Back to Basics

Honestly, preferred her "oh so naughty pop pixie" phase, but there's no denying Xtina can sing. Remember from the time that it was very different to what was around at the time and to what she'd previously released. Worthy of inclusion on this list, probably not? Worthy of the hate and scorn seemingly poured it? Also no. 2.5 stars rounded to 3 (loses a half star for not being dooooooorty enough)

This was so banal I'm not sure why it ever was on this list. I don't remember any of these songs. She's clearly trying to do an Amy Winehouse thing that really never caught on.

Love

Its a pop album with little to no great songs.

Overall: 3/10 I have to admit, I think Christina Aguilera is an incredibly talented vocalist. It's a shame that the songs she's singing never hold the cake to her immense talent. I wanted to like this a lot more than I did but it really just sounds like generic mid-2000s pop music that follows a formula that I don't particularly enjoy. I didn't hate it but it was overlong and there wasn't much variety. Fav Song: Without You Least Fav Song: Candyman

People are judging this album based only on the first half. Honestly, that half was okay, but didn't really stand out. The second half of Back to Basics shows more range than I ever though Christina Aguilera had. I always though of Christina as a solid vocalist with some catchy 2000s songs. After listening to Back to Basics, it's clear that she has an amazing voice and can sing ballads and pop hits. This shattered my expectations of what I thought Christina Aguilera did. While I ended up liking this album, it is so bloated. I wish they would have cut it back to basics and kept only essential songs or turned this into two separate albums; 1 focusing on personality, emotions and sentimentality, and the other being a fun, sexy, R&B album. Putting all of the songs together makes the project feel disjointed. Best Songs: Slow Down Baby, Welcome, Hurt, Mercy on Me, Save Me from Myself Worst Songs: Makes Me Wanna Pray, Still Dirrty, I Got Trouble

Some facts about this album: Christina Aguilera can sing, the featured artists were wisely chosen, the length is absurdly long, I can’t imagine myself listening to this again in its entirety for any reason. In many ways it reminded me of Amy Winehouse’s similarly named Back to Black, a contemporary of this album, but also maybe an inspiration for its retro vibe. While that album achieved the timeless style of the greats it sought to emulate, this one is merely an updated copy.

Style and Identity are very different things. After listening to this album, I am not convinced that Christina Aguilera has either. She does have is an incredible voice. It is not enough.

already in my library

Not bad. 7/10 prob

i dunno i dont even have anything to say really just wanted to switch it off 90% of the time tbh NNN

Actually good pop music but way too long. Stand-out: Candyman

Blah

I was not looking forward to this, and then I found out it was a double album. I made it through, but I wasn't a big fan.

Liked it more than expected

Dear me, she sure can sing.

I remember listening to this album back when it came out in 2006. I had just turned 18 and graduated that summer. I remember liking some specific songs off of it but not thinking much of it as a whole. Mostly I liked the hits with a few extra ones. I definitely ended up liking it a lot more now than I expected. In part I think because of listening through this list I can better seen and appreciate her musical influences she drew from for this album. Also being older some of the songs just hit more deeply with more life experience. Her voice was always beautiful to me but I enjoy it more now as well. I do think volume 2 is stronger as a whole than volume 1. Volume 1 still has some good tracks though. I think on it's own volume 2 would be a 5* for me, and volume 1 is more like a 3*. You know what that means, I have to meet in the middle for a 4*.

Side A floored me. Despite being a millennial and knowing the hits from side B, I was amazed at how soulful every song was. Side B was a little meh lyrically. 5/5 for A, 2/5 for B

I don’t hate pop music and there are many great pop albums out there imo. This one is not though. It has great songs on it, she’s a great and unique singer but the whole thing just doesn’t fit together very well or I‘m not getting it. Still a 3 for me because of the good songs.

This woman can sing

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.

Christina has a really strong voice, there’s no denying that and I know there’s an audience for her but I’m not part of that audience. That being said, there is a decent album in here but man oh man we didn’t need a double album. There’s a whole lotta cringe in this and some of it is laughable. Makes Me Wanna Pray was pretty lame right off the hop. I especially liked the self-indulgent “Dedication to Fans” where we have to listen to all the clips from fans, praising her. One fan even stated her music saved their life… oh for fucks sake. There’s a 3 star in here maybe but an hour and 20 mins of the jazzy parlour shit has me kinda bitter. 2 stars

Solid album! Reminded me of childhood. She has some pipes

Well made and all that, and she is a good singer, but its not for me

She’s great at singing but I didn’t like the songs. Also if the two discs are going to be so different why not make it two albums?

Definitely bluesey. At times, sounds like she's trying too hard to replicate someone like Amy Winehouse who would have been HUGE during this time. Overall, there are some fun tracks (last track is actually really good), but it's pretty forgettable. If you want to listen to this type of bluesey, smokey bar type of singing, just listen to Amy Winehouse, or even better yet, Billie Holiday or Dinah Washington.

I think she was an Avril Lavigne type, but she’s really that Alicia Kets type. Not bad.

A 78 minute Christina Aguilera album? Really Robert? Undeniably great voice, but her singing style doesn’t really do it for me. Trying a little too hard imo. Production is good, content is not very interesting. Pretty forgettable overall.

Side 2 was much more interesting than the first & got ya an extra star Xtina

et Christina halt, aber Jeanny in der Flasche war halt doch ihr größter Hit

My ex was Xtina’s #1 fan and always put up this album as the evidence of her quality. She sings quite good, but the ideas are not so and the album is loooooong. 1 additional star for her

Bland, generic pop. A few bluesier and funkier songs which were a bit different, but just as bland and forgettable.

Too long

Why is an ultra generic pop album on a list of 1001 albums to hear before you die?

Second C.A. Album for the project, and once again it wasn’t awful but it’s just not my thing. She has a tremendous voice but seems to be a bit one-trick flourishing every phrase over similar pop music, and it gets tiring quickly. Although I’m not sure, I assume this project was a bit of a deviation from true pop-singing for her, but why was this released as a double album? Because I have no idea

That's not my taste in music, but pleasant music

"You inspire me to keep on living ... " surely the funniest track on any album. Ever. Dear lord. "It's not so easy loving me ..." Correct. The fake crackles kind of sum this album up: trying to be authentic and getting it all wrong. Shakespeare; WB Yeats; Sylvia Plath ... now you know I am an excellent writer, right? So funny. Love her voice, though ... NOT!!

Horrible singing, horrible wailing. Just horrible. Name checking greats from the past in an effort to somehow relate this is laughable.

What a weird album. Never seen anyone commit a whole track to their fans praising them as if they’re the second coming of christ before. The immediate tone shift from “Christina Aguilera saved me from killing myself” to “Nasty Naughty Boy” was really something to behold. Radiohead did dramatic left turns between albums. Christina Aguilera clearly does them within albums.. I have also never found a so called ‘tribute to those that inspire me’ so artificial seeming. The random backing vocals shouting names of soul singers really baffled me. “Otis Redding!”… like ok? 😂 I have to say, Candyman is a throwback from the radio when we were younger, however I’m pretty sure the radio version wasn’t quite so explicit - or at least we didn’t realise it 😂

Piss poor. ‘Thank You’ was the most self-absorbed piece of music I’ve ever heard

Christina Aguilera is a very talented vocalist, I think. I enjoyed listening through the double album which was a surprise, usually double albums feel like a huge slog. Maybe teenage nostalgia carried me through some of it. Ain't No Other Man was the track I liked best.

Uplifting album, beautiful voice.

Pretty good actually, enjoyed it 6/10

Incredible voice but lot left to be undesired… second half of the album when she seems to lean into her musical creativity, was better

Despite being so long and having benefited from some trimming, this is actually a great pop album. Very cool application of older styles of music such as Jazz, Blues and Soul into a modern day Contemporary R&B and Dance Pop frame. Needless to say, top notch vocals too. Key tracks: Ain't No Other Man Here to Stay Candyman Hurt

First disc of this is surprisingly excellent, some really inspired and exciting production! Not so much a fun or the second disc tbh, and it’s already running a bit long at that point so I’m docking points for that…

Read Nick’s review that mentioned the dropoff in quality between discs and as I was listening I was like “no way, this is so good” and immediately did. 2 had me like “okay nick, my bad”

Can’t help but agree with the crew, disc one was really fun and awesome and there is an extreme drop off. Woof

Really great voice, really great songs

10 different producers, over 20 songs, around 750,000 credited songwriters, and a run-time longer than some Oscar winners - if that doesn't sound like a star who got to big to be told "no", I don't know what does! The songs themselves are (mostly) ok, there's just too many and no particular theme, other than Christina expressing every thought she has ever had over whatever music happened to be cool at the precise second she decided to hit record. Not a bad album, just sloppy and unfocused, and one that would have benefitted from a (solo) producer who wasn't afraid to disagree. Unfortunately, the first thing he said "no" to was buying his own plane ticket!

Surprisingly listenable, even if she does start with a track thanking God for her life and end with a track talking about how shes still dirrty.... This high-concept pop probably paved the way for Justin Timberlake's 20/20 Experience.

Damn girl, who hurt you

This looks terrible - and it’s a double album. Ok I’m half way through. The word that keeps coming up in my head is unnecessary. This record is not needed on this list. This record is not needed by society. The over singing by CA is unnecessary. I’ll stick it out. About 40 minutes left…back half of the album I was looking up song credits. The lead singer from 4 non blondes wrote a lot of it and she is apparently a song writing machine for lots of people. At least I learned something from this listen.

I listened to this horny mid-2000s retro maximalism on YouTube in incognito mode because I simply could not have the algorithms get that fucked up.

for better and worse, the most excessive dying gasp of the CD era.

Welcome to this review. Have some Mercy On Me because I’m not very good at writing these. I hope you’ll Understand because I’m Here to Stay.

A few great songs and a lot of amazing singing paired with mediocre lyrics and uninspired melodic lines.

Not my cup of tea really, but you can't deny that she is a force. A couple of cool songs even if the whole thing seemed a bit repetitive. I bet all the naysayers on here would like "Mercy on Me" if it was Fiona Apple instead. 3.5 stars

Yes, outstanding voice.

Why is this on the list? It doesn’t even have any of her good songs on it.

This album was better than I was expecting, but it was just so long - I'm not sure it needed to be a double album. I enjoyed the drumbeats and whatever is said about her, Christina has a great voice. A little too much overreliance on her lung-busting warbles though.

Intro was intresting but something about the ending caught me off guard on the first listen but I didn't notice it again on the second listen. Anyway, nice voice, but not for me. Standouts for me were Thank You, and The Right Man.

A pop double album didn't exactly fill me with excitement, but fortunately this wasn't too much of an ordeal - probably in large part because it came out after my media bubble had solidified, so there were no tracks I'd already been wretchedly overexposed to. Still, this is not for me. I guess I should take a moment and be thankful that Robert Dimery treats pop as such an afterthought because I don't think I'd enjoy this project nearly as much if he took it seriously and had a couple of hundred extra pop entries. Fave tracks - eh, "Makes Me Wanna Pray" from disc 1 - anything is improved with a gospel choir slapped over it. And "Candyman" from disc 2, for that old timey feel.

2nd album of Aguilera from this list and I honestly understand the hype. She's versatile, powerful with her voice, her production team done everything right. I'm gonna say it once again: you can't ask for much more in this genre.

Side 1 is listenable if forgettable r and p pop from the noughties, churned out by Christina, Britney and many others. Side 2 though. The lady is not a vamp. This is ersatz vocal jazz of the worst kind. Think Madonna's Dick Tracey soundtrack as bad as that. DNF more than 30 secs of each track.

Meh. A double album and most of it sounded like the same song.

That 2k pop yeah sometimes it’s good, but mostly forgettable

Surprised by this album as a whole had only hear I song as a single becuase its not the music I listen to but this album was big surprise. Aguilera which I feel has the best pop voice along with Beyonce gives us a flawless record with a vocal range that can compete with anyone in history. I find the first half of the album too similar to beyonce in style but still is amazing to listen and the transition from song to song is absolute perfection. The second part of the album is pure perfection. The jazz big band vibe and the lyrics are superb. First half pop album which sounds generic pop killed the chance for this album to be a 5 star but 3.5 is my final score

Pareceu-me exagerada a tentativa de demonstrar seriedade com disco duplo. Não consegui lembrar de hits dela, apenas da parceria de Lady Marmalade.

Undoubtedly a great voice, but I need more.

I'll admit it, this was banging.

how did she get two spots on this list... intro- 5 makes me wanna pray- 3 or 4 back in the day- 3 aint no other man- 3 understand- 2 slow down baby- 2 i cant do it. im just not strong enough

OMG I so can't stand this album. 100% NOT my thing, which makes it really hard to give it a rating. She can obviously sing, technically speaking. But it's OK to sing... a... note. You don't need to convert every single note into a piece of two-octave acrobatics containing the full Mixolydian scale. Despite (because of?) this it's all a bit samey and lacks the soul that soul (I believe that's what this is?) is supposed to have. I listened to all songs but could not sit through any in full. Life is too short. I'll give it two starts rather than one because singing like this must be hard and she made me appreciate other music more. Maybe she deserves to be in the list because after all she's famous.

Besides "Aint No Other Man" and "Oh Mother" Disc one is just o.k. for me. Disc two alone would easy be a 3+ pop album. But both discs together are way too much! favourite: "Candyman", "Hurt" 2,5

ok

Oh this is so painful. TWO DISCS. Back in the Day hurt so bad. Like she starts naming some of music's greats and reading them off-- as if she even a toe inside the pantheon with Otis Redding, James Brown, Louis Armstrong, Coltrane.. Marvin Gaye FFS. At that point I tried to enter into a fugue state so that it wouldn't consolidate as a memory in my brain infecting my inner library. You never gonna get it from me..You can't touch. Blech. Get me some gasoline so I can pour it down my earholes and exorcise the demons with fire. Oh Mother explains a lot, if true. F.U.S.S. seems to talk about how the person who wrote a lot of her music walked away from her. That explains a lot. Still Dirrty gross. Keep that nasty freak side right up under a rock. Enter the Circus seems like it should be her genre, a big nasty drama circus. Seriously, there's never a good time for circus music. Nasty Naughty Boy with the tired old voulez-vous couchez avec moi line. Again, gross, keep your funky sharpened press on nails and your fake everything away from me. The disgusting saccharine sop of a song called Hurt. Just awful. I'm begging for mercy at this point in this album. It's like having your ass caught in a bear trap that just keeps tightening. And the next song, is of course, Mercy on Me. I'm out of favors with the gods now. I'm in the middle of the Gobi pounding my fists at the sky and begging for rain. Overall, this rates as sub-1 star. Horrible vocals, horrible lyrics, deplorable instrumentation throughout. Not one redeeming track. Hope to never hear any of this again in my life.

When I listen to this, I feel like someone is trying to hard sell me on something that I have absolutely no interest in... It's almost like that scene in Severance whereas Christina Aguilera is Mr. Milchick and I'm Dylan trying by best to keep it together, like SINCERELY trying until ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VngE9BiEe7Q

Christina Aguilera has an amazing voice. But I have never cared for her aesthetic or vibe, in any permutation, including "Baby Jane" here. And there is way too much Christina here. Especially when she gets carried away with "yeahs" and "ohhhs" and "heyyys." But don't get me wrong, there are actually some enjoyable pop/R&B songs on "Back to Basics," and when she belts, the potential of her voice really shines. Neither Aguilera album on the list is still in the book. Britney Spears' only entry (her debut), has also been removed. There are no late 90s boy bands. The TRL-fueled late 90s and early 00s is one of my least favorite eras of music, and most of it lacks critical acclaim, but it was huge at the time and it feels underrepresented in this tour of music history.

Look there is no denying Christina has a great voice. Its up there with Mariah Carey but I greatly prefer Christina's full throated and sometimes growly delivery to Mariah's breathy whistle notes. That being said, many of these songs are kinda boring, it took me so long to get to Mercy Me which is maybe the low key best track on this album. Side note, how does Christina have two albums on this list and Whitney Houston has NONE?!

Christina has a great voice. Maybe top 3 in the 1001 so far. This is an ambitious undertaking with 78+ minutes of music. I liked the second jazz inspired disc more than the R&B inspired first.

Previously rated: Stripped (3/5) ******************* I was leaning towards a 4/5 for this one. What she does, she does well. No auto-tune is a big plus. Over the course of 118 minutes though, the vocal gymnastics get old and annoying. Second half isn’t nearly as good as the first. I’m not a fan of tracks where she feels the need to address her critics. Favorite track: Still Dirrty

Ain’t No Other Man and Candyman are great The girl can sing But good Lord this is too long There’s a good fun 3 star album here that is just too bloated

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

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 had heard quite a bit of Christina growing up, and this album really doesn't take you back to the 20s. I understand the entire project is a callback and its own interpretation of the 20s, and enjoyable to listen to for it being that. outside, however, most if not all the songs on the list sound trapped in their own time and are not going to be remembered after a few years.

I didn't like this album much. Most of the songs are the same electro-jazz pop drivel. I get that Aguilera can sing but this album is just like her other records. The good news is that the last few tracks are quite good. But it's not enough to satisfy me. I'll give "Back to Basics" 2 stars.

Some great songs. All in all too long and very mediocre. And with an album called "back to basics" I wish Christina kept it basic.

Too long

Way more fun than I expected especially the second part

I like it but she had no business adding a second disc

This Aguilera album is kind of all over the place as it sets up that it’s a throwback to classic pop and R&B (as opposed to her harder, more hip-hop inspired sound from Stripped) but doesn’t always stick to that concept. This is especially confusing when the second side of the album introduces a second circus concept that is then pretty much abandoned after two songs. Very weird and too long and repetitive BUT there are some great songs on here, most notably Ain’t No Other Man which absolutely slaps

The 90s-00s pop movement never really caught me as I was too busy being young and punk at the time to care for it. I was aware though that Christina could sing so I was open to this album when it came across my feed. The first disk didn't really do anything for me and became quite repetitive in it's styling . Conversely the second one had a far more varied sound and I caught myself enjoying a good number of them. Particularly Save Me From Myself, I really dug the sound. Her rendition of Candyman was quite fun as well. Giving 3 out of 5 though it's more like a 3.5 Far better than her contemporaries.

I'm sure her voice is very good but, boy, do I find it all so very exhausting.

If an artist creates music that all sounds the same but people continue to buy it, who's the fool?

Listened Before? N Honestly, I missed this one when it was released. I don't believe I've ever heard any of these songs. It was a good listen. I like the throwback vibe here, and Ain't No Other Man is a scorcher. Thoroughly enjoyed the whole album. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Ain't No Other Man

In a nutshell: sounds less like Christina and more like Mariah. I shouldn't compare Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, but it's difficult not to. The Midas touch of Mark Ronson et al made this album a hit. In retrospect, it's a typical Christina outing: tries to be fun with pop and R&B, repetition, plain backbeats and too much vocal acrobatics (eg the Mariah flutter). Overall: 2/10

I can do without the circus music and the talking. Other than that it was an okay album. Maybe a bit long. The best song was Without You.

Too long, every song almost sounds the same.

I was reading about this album on Wikipedia and found out, sadly, Christina Aguilera is not single. My heart is shattered. But in all honesty, this album shows a range and depth to CA that I didn’t know she had. I knew she was in Burlesque, and think I heard one of her sultry songs when that came out, but this album showcases just how good her voice is and how many genres she feels comfortable in. When reading the album Wikipedia, there was a section that said the album was met with positivity, only garnering criticism on the album length. I can’t agree more. A few songs on the back half of the disc one side could have been taken off the core album with saving them for a re-release or extended cut version and I honestly think this album would be a four for me. A competition of songs that don’t necessarily tell a story or seem to be a concept album doesn’t need to be nearly 90 minutes long.

The album has a lot of energy, and Aguilera’s voice and personality is always entertaining. I liked the switch to the “old style” tunes starting with Enter the Circus, and Candyman is classic. My only complaint is that the album is too long - I got tired of the vibe of the first half of the album, but that’s why the vibe switch was good.

High 3! I think the hit to song ratio is too low, but there are a couple of songs I hadn’t heard before that I liked as well. The hits were bangers!

Couple high school throwbacks, couple hidden gems, couple fuck you tracks, a thank you song that in hindsight probably would have put up NUMBERS on 2006 YouTube, and more than a few that could have been left off. Christina’s voice is absolutely incredible and I never got bored with it, i just felt like I could have used that extra half hour differently. I also got the style this album was going for (Ain’t No Other Man and Candyman make so much more sense with that context), but I still found the intro to the second disk unnecessary. A three that could have been a four.

I don't hate it. I actually kinda like it! Christina Aguilera has an amazing voice. To be honest, it's been so long since I've heard one of her songs I forgot what she sounded like. I really like the sound of this album. The R&B pop blend works really well, and I like the throwback sounds of the second half. The length on the other hand does not work. Just split it into two albums! There's a clear distinction between the first and second half. 1h and 20min is just too much. Especially when this was made during the popularity of my least favorite music trend. The early 2000's female lead singing OooOOoOOOooOoOOo yeahhhHHhhhHHHhhhhhHHH.

This is my least favorite era of music, but I liked this more than I expected. Christina has a powerful voice with some gravel in the back when she wants it which adds a lot to the songs. Some funky backing tracks that get moving too were good. Overall a great time, and now I know why Christina was a judge on the voice.

I'm not a big fan of pop music. I understand why this ended up on the list because of how popular it was. But really it doesn't do anything for me

Wasn't so keen on the pop songs, but quite liked the R&B and Jazz-Blues songs.

I didn't hate it, and I really wanted to hate it. But, early 2000's pop royalty diving deep into a classic big band era style album whilst including a new fresh look. Frankly, to say this album is bad is a lie. But, on the other hand to say this album is a must listen before you die, I doubt it big guy. But whatever floats your boat.

modern R'n'B is not for me, this leaves me cold

not bad, definitely overlong and it steps a little too much into perhaps my most hated genre, electroswing, but overall pretty enjoyable

Back to Basics is the fifth studio album by American singer Christina Aguilera, originally released in 2006. Oh boy, a double album in the CD era. Never really gave Christina Aguilera a fair listen, and this wasn't bad. She has a great voice, but I feel she falls too often into the "Competition Music" category. Like songs that are meant to be sung on shows like American Idol to show off the singer's voice. Songs that lack emotional depth and are meant to flex singing chops. This album was interesting enough. I see what she was going for, paying homage to her musical influences with callbacks to soul, jazz, and funk. This is something that Amy Winehouse would do much better the same year. Some of the songs veer dangerously close to electroswing territory (*shudders*). Overall, there are some good tracks on here but I feel that this album is pretty bloated.

Five stars to me for actually listening to this. Well done mate!

This album tries to pay homage to a lot of genres, but the renditions of each don’t click with me. Aguilera has an amazing voice, but it’s not enough to get me to enjoy this album. 2/5

I thought christina was pop, but whatever this is it's not me

Good voice but way too long

I remember when this came out, it was pretty hyped up. I listened to it (maybe not even all of it) exactly once and never again. My feelings 18 years later haven’t changed much. There are some good songs here but they’re weighed down by 40 minutes of bloat. By the time I heard something I liked, I was already pretty fatigued of this album’s repetitive shtick.

80-minute shopping simulator

while i don't really turn an eye to aguilera's works, this vintage inspired hip-pop album is an example of how her voice can work somewhat well depending on genre. when she's not singing country, her pop material is confident, loud, and her style is... fascinating to listen to. the main problem with aguilera is that while other artists just sing straight up, she constantly feels the urge to let all her listeners know that she can, in fact, sing. every single track just has constant and neverending adlibs and runs that more often than not break the immersion for me. don't let her sing the national anthem because this woman will spend 10 minutes trying to infinitely run instead of finishing the song. the production really saves this album from lower ratings i feel, it's probably the best part of the album.

Points for at ramme zeitgeist og udgive denne samme år som Back to Black kom ud. Der er nogle kæmpe bangers på tbh, og jeg synes dobbeltalbumkonceptet fungerer fint Hun er en rigtig god sanger, men når det er sagt, så er hun hård at lytte til i 78 minutter når der bare er fuld energi på hele vejen! Kontrast til Mariah Carey albummet, en anden utrolig dygtig sanger, men som kan finde ud af at modulere sin stemme og ikke bare køre 120% hele vejen igennem

Må overraskende erklære at det var cool! Ja, den er alt for lang, men i det mindste er de to disks meget distinkte og jeg synes begge to virker, fed DJ Premier på disk 1 (men for lang), fed big band på disk 2 (men for lang)

God damn den var godt nok lige et helt album for lang. Startede træls ud med så meget knitren at jeg blev nødt til lige at tjekke at min jack-adapter ikke var gået i stykker... Lidt mere y-e-e-eah end jeg synes er okay på en plade. James Hetfield er misundelig..

this would get a five if there weren’t a few songs that were too long. she’s great.

She's just really horny But some great fucking music

She's so talented

Ok pop music the second album appears to have more of a theme to it but my interest overall had waned to the point that it felt annoying and a indulgent ask of my patience.

Eschewing the then-prevalent ultra sleek bombast of the mid-2000s sound, Christina Aguilera opts to take us on a journey back to fifty/sixty years past; to a time where innovation and authenticity amongst singers and musicians were standard fare and the pinup image was something to aspire to. The first disc is a flawed attempt to fuse big band era jazz with boom bap hip-hop before devolving to basic pop and R&B. The second disc is a little more interesting as a whole and it probably saves the record from being somewhat of a nebulous failure. Overall, Back to Basics is a rather bold enough statement for its time but it is ultimately another musical shift in a career full of them. Favorites: Disc One - Makes Me Wanna Pray, Back in the Day, Ain't No Other Man, Understand, Slow Down Baby, On Our Way. Disc Two - full listen.

Given the change in tone midway through, it easily could've been two separate albums. The second half is the stronger of the two, with the older and slower songs better put together than the poppier ones. Her vocal style can be a bit much on certain tracks, especially early on, but when she pulls the acrobatics back, it reminds you just how much talent she has. By no means am I going to revisit this one, but it wasn't the worst listen.

Side 1 is a 4, side 2 is a 2.

Much of this album was a great, big pile of meh to me and the sampling of old recordings was downright cheesy. However, the last third of the album had some good songs. I enjoyed Welcome and The Right Man a good deal. So, I think this album ended up being right down the middle for me. I’ll never love this kind of pop, but there is some cool stuff here.

Some good production is held back by repetitive vocals and the "throw shit at the wall and hope it sticks" method of crafting an album. It doesn't feel very cohesive at all, despite having some good tracks scattered throughout. Unfortunately, there is more bad standing out here than there is good, the second side in particular has some real stinkers. I can only take so much of this vocal style before it begins to grate, HARD. It's seriously baffling someone signed off on 80 minutes of this, why wasn't this split into 2 separate releases??? (To be honest just don't release the second side at all, thanks).

It's weird having similar reactions for both (yep, there's two!) Christina Aguilera's albums on here: Christ, that's long. I've docked better albums for being double albums, and the other record (I think "Stripped"?) was over 70 minutes. That being said, I do like the "modern" (for the time) retro aesthetic. The 2010s graced us with a pop star trying a similar tactic (though more vocal pop than jazz era), and I dislike her immensely, but enjoy this quite a bit. Aguilera's range is, as always, impressive, but gets a little tiring on a double album. It is interesting, however, how disc two starts so *fucking horny* and follows it up with a track that asks Jesus for forgiveness. Rambling aside, it's fine. Nothing I think I'll ever get back into, but I've heard significantly worse. Favorite tracks: "Still Dirrty", "Mercy On Me"

While I didn't particularly enjoy this one, it was absolutely fine, which is way better than expected. When reviewing her previous album, Stripped, I noted she's a good singer, but that everything about the album was entirely artificial and devoid of any soul and meaning. This one is also way over-produced and severely lacking in personality. But Christina stands out much more as a singer and the music and compositions aren't quite as sterile. This is still highly superficial music, but at least the singing is very good.

I'll start with the obvious: she has an incredible voice, and she mostly avoids over-singing here. Her vocal performances are uniformly astounding. Second obvious point: this album is way too long. The length does it a great disservice. If you pick one song out from the first half, it's probably a perfectly enjoyable, even impressive pop song. Across 22 tracks, something gets lost. The second disc is significantly better. I wish this album was just the second half.

Lo sentí extenso.

I can enjoy most pop music but sometimes wonder a little too much about how rough the industry seems to be. I wouldn't want to be a pop star.

Hmm no

Great raspy vocals from inception.

had some scariness

When I saw the album cover, I was sure it would be another 1 star that got a spot on the list just to be removed some years later. However, to my surprise, I kind of enjoyed the album. Aguilera's voice is something unreal, and I think this is not a discussion, but her singles normally don't catch my attention in any way. Listening to the full album, I found some cool songs on CD 1 and CD 2. Of course, I agreed with some of the critics I saw on the Wikipedia page, like the fact that the album is lengthy and the emulation of the 1920s–1950s idols is sometimes just fake, but overall, I found it pretty enjoyable. I still think that it's an album that will be replaced on the 1001 list soon, but now I guess it will last at least for 2 or 3 editions, at least it deserves.

trash

Never knew her whole vibe was this soul influenced, the more you know 🌈

Not a Christina Aguilera fan at all. This album contains a few Strongs songs though. Christina also shows she has a powerful soulful voice. Need to give her credit for that.

"My name's Nicholas Nada and I just want to say, Christina, that track you made with all those clips of your fans kissing your ass made me cringe so hard it gave me osteoporosis."

Interesting album! Did it need to be this long? Lots of burlesque type songs (probably a preview for her future album/movie). Also I started realizing she could have killed as a country singer. She sounds a lot like Carrie Underwood in some of these. I love her voice but don’t really connect to the songs. I did keep Slow Down Baby.

Woof. We didn't need two albums from Christina Aguilera (come to think of it, I don't think we needed one). This one's nearly 80 minutes long, and it's a loose concept album of her aiming for old-school jazz singers. It doesn't really work with her vocal style though - she's someone that sings with an emphasis on power, that's like her whole thing. Jazz singers go more for soul or some kind of atmosphere. I counted maybe two or three tracks on here where she scaled it back a bit but not enough. Also, the second half of the album explodes into this crazy circus type thing, reminded me of what I don't like about Tom Waits. That said, "Nasty Naughty Boy" was so funny, had me smiling the whole time, that gutteral modulated trumpet or whatever it is just kills me. Not really a good album, not really bad either. But we'll keep it moving. Favorite tracks: Still Dirrty, Save Me from Myself, Nasty Naughty Boy, Makes Me Wanna Pray. Album art: I've seen this before, it's just a shot of Christina laying down, very white-washed vibe. It's decent, pays homage to the old school album cover style too. 2.5/5

Üble Stimme, ab gut produziert. Trotzdem nix für mich.

Although not for me, I do get the album. It sounds pretty good and she is a very talented singer. The issue is that this album is so long!

Doesn’t deserve all the one stars here. Is it a masterpiece? No, but it’s a fun listening and I feel that the love and flirt with jazz is genuine.

I think most double albums are self-congratulatory, over-reaching, pretentious and unnecessary. Back to Basics is no different. Four songs in I was giving it a five. Sexy...hot...fire. But as much as I love hearing Christina call me Daddy and beg for a spanking, the second album totally loses the plot, and wouldn't have been heard by anyone if not for its pairing with the first. And sadly, not even her planet shatteringly incredible voice can save it. 3.5

There's some real nice stuff in here but man if it isn't bloated as hell

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

Gadd ikke å høre hele

Disc 1 👍 Disc 2 👎

Nah

I liked this more than I thought I would. I thought it was going to be much more straight 2000s pop, and was not expecting a really solid R&B album. I have a new respect for Chritina Aguilera. Album cover: B- . Looks like a corny local dad's rockabilly band's cover.

Didn’t expect to like this as much as I did

This album is immediately not what I expected. It is very soulful. Makes Me Wanna Pray is a banger. Slow Down Baby is great. This isn't really my style of music, but it is very good. I'm seven songs in and starting to get a little bored of the sound. There's another fifty minutes to go. Still Dirrty is fun, I wish there was even more horns. OK, we might be changing it up completely for Disc 2. Circus theme? I'm back in. This side of the album is way better. Welcome and Candyman were great. The rest of Disc 2 got a little same-y again, although I did generally like it more than Disc 1. I probably wouldn't ever put this on again, and I'm going to rate it based on that, but I did like this album! 6/10

She is more talented than I was expecting. Good singer and album

Not a bad album. Just not my cup of tea.

around 3 good songs but they absolutely do not outweigh the fact that most were just alright or straight up bad (like understand.. what was that). a lot of the songs had this big release without ever earning it with a build-up. and this album is about half an hour too long.

Mg casi todo el álbum. Mg la cantante.

Nice music and nice voice, I'd rate 4.5

Голос у неё конечно сильный, хороший. Альбом так себе, где заунывно, где весело,ну попса и попса, хотя у неё там жанров понамешано

She has a great voice, but this album can’t seem to decide which direction it wants to go. The stripped down songs are much better than the cheesy pop tunes. 2/5 Won’t listen again

It was fine

Back To Basics is an album of almosts and nearlys. It's good but too long, her voice is incredible but all too often brought down by the way she adds in woahs and ohs and ahs along the way (just grates on me), and while she tries to present herself in a different, rehabilitated and mature image showing deference to those that came before her, it feels really forced at times and not really natural or authentic. It's a very listenable 3 with some impressive highs but you feel a bit short changed because it doesn't realise its potential.

There's a couple of decent songs in here (Ain't No Other Man and Hurt principally), but it's outweighed by the mess that's around it. It's an attempt at being more grown up and sophisticated (having already been pop princess and something a bit filthier at this point), but it doesn't really work. Her voice is just fab, but it works much better when she's doing her stuff, rather than the leaning into the classics bit that doesn't quite work. Bonus points for variety, but minus quite a lot for not really landing most of the variations. 2/5, probably would've had a 3 if it was a bit shorter.

I honestly didn't hate this as much as I expected to. It's definitely cringey in places, and it feels like maybe she is trying to be like a wholesome Amy Winehouse. I don't think she quite pulls it off. She has a great voice though that I never really appreciated until listening to this. I also never realized she wrote and produced her own stuff, so a bit of respect for that.

Fair enough had a good time despite some shite

I really enjoyed it! 4

Might get better rating because of the DJ Premier beats on disc 1. But disc 2 is just not really great for me. She’s an amazing talented singer and songwriting is excellent, I just wouldn’t listen to this again.

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.

She's got better albums... but this was more than a one-hit album.

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

extremely unpleasant listen and the worst album ive sat through in my entire life. the production isnt bad and shes a decent vocalist but all of these songs suck. the bluesy songs are so much worse than the blues i enjoy that they actively make me angry to listen to. also candyman is absolutely terrible and nasty naughty boy is disgusting. this would have earned a low 3/10 (which would already be the lowest score ive ever given out) but since its a double album i decided to drop it down to a 2/10. horrendous

I’m afraid this was never going to be a big favourite for me but she does have a fantastic voice and puts it to great use here. I appreciate that she leaned into the RnB and soul influence and her vocals work well in that oeuvre. It’s slick in its production and you can see why it sold so well and she was such a star. I didn’t mind it but it was definitely too long - two discs are really not necessary and while it’s all good fun pop, it’s not something I really need in my life.

I couldn't finish this album, which is rare. I always try to give the albums on this list a proper listen. Her style of singing, however, annoyed me to no end. It's too similar, and while technically good, it feels too insincere. I don't know if the latter is actually true, but that's how it came across I couldnt get through with it and all this supposed homage to the classics evoked in me was the feeling to shut this shit off and listen to the actual classics this album was dedicated to.

So apparently I like Christina Aguilera. Not super surprising since her sounds can sometimes sound a little JT, sometimes a little Janelle Monae, but I never listened to this album when it came out. Not every song is great, and it being a double album there ended up being a lot of fluff to get through, there are definitely a few songs on here I would listen to again one-off. 3.4/5

Not terrible, but also nothing I'm all that interested in. I did find it interesting that Linda Perry produced and co-wrote the whole second disk. However, it's too long. The singles are pretty bangin, but it isn't enough to save this for me. 2.49/5

Christina is probably the first pop girlie I stanned, and I’ll always hold a special place in my heart for her earlier stuff. Her voice is undeniable and when she finds the right track, it works like magic. Unfortunately, she’s always been kind of spotty and never really seemed to find her sound. Going from basic pop star to “dirrrty” R&B to throwback to Gaga wannabe is a direction that I don’t think totally lands. So I don’t think I’ve played this all the way through although I recall a solid chunk of it. There’s gold, but some of it doesn’t work at all- did Xtina really need to make a 5 minute track thanking her fans, especially when she uses phone calls from them as the beat? But embracing her soul and jazz-influenced roots is a good fit for her, she should have leaned into this instead of whatever Bionic is. If she trimmed the track list or at least turned some of it into bonus tracks, we’d really be cooking. B-

This was alright 3*

It wasn't a 1 in the sense that I found it hard to listen to... but it was pretty awful.

Definitely grew on me as the album went on. Maybe I had to get into the mood.

There’s a good EP in here for sure. I like some tracks on the first disc but the more stripped-back tunes on the second disc fall flat for me.

No

5/10. Her voice is great and unique. Stylistically there is some clever pieces to the album. But overall thematically and lyrically corny to me. And a lot of it got dull.

First CD was painful to listen and so awfully boring, just ooohs, yeeeahs, woooahs and other types of whining with some beat in the background. Second CD? - now, that sounds like an actual music. I don't understand why they are combined into one album.

Can't belive it was this and not stripped

Was ok I liked the double album vibe and some of those tracks took me back to childhood in the great US of A where HOT 99.5 conquered the airwaves but at the same time it was also 1hr18mins of somebody over-singing which on the wrong day feels like purgatory to me.

Understand // Slow Down Baby //

Я честно не знаю. Вот эти подъебки под Монро - это прямо кринж. Что в этом альбоме такого, из-за чего его обязательно слушать перед смертью? Лучшая песня - Hurt.

I found this very difficult to listen to. It's well produced and professional- skilled in it's way but I'd rather not listen to it. I don't really see anything of great value in it.

I expect this to get low reviews because people love hating on female pop stars. This by no means is an amazing album and it's really not my style but you cannot deny her talent. He voice is amazing, she's very sexy, and she really nails that female pop star vibe. The album is a bit long and the songs kinda start to sound similar. I don't really care for the subject matter either but it is a solid pop album. I do like how the second LP is so different from the first LP and I much prefer the style of the second LP. Wow Nasty Naughty Boy was pretty damn sexy.

This was kind of sweet! The first half is fine. Its kind of what you think you're going to get. Her voice is undeniably good, but the second half is where things get buck wild. It's super good! It's just a full on blues, big band and jazz. The first half seems like it was for the money and the second half was for herself. I also like that she just continued writing sexy songs, but did it in a really interesting style. Probably won't revisit this one, but glad I went through it!

это очень круто, я в шоке

Супер добротный поп из 00ых. Цирковая вторая часть на голову лучше первой алкоальбом: коктейль со сладкой ватой

Hard to see why this is on the list. The shouty vocals are not for me but, apart from that I cannot hear why these songs (and there are many of them) are special.

Well, I expected to be awarding a straight 1 but apart from being too long and wildly inconsistent this record was actually enjoyable.

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

Nope

Powerful and passionate voice! Enjoy her work

Appreciate the throwbacks to old jazz and soul stuff but most of the songs didn't do much for me. Also it's way too long

The biggest issue is way, way too long with very pedestrian songs, sure she can sing but it's frankly boring as hell. It's close to a 2.5 for me.

Aguilera has great command of her voice and can at least mimic really good R&B/soul. The record drags despite the high degree of energy in much of the music because it’s a lot more of the same. A song at a time might be good. A double album is self indulgent.

It all just blurs together. Maybe a single would be enjoyable in small doses, but 80 minute of this is a kind of punishment.

Completely forgettable standard mid 2000s pop album. There's nothing here that's really good, the beats are boring (especially the first disc) and Aguilera's obviously good voice can't redeem anything there. The songs on the second disc are a little better, a little more interesting, and better use of her talents. Still not good or at least enjoyable to me, but a little better. I never got to the point of reaching for the skip button, but this is not good, and I didn't need to listen to it before I die.

3/5

In the competition between Aguilera, Brittney Spears, and their other contemporaries, I think this album shows she really threw down the gauntlet. The biggest problem I found here is that it's just too padded. There are at least two or three songs that could have been trimmed out to make this a single disc. OR release them as two different albums. Songs like "Thank You" felt too self-congratulatory. With "F.U.S.S." I understood why it was on the album, but again it could have been cut out to make one disc. Cutting this down to one record would give you a side each to showcase the different musical sides of C.A. Top tracks: "Ain't No Other Man", "Oh Mother," "Candyman", "Hurt", " Mercy On Me"

I don't get this list sometimes. If you want a Christina album that pushed boundaries, was unique, and/or showed off her talented voice then why not go with Stripped? That album has come to be highly regarded (and should be for all the reasons above) even if reactions were initially polarized, while this album has only ever been regarded as a B-. I don't hate this album, but it's a little all over the place especially when you throw in disc 2. It's nothing more than average pop fare. I always liked the maturity and fun factor of Ain't No Other Man so good for her to keep growing up on this album. And there are other good songs (Oh Mother, FUSS, Here to Stay, Hurt, and maybe even the blush-worthy bugle boy ripoff Candyman - at least it's fun). But there's a million other pop albums equally as average as this.

oo-ee-oo-ee-ah wo-oh-oh-ooh-ah ye-ah-yeah-ee-yeah-uh. Yeah, her singing is a little much, but I'll give her credit - she has a powerful voice for a 5' 2" frame. The album wasn't terrible, but it was a little long. I liked the first disc better - more modern. I get that the second disc is supposed to be a throwback to the past, but in that case I'll just go listen to the classics. This album is the definition of a 3 for me. Didn't mind hearing it, don't need to hear it again. Favorite tracks: Makes Me Wanna Pray, Back in the Day, Slow Down Baby, Here to Stay, Save Me From Myself.

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.

Hef aldrei verið fan. Eitt lag þarna sem mér finnst verulega gott. Restin er... uppfylling.

Not sure how many days it took me to get through this one, it was a slog. There's probably a way that you could cut this down to one disc and I would give it 2 stars, though.

Good voice playing homage to classic standards

I like how Aguilera attempts to separate out two distinct elements of this album onto separate discs. The first half of each disc are very distinct in style, but the second halves are largely interchangable. The first disc is a good modern soulful pop record, and what a voice! The second disc was intended as a retro 1920s - 40s style jazz and soul influenced record. It achieves this to a degree, but still keeps a comtemporary pop flavour. Again, the vocal elevates it. The second disc is the better and more interesting of the two. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Ain't No Other Man Date listened: 24/05/24

Not my style but a good production

Damn does this woman have PIPES. I've only known Xtina through her singles and such. This is a fun album, beautifully produced. It's cotton candy for the ears. Not overly deep, but that's not what you're listening to Ms. Aguilera for. Much better than I expected.

Okay

I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I'm not normally one who enjoys a big vocal performance as the main factor of music, but Christina Aguilera just has a fantastic voice and it really drew me in. Lovely album and I thought Thank You (Dedication to Fans...) was a touching song. P.S. Nasty Naughty Boy had me bricked up.

Large variety, catchy stuff. Good stuff as far as pop goes.

I enjoyed the listen. Just not sure what made it 1001 worthy.

Overproduced 00s pop/R'n'B album, the 30s, 40s and 50s vibe goes boring pretty quickly. Her talent is undeniable and this style suits her quite well after the teen years and Stripped era, but this alone isn't enough to call this a great album. It is way too long and bloated and it doesn't have coherency in it, it is just a bunch of songs thrown together on a double album. The lyrics are also just bad on many songs. I wanted to like this album a bit more and perhaps I'd give it a 3 if it was half as long as it is but all things considering it doesn't deserve more than 2.

A very talented musician singing songs that I just don't care about.

I find pop records to be such a strange thing. The singles tend to be listenable and then you wonder why they bothered to record anything else. In this case I’m pretty baffled as to why this is 2 discs and well over an hour. There’s a procession of late 90s-early aughts female pop singers whose voices all sort of blur together for me - file Xtina in that bucket. Her voice is good but I would have a hard time pulling it out of a lineup. Anyways an hour plus of meh pop tunes isn’t for me.

Interesting in that there’s two concepts, but still plenty of filler. Ok for a pop artist?

Not my thing.

I'm not familiar with her music. She has a nice voice.

I couldn't quite make it through the whole thing. She has an amazing voice but not my preference for music.

Oh my god what did I do to deserve two Christina Aguilera Albums within days of eachother? Wait what? A double album? You're taking the fucking piss mate. Strap in then. If I didn't know some of the singles on the last one it's possible I've not heard any of these songs at all. First proper track Pray is alright, mainly for the gospel because gospel is good and has good energy. Next song harks back to when originators and innovators were alive. Erm, Chris mate, there's still people innovating now. Oh ok, the single. Yeah I've obviously heard this. Didn't know it was her because I didn't pay that much attention to it. But obviously the sample is great and it's used effectively. No name recognition because the enormous hook is the sample, the lyrics are kinda incidental by comparison. Decent pop song though, undeniably. And I have to say, by a million miles the best song of hers I've ever heard. Fair do's Christina, you get a a tick. Apparently another couple of singles slipped by without me noticing, in fact I was thinking it was a lull in quality if anything, so I definitely never heard Slow Down or Oh Mother. Still Dirty is better than Dirty (which was simply annoying) but that could be because I've not heard this before whereas the latter was fucking UNAVOIDABLE. Also, brass. Brass is cool. So alright, this has been better than expected so far, the use of samples is largely done and with intelligence. The second disc appears to have turned the album into the soundtrack from The Greatest Showman or something (which, well, hey, I'm not against). Candyman. Yeah ok I've heard this too. On Strictly or something. It's fun. Obviously again heavily leaning on that great sample. Ok couple more tracks - alright so we're somewhere between vaudeville, swing and roaring twenties for this part. You know I'm really down for this. This is a genuinely good time. Absolutely not my thing of course, and it goes without saying it's much too long, but to be fair it's basically two separate albums, a little like that Outkast one. If we'd stopped after disc 1 it might even have sneaked a low 3 to my shock but after the abrupt left turn I'm even contemplating a genuine 4 for basically a surprisingly good time overall. It's much, much better and far more interesting than Stripped.

They say you can't have too much of a good thing. But you can certainly have too much of this. Xtina has a set of pipes on her, no question. But this is not an album forme.

Way too long! Otherwise decent with nice production here and there. Christina Aguilera is a talented vocalist but her singing style is a bit much, and the faux swing sound is a bit kitsch

cool cool

Gosh she's a great singer. Technically. Her Talent is definitely undeniable as a singer, but her writing is just a little lacking in my opinion. I think she could also use some emotion when she’s projecting. I don’t know. I guess I just think of how Amy Winehouse can belt one out but she still sounds angry or sad or whatever emotion she was trying to convey in that song. Christina is just the same on all of them. Loud. I think the biggest differences I feel like I’m being sung at instead of being sung to

Surprisingly good after only ever listening to the hits. Great voice!

first listen great vocals and the production is mostly good, but the first disc of double LP kinda all sounds the same and the second disc is wildly all over?

Some beats are actually decent on the first disc, but they're sadly wasted by Christina's agonizing voice acrobatics. Second disc is useless.

You know the feeling when you're just trying too hard to prove you can do something, but everyone knows you can do it, they just doesn't care. This album embodies this feeling perfectly.

"Enter The Circus" and "Nasty Naughty Boy" are the most cringy things I've ever heard. This was a DOUBLE CRAPPY program, oh my God. Can't believe it exists.

Nice.

Maybe if this was two albums it wouldn't have been such an atrocious slog.

Pop mixed with more R&B than I expected, although it felt a little soulless for R&B and lacked any good pop hooks. The second half was better by virtue of having a personality, despite being egregiously slutty

I love me some Christina, she really does have such a great voice. Her songs are so intimate & painful, she can really emote & you know she's right there in the trenches of heartbreak & loss with you. This album would be a 4.5 if it was half the length - as long as they kept Ain't No Other Man, Candy Man, Mercy On Me. He voice is so overwhelming that she needs strong songs and a shorter album to showcase it.

I get a funny giddy thrill when I first heard Xtina's voice. It is pretty unique and quite impressive for a bit. I'd give this 4 stars if I could actually eat the whole album in one bite, but is just a bit too much.

There are some pretty excellent vocal performances on here. A bit too much but I'm feeling generous.

She has a powerful voice but over an hour of running scales and sexy kitten purrs is a lot. It's polished and that's what's so wrong with it.

LOL, are you kidding me with this one? No one needs to listen to this in their lifetime, trust me, you will get by just fine.

Qué extraña inclusión en este listado. Supongo que también hay que homenajear a una de las buenas voces del pop de la década de los 2000, pero hay otras que hicieron mucho mejores discos

A childhood friend (who I just Googled to learn he is dead) was her drum tech for a bit. He once told me the road crew got 2 days off out of every 10 so she could have her hair repaired. https://www.unionfh.com/obituaries/John-Patrick-Chismar?obId=3311793

Good stuff just not crazy about it

I’ll admit, I wasn’t very excited when this was my album of the day. This came out my sophomore year of college, and I certainly had no interest in it at the time. I remember the singles, and while I can’t say I hated them I largely ignored them. This was a very fun album to listen to. It has sort of an almost Motown mixed with delta blues and modern R&B. I did not find it to sound firmly rooted in mid 2000’s pop - I can’t believe how well this record has held up 18 years later. As expected the singing is performed with incredible talent and technical prowess, but I expected to react to the songs like “whoa that’s a bit much” ; but it never happened. It’s not over the top, even when she hits 20 notes in half a second. I was also surprised to see she’s credited as a writer for all the songs. It’s raunchy at times, heartfelt at times, and fun throughout. It’s a really good pop record.

I am honestly outraged by two things: 1) Christina Aguilera having not one, but TWO double albums on this list, and 2) Why the fuck she decided to release the first disc of Back To Basics??? Disc two is absolutely fantastic and captivating, but disc one has nothing to offer. The exception of course being the vocals. I mean, most people are bad at taking compliments, but Aguilera decided to just slap on a song telling all of us how awesome her fans think she is ('Thank You (Dedication to Fans...)'). Probably the most frustrating listen so far - mainly because disc two really is amazing and showcases her immense talent.

The fact that the people behind this list looked at each other with a straight face and included not one but two double albums by Christina Aguilera baffles me. It’s absolutely ridiculous. The first side is just a plain ol’ Aguilera pop album; great production, some hip hop beats and a strong vocal. It’s fine but nothing extraordinary. The second side sees Aguilera experimenting more with a whole new sound. And while the first part of it is borderline sleep inducing, the final half is great. There’s no reason for this to be a double album. It’s a sign of a complete megalomaniac who’s never told a “no”. But with those harsh comments in mind, I find myself a bit confused that I never really hate Back To Basics - at the same time it’s way too unfocused for me to love it.

I really try my damnedest to listen to all of these albums in their entirety, but I just couldn't get through this monster. She's a good singer. The songs are just very similar, seems like a one trick pony.

Outside of the overly sexualized songs I liked the throwback sound on the album. She has a great voice.

She was just whiny and whiny in her voice and then the same with her songs towards the end

Eh, I mean she can sing and has an incredible voice but WHY WITH THE DOUBLE ALBUM. I hate double albums don't understand the point of them. Anyways I also don't really understand why this album was on the list, there really wasn't anything super special about it beside's her voice. Her songwriting abilities are mid at best, the only reason this album doesn't get a lower score is because of her voice.

ugh. back to what basics? over-produced, over done, and overly long. her vocal flourishes on every track are not necessary. and the track to her fans?? nope, nope, nope. 1.5 stars

I really expected to hate this. And, while it’s not my taste, it wasn’t bad! It’s a solid pop album. But that’s all. It doesn’t have any hits. It’s nothing big or groundbreaking. It’s just a Christina Aguilera album. Are her more popular ones on the list too? Why was this here? Anyway, she’s got a great voice. Most songs would fit well as the closing credits of an early 2000’s rom com. Songs added to Spotify: 1

Better than I was expecting it to be. She's got some pipes, but there's only so much "weee-oooohhh-eeee-oouuuwwww-ah!" you can stomach - and that's decidedly less than the 2+ hours this seems to last for. OK, so it's actually 1h18m - that's still about 45 minutes too long.

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

Excellent vocal performance by Christina and it is an easy listen. Not hard to understand why this style was so popular at the time even though it is not my thing. 3/5

Jesus fucking christ. This album is so fucking long for no reason. A self-indulgent five minute track of fan voicemails? Check. A pop singer who lost popularity claiming a return to their roots throwing in some gospel influenced tracks? Check. She can definitely sing, but they overproduce her voice on every single track. This is nothing special.

Liked it more than expected

Ok

No need for this to be a double album. Way too long and totally not my thing.

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

A generous 3, there's some great stuff here but WAY overlong despite Aguilera's virtuosic performances. Get this down to a single disc and it's one of the best of it's era.

Kinda boring and basic pop album. She seems to use the same vocal flourishes throughout the whole album. Kind of a one trick pony. The voice sounds good but it’s not really enough to save the album.

I've tried and failed listening to this album 3 times now. I give up, sorry not sorry.

There's no doubt Xtina can sing anything she wants. This just isn't my type of music and it was entirely to long. I couldn't get through the whole thing.

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

Some beats are very cool. But not the fan of the vocals and overall feel. Again, was hoping that maybe there was a gem in the pop music of my youth that I missed, but it turned out it was not really to my taste

Look, I'll be honest. I don't want to listen to another Christina Aguilera album, nor do I want to listen to another pop icon album from the early 2000s. I just feel like this genre is over-represented on this list, and this was a particularly bad era for pop music. This album is fine. It's a Christina Aguilera album, and she has an incredible voice and has the level of production and song crafting that you expect from this type of prominent pop album. I don't know that there is anything else to say about it 3/5

Why this album?

No va.

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

Gag - this is the second CA album I've got from this last, and to make matters even worse, it's a double album! I suffered through.

A few great DJ Premier tracks ruined here. Her vocals are unlistenable.

Thoughts before listening: Well, I never thought I'd sit down and listen to a full Christina Aguilera album, but here we are. These sorts of pop and r&b albums just aren't my thing, but I have found I can appreciate them more now than I would have at 25 when this was released. She certainly has a powerhouse voice, and I'm sure I'll recognize some of the hits on here, so perhaps this will be better than I think it will be. That being said, looks like this is 2 discs and well over an hour long, not sure I'll have it in me to listen to this whole thing. Review: Yeah, this is about what I'd expect from a Christina Aguilera album. Great singing on the R&B inspired pop bangers and even better singing on the ballads. This is split into 2 albums with disc 1 being the pop songs and disc 2 being more "jazz" inspired. A lot of the disc 1 production sounds super dated to 00s pop with things like record scratches and synthy fake horn blasts. Disc 2 is a little more organic sounding, but this is still very much a pop album. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention to pop music in 2006, but I don't recognize any of these songs. I feel like I could rattle off 5 - 10 Christina songs, but none of them are on this album. I can't say that any of these songs are really standing out to me despite having nice vocals throughout. I thought I would at least like the music on the "jazzy" disc, but it's still very much a pop sound. Mainly just feels like an attempt to cash in on her Lady Marmalade sound. This is a 2-star album.

Great voice.

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

This one surprised me a bit. It's not really my preferred genre, but the various samples on the first half kept things interesting. The second half was more of what I was expecting. She is very talented and her voice is great, so I respect it. But it's not something I see myself coming back to much.

passes the time

I’d guess this gets a lot of hate. Sure, it’s dated feeling. But I'm not gonna tell Christina how to express herself and her sexuality. Get that bread!

3.5

It's telling that she has to tell us who inspired this album, rather than let our ears tell us. Also, an easy way to make this record twice as good would be to cut half the songs. I wonder how many people who bought this in CD actually played the second disc more than once.

For all that I've seen her name in the news and on the screen, I had no idea what her music was like, or for that mater even heard any of her songs (at least knowingly). Based on the Wikipedia article, this seems like a good selection for Christina Aguilera (somewhat surprisingly for this project), but I can't say it really stood out in any particular way, except (unfortunately) for how *long* the double-CD album is. Aside from Aguilera ("Baby Jane"?) fans, there's really no need for so many songs, and while the two discs are somewhat distinct from each other, there just aren't that many good songs in this album. I enjoyed at least parts of a few of the first disc's songs, likes "Makes me Wanna Pray" and "Ain't no Other Man", and "Candyman" is pretty catchy, so there's that. And I appreciated it that she was so involved in the production and songwriting and styling.

great voice wish she had better taste

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

3/5 Pretty good overall, not my style but liked it for what it was

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.

3/5

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.

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

yeah, no.

the first disc was pretty good but the second half was boring as shitt and brings teh whole thing down

Good

It's a fine pop album; couple good songs here and there but lots of meh. The thank you to the fans one was kind of weird.

Back to basics? Not really.

2 at best

She can certainly sing, it's just not my style of music