t need to be a double album. This style of vocal acrobatics has never appealed to me, it just feels like showing off instead of actually making good music and serving the song. And the song thank you is just ego driven weirdness. Gets two stars because some of the beats of side one are actually kinda decent.
super cool concept. it dragged in some parts, but the vocals were insane
Help me if I ever include a "here's a list of my fans saying thanks" track. Not sure how to feel about that one. As for the rest of the album, mostly one note, mostly sounds good, a bit soulless probably, not too bad.
Beautiful voice. Can sing any type of song.
I knew she could sing, but she can really SING. Like the vintage sounding tracks the most.
lots to say about this. this should have been 2 separate albums honestly, vol 1 and 2 are so so different from each other (and made it long as fuck christ). her voice is absolutely insane (we knew this but was a good reminder. what a powerhouse voice). halfway through the 'thank you (dedication to fans)' really just? feels? so weird? its a song full of voicemails left for christina about how much they love her. it feels a bit. odd. ain’t no other man, welcome, candyman and hurt are my faves.
Sure
It was a slog to get through, i really wanted to like it but no.
banger
Great voice. I wonder what she would sound like if she sang songs where she actually felt something. There's no emotion in her voice. This did not need to be a double album. She had nothing to say.
Overall, not a bad album. There were three songs that were quite popular, but I know that a lot of people enjoy this album, including the not-so-popular songs. It's pretty jammy having it in the background... Okay, the album was actually pretty good and I enjoyed "Hurt" and "Mercy on Me" quite a lot.
201/1089 disc 1 was more solid Xtina. it doesn’t have a Dirrty or Fighter-level banger but it’s a great listen nonetheless. Even when i’m not really feeling a song, her voice is able to carry it. Without You is a highlight of this generator project i think, that one really hit the spot for me i fear hearing Candyman in context still doesn’t make me love it. like it’s a fine single but not my fave and i kinda don’t see the relevance. i wasn’t 100% sold on the need for disc 2 when i hit Candyman and the 2 songs after that but then it hit right Hurt onwards and i’m glad it clicked this is so close to 5 stars but i need to see how much i feel the need to return to the project in full before i can bump it into that category faves: Without You, Hurt, Oh Mother, Thank You…, Welcome, Ain’t No Other Man 81/100
4.25
Got increasingly boring. Also why did I Got Trouble sound like that? Did they mix it wrong? First few tracks were fun tho but way too long of an album
The bangers on this album really are bangers, early 00s pop at it its finest with slick pristine production and catchy choruses. Unfortunately, it’s a double album and it’s over 2hrs long. The disc1 closer is an interesting exercise in pop hubris, having a song dedicated to your fans that ends with messages from fans saying how great you are is a choice. 3.5/5.0 Best Song: Ain’t No Other Man
Entirely too long and the bangers were too few and far between
I only know Beautiful by Christina, so this was nice to expand my pallet. I can admit that while I probably won’t gravitate back to this, its still pretty good for what it is!
long record but had some highlights, decent overall
Absolutely sensational album; what a voice, dynamic range, soul.
There is a special place in hell for whoever thought I needed to listen to Christina aguilera wail her vibrato for an hour and a half.
no está mal, pero ya me canso despues de la primera
Great voice. Music not so great.
Nice beats
honestly i'm kinda surprised i hadn't listened to this before because i love ballads and her voice is sooooo nice to listen to. it's probably a little too self-indulgent in a way that becomes a bit samey as it goes on for about forty five years, plus this is sooooooo mid-00's in styling and there's only so much i can stand of that, but i really enjoyed the jazz and soul influences on this. it's all very well suited to complimenting her voice. it's all a bit het for me as well given how many songs are about men, but even still she carries a lot of emotion making it reasonably impactful.
I feel there's actually a pretty incredible single album of songs in this double album. I really don't remember Christina Aguilera growing up, or at least I thought I didn't until listening, and I had a lot of apprehension to this album I had to put aside before listening. Makes me Wanna Pray though, started this album on a really strong note for me. I do think the songs here have an issue with staying pretty static throughout, like there's a lot of the 2000s habit of having pretty basic structure. I'm going to be honest though, Ballads are extremely hit or miss for me and here they miss. I much prefer the upbeat powerful albums. Despite it being a common complaint on the site, I actually love the production here. It's punchy, jazz-infused and full of little flourishes that I think elevates songs like "Slow Down Baby" quite a bit. I just really think the fatal flaw of this album is being a double album. Towards the end of Disc 1 I felt like it was running out of steam and had started to become one note, and then I realized I was only half way through. I still think its a strong 3.
Overproduced. A few good songs.
Two CDs???? She sure can shriek like a banshee. The truth is that it wasn't bad. How do I know? Because I don't think I know what the hell it is was really supposed to be. Kudos for good production, but that's as far as it goes.
Didn't think I would like it this much :D 3.5-4/5
It was fun to give this a relisten! It's been a while
Derivative pop bullshit. Very mediocre, bland songs. The only saving grace is the signers voice, which is phenomenal, but it's basically all a cheap imitation of better artists that actually contributed something creative and unique. I will definitely never listen tot his album again and frankly I'm irritated that this is on the list and other
Surprisingly good. I’m not big on modern r&b, but this album has good production, great variety - she dabbles in gospel, soul and jazz as well - good songs (Hurt is an all time classic) and a great singer. A double album is too much though. And it’s still modern r&b.
Not for me
Since this is the second of her album on the list I can only guess the author of this book was Team Christina in the early 2000's. She has a great voice and this album gave us time to appreciate it more. She didn't feel forced and there was some genuine emotion in it. I also appreciate the spirit of reminding us where the roots of R&B came from and not acting like she was completely unique in her styling. However that is where it almost stops for me. I think she was till trying to play off the female sexualization that pop culture made her embrace...she might love it (Candyman is fun) but it also just feels so generic at times that it makes me question how much she loves the character she had become or just didn't know where else to go. At this point she was 26, so I had hoped she would be a little deeper and more mature in her music but still just a pop album that was fairly uninspired. However, there is just something in me that can't give it a 2
I liked Stripped better. There are a lot of reasons I don't especially like this but let me just note a few. It's not that great and feels very formulaic. The samples are often better than the song itself. Both albums start with a lot hype and then doesn't deliver. Lacks direction and there's too much of it. Things take an especially cringey turn on the 2nd album with Candyman and Nasty Naughty Boy. Suddenly we are transported back to 1940's swing jazz. The sexuality is so thick and cliche that I half expected Jessica Rabbit to appear followed by a pack of wolves in Zoot Suits with their eyeballs popping out of their heads and tongues on the floor.
We DO NOT need more than one Christina Aguilera album on this list if any at all. There are so many artists not represented and SHE somehow deserves two!!? Hell no. 2000’s pop is overproduced shit. It seriously hurts my ears. I couldn’t finish it. Yuck.
How are there two Christina Aguilera albums in this project and so many other artists are completely left on the cutting room floor? I guess the book author was a fan. I wasn’t excited about this being a double album but it wasn’t a terrible slog to get though. The first disc felt pretty bland to me, but I thought disc two had some fun and heartfelt moments. They felt like two separate albums though. She has a a great voice, but overall, this didn’t do anything to stir my soul.
Did she decide to only lock in on the second half or something? There are some great power ballads in the final quarter and some fun older-sounding songs in the 3rd, but the first half is pretty shit. Favorite Tracks: Mercy on Me, Candyman
I made it half way through and had enough. The circus song did me in. 1 star
Rv
Stylé mais je m’e fou psk c’est un peu toujours la même chose
This seems like an odd choice…
A powerful pop double album - not the flavor of pop I normally go for, but only a fool would argue that Christina wasn't an incredible artist in her prime. She's firing on all cylinders here. Solid production work. Only knocking off one star since it could be considered a bit bloated as it stands as a double album.
3,4*
Wasn’t really into Christina in the 2000s, and I’m still not.
Enjoyed it but fuck me, this didn't need to be this long.
This... is a long album! Ah! Two songs in tho and this is way better than that Destiny's Child album. That one... I really didn't get... Like if you absolutely want to include a female led early 2000 contemporary r&b album, I have nothing against this one so far. Disc 2 is a bit much for me haha 2 1/2 Fav: Ain't No Other Man
Album 1022 of 1089 Back to Basics - Christina Aguilera (2006) Rating : 3 / 5 Going in, my first thought was honestly, here we go again. Disc 1 leaned heavily into that late-’90s/early-2000s pop sound that was everywhere at the time. Different voices, sure, but often the same overall feel - polished, attitude-forward, and very much of its moment. That said, Disc 2 changed things for me. It stripped some of that gloss away and leaned more into what Aguilera has always done best: sing. Fewer theatrics, more focus on her voice - and that’s where this album starts to work better for me. Out of that whole pop crowd from the era, she always had the strongest vocals, and when the production steps back, that strength really shows. As a whole, this isn’t an album I’d reach for often, but I appreciate what it tries to do, especially in its second half. It reminded me that while the sound of that era blended together for me, Aguilera herself always stood out for one reason - her voice.
Undeniable talent. A few epic songs. 22 songs is just too many and her style can get irritating.
I'll repeat what I said about a previous Aguilera album on this list. Yes, she has more than one album here. Nobody knows why. "[..] it's decent by way of being better than you expected. But then it carries on for a good bit longer than strictly necessary. And you have enough time to realise that it's not all THAT good. Not as good as the people who decided this should have 20 tracks obviously believed, in any case." Except this, being a double album, has even more tracks. I will add that this cranks up the "sounds trademarked rather than genuine" impression I also had with that other Aguilera album to 11. Candyman just sounds soooo manufactured. I mean... I'd rather listen to this than some KISS album, but...
I'm really only familiar with her song from the Grammy Nominee CD we have. I know she has a powerful & impressive voice with influences from several genres. Pitchfork: n/a Rolling Stone: n/a Best Songs Ain't No Other Man Understand Candyman Hurt Mercy On Me The Right Man
2nd CD is amazing
Great for what it is. Not really my thing, or particularly interesting to me though.
This is the best album I've heard in weeks. Exceptionally sttong
Right, first things first, Christina Aguilera has an outstanding voice. What she also needs here is some musical range, some restraint, and at least 12 fewer tracks. Production and performance is excellent, but the album is massively bloated and does not have enough variety in style to make it interesting - it’s when something a bit different to the standard diva-pop appears that it improves, for example there is some Muddy Waters-style Blues, and some Billie Holiday-style light jazz that stands out in quality. This is t an awful album, but when there are maybe two enjoyable tracks out of 22 that makes it pretty bad for me.
A familiar basic celebrity name that I could never attach to any human face or voice, and while the former is completely forgettable, her ear-grating, overconfidently milquetoast performing will be ingrained in my mind as the one album I couldn’t stand while doing work. If I’m working, I can listen to goddamn ANYTHING. Not this. Pissed me off too much and I had to finish it in portions. Just so annoying.
Not much here for me and just way too long.
Is this a bloated album? Yes, of course it is. But this could've been one hell of a single album. I ended up adding around 10 songs from this to my liked list. Not a 4 in this form. 3.5/5
This is a pop masterpiece. The only negative I would have is the length, because I had to listen to it in two takes, but they were two perfect takes. The "retro" interpolated music for the first part are incredible and the second part doesn't lag behind it at all. Also, this was sung incredibly well. An incredible album. 5/5
I can see why this album is on the list. I don't think I've heard a pop album quite like it. At the same time, I didn't really like it. It's too long, and the songs eventually start to all sound the same. Something that really bothered me was how many songs are guilty of using the same drum beat for the entire song, which gets very annoying. Two stars. (Favorite track: Makes Me Wanna Pray.)
I don’t know what I was expecting with this album but it certainly wasn’t a homage to music from 1950 and 1960. The framing of the album is rather strange like that but I t does have some incredible songs, like Candyman and Ain’t No Other Man. The best part of the album is Christina’s voice but despite the album's lofty goal of presenting itself as a back to basics music that strips the genre to its essentials, it already sounds dated just 20 years later.
7.5/10 Production on it goes crazyyyy
Never heard this album, she has a great voice and I appreciate her trying to branch away from being a teen idol. It has a lot of her signature "yelling," in a big band/old timey style context. Highlights: ain't no other man, candyman
First thought: Fucking hell, a double album from Christina Aguilera? Why is this on the list? Final thought: Fucking hell, a double album from Christina Aguilera? Why is this on the list? Best Tracks: Makes Me Wanna Pray (feat. Steve Winwood); Ain't No Other Man; Candyman
I love girly pop music and I'm glad that this subset is represented on the list. I am shocked that there are multiple Christina albums and that neither of the two I've listened to are the self-titled one. This was overall fine, but the songs kind of start to sound the same after a while. I can only listen to so many songs with that same high note and riff without them all blending together
Way too long, but some good songs
Since good ones in here
Didn't enjoy.
Awful! Why is this on here!
Very much not something I would ever choose to listen to. It's fine though. Her voice is good, the pop is pretty inoffensive. It is what it is.
Ugh. I dislike Christina Aguilera. It’s the runs, you know, the need to show off your range by turning a one syllable word into 27. We know you can sing, you don’t have to work so hard to convince the convinced. It’s annoying. I can appreciate that she can sing. When she came out with Britney Spears, Britney had the whole jailbait thing working for her, but Christina was actually talented. Then, because talent wasn’t enough, she turned into XTina to try to take some of Britney’s elderly pervs. But it just seemed desperate and beneath someone with real talent, in my opinion. I do see this album has the usual dozen people credited with writing each song. I still don’t know how that works. Did one of them come up with one note that brought the song together and now he gets a writing credit? I guess it’s still going on today. I remember the days when one or two dude wrote the songs. I’m old and digressing. I love how there's one song about taking it back to basics while using samples, record scratches, drum loops and rapping. Is Back to Basics, like 1989 for Christina? She’s singing about singers from the 40s and 50s, and the song is just computers bleeping and blorping. It irks me. I can tell I ain’t finishing this album. Ah, the single, Ain’t No Other Man. I actually kind of like this song. But I’d be fine if I’d never heard it again in my life. We’re about halfway through the album and I’ve had to turn the volume down several times. She’s a screamer, my friends. We know you’ve got power, but can you not be on full blast at all times, Christina? Good Lord. Christina is now talking in her song. I hate the talking in songs, Bret Michaels, Shania Twain, I'm looking at you two. It sounds so dumb. Unless you’re rapping, otherwise, sing! Why does it seem like I’m so angry? I’m not, just annoyed. This is fun. I want to hear the Mark Ronson song. If anyone can make me like Christina, it’s Ronson. I’ve been a Ronson fan since back in the day, you know, 2003. Oooh, I didn’t think much of the first Ronson cut on the album, but Without You is….kind of….good. It’s also the song with the least amount of songwriters, which is still four, but could fewer cooks lead to a better meal? That’s weird, isn’t it? That’s sarcasm right there. She’s still doing her bs runs, but the music is really great. Ooooh, she sounds great. Why wasn’t this a single? Then we go back to trash with Still Dirty. I love how all these pop singers need to express how dirty they are in a song or two every album. They’re about as dirty as a bar of soap. Carrie Underwood isn’t bashing an ex's car with a baseball bat, XTina isn’t competing in some weird underground sex fight league. She still doesn’t have that nasty in here because it was never in there. She’s your genie in a bottle, not your bad girl on a chopper. And she’s back to yelling at me. Okay, I made it through the whole album….as far as you know. It’s not for me, dawg. I like pop music, but I never fell under Christina’s spell….I was close when she was putting out videos of her in the underground sexfighting matches, but thankfully, my ears kept working. If you’re a fan, you obviously think I’m an idiot, and I am. At the end of the day, I don’t think this is an album of any importance, at least not to me.
I adore this album. Christina is a genius who speaks the truth and sound amazing doing it
The singles from this album are so nostalgic for me. This was solid but definitely a bit too long - I reckon a good 2-3 songs could have been cut from each side of the album. Not my fave Christina Aguilera album but not a bad listen either.
This got old pretty quick with me. Feels like it was produced to mostly to show off her vocal range, which it does, with the odd hit throughout. Double album totally unnecessary. She's a great talent but I think i mostly skipped through the last half
This is crap. It was seemingly made up of a sound board which was composed of a farty trumpet, her saying the word dirty and various versions of singing ‘yeah’ with more and more syllables. 1 star.
The self indulgence of this album is so blatantly apparent, and in no place more than the last song on the first album. There are a few good songs and sadly with some cuts this could have been a solid single album but the huge overreach brings it way down.
++: Makes Me Wanna Pray, Ain't No Other Man, Slow Down Baby, F.U.S.S., Here to Stay, Candyman, I Got Trouble, Mercy on Me, Save Me from Myself +: On Our Way, Still Dirrty, Enter the Circus +-: Intro (Back to Basics), Back in the Day, Understand, Without You, Thank You (Dedication to Fans...), Welcome, Nasty Naughty Boy, The Right Man -: Oh Mother, Hurt 4,5/10
It was alright! Some of her songs were cray, very cray. But very nostalgic from late-night ski trip drives with my siblings and dad.
Tämmönen soulihtava poppilevy. Vähän liiaksi popin puolella sillai huonolla tavalla. 2/5
Hieman huvittavaa tehdä tuplalevy otsikolla back to basics -- luulisi, että tällä nimellä olisi vähän yksinkertaisempi tuotos mielessä. musiikkillisesti tää nollarimeno kuulostaa kaikki vähän samalta, ja sen takia jää kakkoseen.
Christina Aguilera has a great voice. It just seems mostly wasted on mediocre pop albums. This one is dressed up with jazz and soul. That is better than most generic 00s pop, but it doesn't stand up against the real thing. In the end, this is overproduced pop that works well enough as inoffensive background music.
Christina Aguilera is talented, and her voice is incredible, but this album teeters between two worlds - modern (at the time) pop tracks and classic soul ballads with some modern influence. The latter is great, especially the last four tracks of the album, but the rest just aren’t there for me. Also, the “Thank You” track is too much. This comes across much less as a thank you to fans and far more a ‘look at how great everyone thinks I am’.
Too long, too all over the place stylistically, whatever is trying to be invoked in the intro is not achieved. Don't hate a good pop album but this really isn't one.
Didn't enjoy it. It's not my thing. Not mad about her voice. The album is way too long. It's not varied enough to be that long. I was bored by about the third track. I understand why Kelly Osbourne hated her.
не моё, сори... слишком качественно что-ли + никогда не нравилось рнб. пока 2 очка, если к концу какая-то песня понравится, то добавлю мб 1 балл...
pretty awful, just moans and groans with asthma I turned it off as couldnt face over an hour of it.
As solo women go, could be way way worse. She's alright, but I don't think she needs a double album. Way too long unless you're really really into her. Especially since by the time disc 2 (the way better one) you're a bit sick of hearing it. I was never into that R&B mainstream stuff though her voice suits it. The album is mostly upbeat and her ooOOOuuuuUuuuUUUuh thing is less obvious than when she released stuff like Beautiful (which sucks). It sounds a bit dated now, but I also need to accept that 2006 was 20 years ago. It was the style at the time. Time to hang up the belt onions.
I respect her voice but I tire of her music pretty quickly
i fear i never got the xtina hype and i never will. saved: n/a.
Aims for soul, some hits. A surprise!
longer than necessary
90s-00s pop i always feel is the worst period in music history for me personally so when i saw the 1h run time i got a bit down... She can sing, that is all. music is generic, safe and radio friendly, Well mixed.
Christina has a beautiful voice but this isn’t an album or musical style that interests me. I’ll be generous and say 2 stars.
No thanks I’ll pass
Nice nice reminds me of childhood a bit but doesnt have my fav christina aguilera songs sadly
The girl sure can sing! Some songs got my attention but overall not something I picture myself coming back for another listen.
Fur coats. Stretch limousine. Red nails. Showgirls of Vegas. Rain on sidewalks. Ripped stockings. Dry dry martini.
O moj bog. Glih gledam in je a 2 volume album, 78 minut. Ej, I have shit to do today. Uf. Spomnim se to njeno obdobje in vsaj dva komada poznam. Fak, kr ni konca. Še na polovici nisem. Ful se mi vleče, ker je kinda skos isto. Pač njeni, sicer hudi vokali, a velikrat over the top, pop muska zmiksana s starejšimi vplivi (abomination), random hip hop vplivi, ... Ugh, tazadn komad na volume 1 ( "Thank You (Dedication to Fans...)") je na začetku basically remix njenga "Genie in A Bottle", po pa en kup posnetkov njenih fanov, k ji govorijo kok je huda, inspiring pa kolk jim pomeni. Ok. Volume 2 se začne k dobrodošlica v cirkus ("Enter the Circus"). To je še najboljša melodija do zdaj. Je pa volume 2 na splošno mal bolj chill v vajbu in meni lažji za poslušat. Na splošno, not for me. Kr muka. Če zj par dni ne slišim a vocal run, bom vesela.
First Listen; 2; Album was repetitive and not terribly interesting. The singing is good, but the instrumentation sounded dated and cheesy. The second disc in particular sounded half baked. Favorite Track: Ain't no Other Man
Christina >Britney
I remember seeing this album come out.
it's fine..... perfect for happy hour at Chilis in 2006.
The second track has steve winwood on it… that guy wanted to make me fall asleep yesterday. So so long. The one song I recognised was candyman and I remember hating it.
Was not expecting this to be the first album by a woman that I’d encounter on this list. Pleasantly surprised. Also haven’t listened to an Xtina album since her debut. So far this is fun. Her voice one of the best ever and I feel like she doesn’t get enough credit. The singles from this album are so great (ain’t no other man, candy man). For a double pop / r&b album this goes down smoothly. There’s some filler here but I kinda don’t care because it’s all so polished. Giving this one a 3/5. Prob more like 2.75/5 but I’m a bit biased as it’s the first woman I’ve seen here and this was such a pleasant surprise.
Stripped was better
would of been better as a single disc. really drags on as a two disc.
As lengthy as it is, shit slaps
3 for the voice but don't like the songs or the over-packaged vibe.
really not thrilled to see that i have to listen to a double-disc release from Christina Aguilera. i vaguely remember listening to at least part of this when I was a kid, but that was so many years ago i wouldn't remember what this sounded like. i wasn't all that blown away by the previous album (Stripped) but maybe she has more to deliver here Intro - no rating Makes Me Wanna Pray - 3/5 Back in the Day - 3/5 Ain't No Other Man - 4/5 Understand - 4/5 Slow Down Baby - 3/5 Oh Mother - 3/5 F.U.S.S. - no rating On Our Way - 5/5 Without You - 4/5 Still Dirrty - 1/5 Here to Stay - 3/5 Thank You - 1/5 Enter the Circus - no rating Welcome - 3/5 Candyman - 1/5 Nasty Naughty Boy - 1/5 I Got Trouble - 1/5 Hurt - 3/5 Mercy on Me - 3/5 Save Me From Myself - 2/5 The Right Man - 3/5 Average score: 2.7/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ with some of the reviews here, you'd think she released the biggest pile of dogshit ever. i don't think it quite that bad, in fact, i probably loved this when i listened as a kid. nowadays, i don't think i feel as enthusiastic about the album (especially disc 2, my god was it horny) i think what makes me kind of unimpressed with Christina Aguilera is, while she has a great voice technically, she sounds like she's 1. trying too hard to emulate those very singers/showgirls she takes inspiration from, and 2. vocal bragging (all that "oooh-ing" and "uhhh-ing" she does, i can't describe it any other way). for those very reasons, i think i prefer her performance on Stripped over this, even if i didn't care for that album much either. at least she sounded more like a pop artist there, and in turn, more genuine
Some good songs and much more expansive than I would have guessed. Not really back to basics, but good moments.
Not for me
It’s ok
I really enjoy what was going on with pop in the early 2000s, and Christina Aguilera has a very strong and precise voice. That being said, it feels like a lot of artists just pull from historically Black genres when they're out of ideas on how to be different. The power behind her voice is sometimes too much, like on the track "Understand," which comes across less like passionate singing and more like yelling. "Oh Mother" is a successful example of the power behind her vocals. I much preferred tracks like "Without you" where she shows a level of restraint, and allows the instrumental to work with her, rather than her rising above them. The intro to disc 2 worked much better for me, Aguilera's vocals deserve more bombastic and dramatic backing. The orchestral quality works very well. As it went along, however, it got a bit cheesy. I think she leaned too far into the retro sound (proto Meghan Trainor?) By the time I got to "Naughty Naughty Boy," I was fully over the 30s cosplay.
Еще один поп-блокбастер со множеством стилей. Как-то не очень проникся, но слушал кое-как.
I’m a little surprised this is the album chosen to represent Christina on this list. Like, I definitely think there’s an argument for her being included, but the debut or Dirrrty feel like better representations of her as a star. Like, I gotta be honest, I was NOT excited to listen to a Christina Aguilera DOUBLE ALBUM yesterday. And yeah, there’s a lot of bum tracks on here, especially the first half. I think generally the second half of the second album is the strongest actually (which doesn’t always happen)! The great Linda Perry contributes some song writing there which I think helps elevate it. I powered through. Glad I won’t have to listen to this one again.
Christina kills it. Not for me though.
This is just unmemorable crap. There’s nothing in this album at all. I cheered when it ended. ITS SO BLOODY LONG and you feel every fucking second of it.
I would have probably cut four or so songs, but otherwise a cohesive yet varied album. I love a good song transition. Feels like an album meant to be a full experience. The vulnerable parts such as Oh Mother and Hurt are high points lyrically while songs like Candyman are a fun experience.
Music was ok. Lyrics are cliche and overworked. She has a great voice.
She has a good voice
I’ve never been a Christina Aguilera fan and honestly never cared to pay attention to her. She always felt like another ditsy, run of the mill pop star in the same vein as Britney Spears. But after listening to this album, it carried a lot more weight than I expected. In some ways it sounds about ten years too late, because it really reminds me of the jazzy, soulful hip hop and R&B of the mid to late ’90s. But once you get past that, you can tell she worked with some strong producers who gave the album more edge and character than I ever would’ve expected from her. Overall, I’d rate this album somewhere in the middle of the road, which is actually pretty good, considering I walked in expecting to give it a 1 or 2.
Cool album with some really good tracks. 7.3/10
I enjoyed this, despite it not normally being my taste
I just really can't stand this kind of music. I rate most everything on here 3* because, even if I may not like the music, I can still somewhat enjoy everything I've heard. It's the first album in my, almost, 200 albums that I couldn't finish..... and I even made it all the way through Backstreet Boys and Justin Timberlake. Bonus star in recognition of vocal talent.
Genre: Contemporary R&B A 2-disc pop album with quite an impressive concept: 1 disc with DJ Premier hip-hop type production, and 1 disc with 4 Non Blondes lead Linda Perry pop influence. It’s a very intriguing listen, and Aguilera’s voice is really impressive. I was surprised how much I enjoyed the songs on this one. If you like pop, you’ll really love this. 4/5
She’s a talented singer. But this sucked.
After being a bit daunted at the idea of an eighty minute double album, I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised!
Creo que peca de largo (2 discos es demasiado, me parece), pero cuando funciona, lo hace muy bien. Justamente es Aguilera dándonos buen material de la época para después irse en un viaje retro que no hace más que verse beneficiado por su espectacular voz. Lo disfruté mucho, solo tiene momentos algo insoportables como esa canción que le dedica a los fans y que es un track entero de escuchar mensajes de agradecimiento de los fans diciéndole lo extraordinaria que es.
It contains Candy Man so it was kind of nice.
If this is basics Christina, I am afraid of what advanced Christina will do. Joking aside, I liked the second CD much better because you can actually hear the influences from the mid-1900s. In comparison, the first CD is completely generic early 2000s R&B pop music sung with Christina Aguilera's typical low larynx voice, in which every third note is overemphasized to signal power, I guess? Save Me from Myself was a very welcome change in this regard. Still, not much going on if you don't happen to be a fan of early 2000s pop divas.
Nothing good came out of the late 90's pop music scene... and all those who were apart of the Mickey Mouse Club.
I feel like 22 tracks is way too long, the shift of feeling during Hurt gave me motion sickness
some people say it's too long and too horny. me? I say it's too SHORT and NOT HORNY ENOUGH!
Better than i expected at first, but Aguilera could use her voice a bit less rollercoaster like. Now her voice is going up and down and around the bend all the time that it makes me feel sick. Few songs of this would have been enough, full album is way too much for my stomach to handle.
I recognize the singer's talent and was pleased with the absence of the usual Aguilera brilliance. The album was crammed full of everything and I mean way too full. The whole thing was massive and at the same time somehow sterile.
It started surprisingly good, but the length of this album was too much for me.
I appreciate the modern jazz and r'n'b fusion, but dislike the "whats hot today" bits of the production. I've always disliked recording being a committee project, instead of the artist, but who am I to argue, over five million people can't be wrong. I'm also a bit... allergic to the flourishes and mannerisms she uses on the record, she uses them quite a lot, which to me is akin to the constant solos some rock guitarists do or overflowing fills some drummers tend to cultivate at every opportunity.
- bem funkeado, boa produção e ótima voz - apesar de referências de funk e rap (influenciado pelo dilla), achei pouco imaginativas e focadas em absorção fácil dessas ideias - equivalente a pedir pra IA fazer um resumo desses gêneros ou pedir um acarajé que agrade ao paladar europeu
Aguilera has a chip on her shoulder. Most of the songs on the first album are confessionals about how and why she stands up for herself. This is fine, but she said all that on “Fighter,” a track from an earlier album. The last track reveals that all this bravado might stem from an inferiority complex — playing a mix of fans thanking her for being her, as a way if saying “thanks” to her followers is cringey in its indulgence. The second album shows some range in different pop styles — but there’s still a self-absorbed, tough gal attitude that comes through. Aguilera doesn’t need to be so defensive. She’s got an amazing voice. But she flaunts it unnecessarily, making her tunes about her rather than the music. Her lyrics are guileless, which in this case is not a compliment. These songs could use a little mystery and metaphor. In the end, it’s fine. She’s got a sound, a style, and a great voice. But it’s not an album I needed to listen to. A 2.
disc 1 in overall was good. disc 2 was boring. too long and gets old quickly
Too long
Great album from one of the top 3 women's voices in this era!
Some decent production in spots, but truly, astonishingly bad songwriting. And although I acknowledge that she’s got serious pipes, I thought the goddamn vocalises would be the death of me. 1.5/5
Ya el títulos es elocuente: álbum con sabor a clásico. Un sonido retro pero sin dejar aires y ritmos modernos. Doble disco, con producción de nada menos que DJ Premier (el primer disco), mark Ronson o Linda Perry. Quizás demasiado largo y ambicioso, pero de mucha calidad. Ain't No Other Man, Makes Me Wanna Pray (con Steve Winwood)... Un antecedente inmediato de lo que vendría al año siguiente con otro Back , en este caso to Black y Amy. Obviamente no hay comparación entre ambas, pero este disco es lo mejor que pudo hacer Christina.
I grew up through this and wasnt a fan at the time so wasnt expecting much. The good: shes an obviously phenomenal singer, there are some decent tunes here and there is less drop off between the singles and the album tracks. The production is very 'of its time' but i didnt mind it and i enjoyed some of the jazzier, more orchestral arrangements. The bad: still excessive vocal wanking, way too long, there isnt much light and shade and the "sexy" stuff made me throw up in my mouth a little. A generous interpretation is that there was a sliding doors moment when she ended up at Disney. One path lead her to teen stardom, pop music and an ability to be anything other than a mainstream pop star. If she'd failed her disney audition, lived a normal life and discovered jazz and soul, there could have been a beautiful, undiscovered gem there. I enjoyed it more than i thought
This album feels like a time capsule to the early 2000's, it has a nice vibe. Although the intro to disk 2 is a bit wack, album overall is pretty consistent. Fave track: Hurt, the operatic nature and build of the track is a highlight.
Was not expecting to enjoy this at all but was pleasantly surprised. A bit long and samey. 3/5
Good pop album, but nothing more
The pop and old school jazz mix works really well but from time to time the wailing gets a bit to much for me which sucks since the good parts of this album are very very good.
Really good
Bit long but enjoyable
Nein