Back to Basics

It's giving Quentin Tarantino

Some interesting instrumentals but couldn’t even get through disc 1.

Christina Aguilera is unquestionably a talented singer with a fantastic voice. I can only begin to imagine how amazing it would be to hear her sing a good song.

Not my kind of music. Not terrible, but won't be listening to it again. Album way too long as well, absolute chore to get through this. ⭐️⭐️

If this were done purely on vocals alone, then it would receive top marks. It was a good album; it has some absolute bangers in here. Ain't no other man, Candy Man, and Hurt are the pick of the bunch. She also made some decent music videos for these tunes. But there are a couple of songs that stop it from being perfect, and the whole thing is a little too long

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

It's a well made album, but pretty self-congratulatory. And was the inspiration for hundreds of Idol, X-Factor yowlers?

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

Meh

Much better than I thought it was going to be. For a 2000s album, it's aged pretty well. It's not really my type of music, but I can see how people enjoy this.

This album had some highs for sure - a lot of big hits from the early 2000s. It was pretty funky and jazzy, too. There are a few weaknesses. Though it is a double album, the album is bloated at 1 hour and 20 minutes. Length isn't necessarily an issue, but there needs to be variety to keep the audience engaged. I think this was accomplished musically on this album, with jazz, strings, soul, funk, hip-hop coming together well. Christina's vocal delivery is just identical on every track which is grating given the length. Also the fact that she is so rooted in her inspirations on this album makes the whole thing come off as a bit derivative. There are a few notable stinkers on the album as well, with Thank You and Nasty Naughty Boy coming to mind. All in all a good album but would give a 3.4/5 given the above considerations. Rounded down: 3/5.

Album 2 is better than album 1, however by the time I got there I was thoroughly sick of this. Aguilera has an impressive powerful voice, but she makes every song sound the same.

Actually, not bad.

I like her voice but I'm not sure I love the album

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

She has a beautiful voice. This was the revamp of the belting singers!

To be fair this music does not appeal to me..

Was the inclusion of a second Christina Aguilera album really necessary? Like Stripped, this is too long, with some moments that don’t work at all, for me. It also contains fewer bona fide hits than that album. I get the sense that her songwriting and musical ideas/concepts are just a bit… basic (no pun intended) when compared to certain other pop artists out there. On the plus side, it’s probably more consistent than Stripped, and the classier production on this album suits her vocals pretty well (she can sing, no doubt about that). In fact, Disc 2 was mostly pretty enjoyable. Let’s call it a 2.5 / 3

Aguilera has a great voice and plenty of talent, but this feels awfully thin for such a thicc album. It's like she never found her personality in all of this. The 'I'm a dirty girl' thing feels forced. She's just not that person. She's not a Madonna tough lady, she's not a luminous Whitney Houston voice of the gods, she's not a Mariah-level diva or a Beyonce force of nature. She's got a great voice but she's been cast all wrong here. In the 90s she seemed like talented version of Britney Spears but not much more than that. And while all of these songs are working hard, none of them grabbed me.

To my mind, some of the best albums are those with an overarching concept. Not necessarily a story or anything quite as overt; more a uniformity of mood, feeling, emotion, moment or perspective. The opposite of this is Christina Aguilera's 2006 album 'Back to Basics', a dog's breakfast of a collection, its desperation signalled by its inauspicious title. Aguilera has a mighty instrument in her voice; over-mighty, at times, because it is apt to bulldoze everything in its wake. Only once does she shift down the gears; the rest of the time it's full-bore. Half the album is boring, half the album is bizarre; the circus stuff and cabaret muzak turns are baffling and bad. There's a track where Aguilera attempts a sexy 'come on', and sounds as alluring as congealed leftovers. Amazing that it's the same person behind 'Dirty'.

Great voice and the album was easy to listen too.

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

Good, but no stand-outs.

The queen of the call back, the vocal runs, the showroom, dancehall, stripclub BADABOOM melodies with in-your-face gravitas. It isn't sweet enough to be sugar-pop and not really gritty and soulful enough to be R&B... it is something in between that may be best blended into DJ mixes and/or adapted into a Broadway play.

That’s a lot of Christina, actually that’s too much Christina. Too many background tracks of her own voice on many of the songs. The album certainly is diverse, but she sounds defensive throughout. What could save her from herself? Answer: Less is more. Shorter album, fewer crescendos. Overall (2.1*s)

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

Better than I expected

Pop album with some blues and jazz elements. In the end, it’s Aguilera belting out her signature yell. It’s tired and old. Nothing to write home about.

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

Sometimes the inclusions on this project confuse me. I absolutely understand Christina Aguilera's inclusion, as she was very influential in the 90s pop diva movement. That said, the album that the author has chosen to include is the album where Aguilera's influence is not really on display, as it mostly pays tribute to those who came before -- namely, jazz and R&B artists of the 1950s and earlier. Now, I will say, it is impressive that Christina was able to pay this kind of tribute with an album full of original work. Most artists attempting this kind of album would rely somewhat, if not heavily, upon covers. But there is not a single cover to be seen on this album. This really isn't my preferred Christina Aguilera "form", but she does a good job at it.

This is among the better records when it comes to mid 2000s pop. There's something more interesting here compared to many of her peers at the time. It's just not for me personally though, it's not an album I can enjoy myself.

Great example of 90s-2000s bloated CD albums. Doesn’t push the boundaries in any way at all. Regardless of that, the songs are well produced. I like the piano on on our way but even the rest of the song takes away from it for me. Generic pop music post 2000 is my least favorite music and this falls squarely into that category. Surprised this is inspired by old school soul music because this album has no soul of its own. Rating: 2.0

Maybe this album a blessing if you’re a genuine fan of Aguilera but for those of us who aren’t so appreciative of her style, this drags on for far too long. Candyman was alright, but only out of familiarity and its likeness to Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. And what the hell is with Thank You (Dedication To Fans)? Such a load of narcissistic BS. Get outa here.

I kind of like Ain’t No Other Man, Still Dirrty, Candyman, and I Got Trouble

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

This one held a few surprises - not a pop guy by any means, but the slick production and Aguilera’s bountiful energy carried my interest for much longer than I would’ve thought. The album’s runtime is too long, stretching the songwriting thin in spots throughout, but thankfully Christina’s vocals and adequate instrumentals make this less of a slog than it very well could’ve been.

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

Another big name female pop star to surprise me. 4

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

Schöner Pop. Stimme noch nicht ganz so nervig.

I had high hopes for this album because I really only know her hits and wanted to give her a fair shot. Much too long and did not dig the cabaret circus-vibe that showed up on a few. I was even more disappointed to find out this was mostly produced by DJ Premier. It's mediocre at best but she does have an impressive voice and is more talented than just a pop bop so I'll give her that. Nothing I'd go back and listen to.

Felt just kinda...well, basic. I appreciate the back to the roots approach but nothing great here. Not that I ever really like Aguilera other than some catchy pop songs. Thought she would have some better singing on this, like really belting it out. Meh...

It's not a bad album, but I don't think its a good album either. As soon as it ended I couldn't tell you anything about it. Nothing really stood out and it was basically just background music for more than an hour. First half of the album is marginally better than the second half though I did enjoy a few of the string arrangements near the end. Another example of an album that would have been better trimmed to a single release rather than a double album. I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between Christina Aguilera or any of the female pop/R&B stars from the 90s and 2000s. I don't suspect I'll ever listen to anything on this again. 1.61 stars

Xtine made a big splash in 2002 with her seminal album Stripped, so for her to go "back to basics" with a double album feels like a way to outdo herself. This is a lot of Aguilera. I do not care much for double albums but there's no doubting the quality of the songs on here. It's clear she has a lot to say and a lot to say it with. If you're boiling it down then disc 1 is better than disc 2, and that's because disc 1 is incredibly good. Great production, pacing, performances, everything comes together. It it even ends so well that I would consider that an album all on it's own. Disc 2 has some good songs on it but quality is a bit more spotty. It's also weirdly themed around pre-war American culture before switching back to normal pop on Hurt. Either way, this is perhaps the most impressive pop double album I've ever heard. Aguilera brought her a-game for most of Back to Basics. The only trouble is the spottiness on Disc 2.

She has a very good voice but in the end it is just a generic pop album which I feel like I’ve listened to 10,000 times

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

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

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

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

2.5

Suprisingly complex!

3/5

Hard not to move.

So lame

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

Can't deny she's got some real pipes, but she's not my diva.

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

Not a fan of her music but the girl can SING

Nuorena olisin kyllä halunnut pökkää Christinaa, mutta musiikista en ole oikein ikinä välittänyt. Ei se toimi edelleenkään muutamaa leiskautusta laskematta.

Ehjä kokonaisuus. Hyvää peruspoppii

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

I really struggled to listen to this album ... a couple of songs on the second were ok, but the rest really the worst imaginable pop music. Ok, I am aware that a lot of people like and enjoy this music but I will never, ever be one of them.

She belts them out but, boy, is there a lot of filler here. Why is this album so long again?

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

2/5 Repetitive and a bit lame.

God her voice gets so annoying after a while. The problem with artists like her is that they think that vocal talent is all music is about. No amount of showy vomit-inducing vocal runs makes up for the lack of interesting songwriting. You might as well replace this album with a compilation of American Idol’s greatest hits: the overall effect would be exactly the same. Talent, but no deep artistry besides the vocal performance. This album is a perfect example of the fact that there’s so much more to music than good singing. I’m becoming convinced that there is an inverse correlation between the attractiveness of a musician and the quality of their music. I think that for many musicians, their music is really a vehicle for their ego, whether consciously or not. “Thank you” is the most masturbatory song I’ve ever heard lmao. Following that up with stupid circus music was one of the funniest musical segways I’ve ever heard

Great voice without a doubt but just not my style. 1/5

Making it a double album was a bad choice. What's her legacy? That she had a better voice than Brittney?

i try to go into every album with an open mind. christina aguilera's music is not really in my wheelhouse - even when i was a teen in her hitmaking era and more interested in pop music, her music never quite did it for me. that being said, i was pleasantly surprised by the first disc. like i said, it's not really my type of pop music, but its sound is extremely nostalgic to me. some of these songs i heard on the radio or vh1 at the time, but also this is some of the music that dictated pop music's sound at the time. her voice is unquestionably great, the "throwback" production of the first side - i.e. sampling of retro instrumentals - is fun, albeit a bit dated sounding at this point. but the peaks of disc one are really fun. then we hit disc two. starting off with the circus song, it then becomes a hyper-sexualized throwback to old-fashioned cabarets. i can't say i really enjoyed this part. her voice is still great but this part of the album is just too over the top. she's moaning the whole time, saying stuff like "now spank me" - i don't even really care about sexual content in music, but this is so over the top, it almost feels like it is forced by an executive or something. or maybe it's the opposite - the executive forced the normal pop music while she really wanted the over-sexual burlesque schtick. quite simply, it's just really cringey. just very bizarre. also, because of the two disc format, this album is BLOATED AS HELL. had they split the two discs into their own albums, i think it would be ok. or even if they made a one disc combination of these two concepts, i think it could potentially work. honestly, the two of them together is a chore. i really think the album's length detracts from the overall quality. she really had me in the first half, not gonna lie.

not for me

She's got a great and powerful vocal talent but the throaty delivery with the growls, runs, and vocal improv fills wear on the ear pretty quickly. Unremarkable songs overall, way too long and just not my thing.

Got three songs in, realised they were all the same. Stopped.

One great pop song is fun. A double length pop album is not fun. This was quite a bore as many of the songs were upbeat and exciting yet none really felt that great. There were songs about aguilera proving that she has helped so many other people. Yet I could not relate. Not terrible but just boring. 4.3/10

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

I think Christina Augilera is super talented. She has a great voice, but I'm not a big fan of the style of music she normally produces. The music on this album is more interesting to me, but still not a fan of overdoing it on the vocals. By that I mean the vocals fill in all the open space, and she squeezes in 3 notes when it could just be one. The album is also too long. Overall though, this is pretty good and I'm glad I listened. 3 stars.

Absolutely nothing wrong with this album, Christina has a fine voice and the songs are all good dance tunes. Not really my thing, so I wouldn't listen to this again, but might get on the dance floor if I heard one of these tunes again

Surprisingly enjoyable. Pop is not my style usually.

So, it’s just very “basic” pop songs dressed up with vintage samples and jazz/blues/r&b/vaudeville/kitchen sink flourishes. It is boring and repetitive, and what good will I had was gone 45 minutes in… and there was another 30 minutes remaining. Nope.

A bit too over processed and busy for my taste, even though her voice is great and she knows how to use it. Fav songs: Hurt, Welcome, a few others from disc 2

Good voice but just a bunch of pop shlop.

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

J: chu chu chuuli N: temas icónicos

Holy cow there's two Aguilera albums on this list??? Why??

OK, I kinda groaned when I saw this one. But the reality is I've never listened to Aguilera and didn't know what I was getting into. And... she's pretty good. I thought this would be some bullshit pop and this soul/jazz pieces were alright.

This album was the toughest listen on the list so far. Clocking in at an hour and 18 minutes, it might be the most self-indulgent, bloated album I have ever sat through. There's cabaret, pseudo-gospel tracks, other genres that may be considered the bad kind of cultural appropriation, nods to Aretha Franklin, possible comparisons of Christina to Aretha Franklin, and a Steve Winwood feature. The fact that it came out in 2006 scares me because that means there is probably earlier Christina Aguilera albums on this list that I will ultimately end up listening to. I keep telling myself to give things a chance but this one was rough. She has pipes and can sing well, but these are just bad songs. Maybe if it had Dirrty on it, I could understand the inclusion of this album on the list, because that track bangs. But alas, all we get on this one was Still Dirty, and folks, it does not bang. I know I'm ranting and rambling at this point, but just thinking about this album again made me upset.

Pretty much as expected. Nothing special

3.75

Not her best album

Gutsy move to call an 80 (eighty) minute album "Back to Basics", especially when you decide that 'the basics' are a range of throwback style tunes. I'm sure her voice is technically great, but apart from some fairly insipid ballads, she seems to be constantly just at full volume, and it's really grating.

"Back to Basics" is the fifth studio album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It is a double album with the first disc/side being a fusion of old-school R&B, soul and jazz with hip-hop and pop elements and the second disc/side being pop with original songs. Aguilera was the executive producer and used a wide range of producers including DJ Premier, Rich Harrison, Rob Lewis, Mark Ronson and Linda Perry. Commercially, it hit #1 both in the UK and US and critically had generally favorable reviews. The first song "Intro" starts with a guy taking. Hip hop beats, soulful singing. Aguilera is paying respects to everyone before her. This leads into "Makes Me Wanna Pray." Yeah, Aguilera can sing and sing forcefully. A gospel choir and very high production. The first single "Ain't No Other Man" comes out with horns. A jazzy vibe with scratching. Start-stop with the drums. A catchy song. Horns highlight "Slow Down Baby." Another strong open. More in the R&B area. "Oh Mother" slows it down. Piano, dramatic and melancholy. About her childhood with her abusive father. "Candyman" is one of the highlights of disc/side two. It's swing music. The beats. The horns. Poppy and catchy. I mostly always appreciate stripper music at some level and "Nasty Naughty Boy" has it throughout. Horns. Jazzy. Playful in the lyrics and singing. Another big hit off this album was "Hurt." Slow, a ballad, piano. Aguilera's voice soars. It's about the loss of a loved one. This album really was the tale of the two sides. The first side was high in production, technically sound in music and showed Aguilera's powerful and at times soulful voice. But, even though it's solid it didn't really totally grabbed me. Side two was much more fun with playful lyrics, looseness and music...but, definitely had some filler. Overall, this album was way too long and should have been trimmed. However, this is solid pop music and a good representation of pop music in the 2000's.

Like a couple of tracks but Aguilera's soulful vocals are a bit overwhelming

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

While Christina has doubtless talent, the music here is mostly formulaic pop, that takes as many risks as a rat in a house full of underfed cats. So despite flashes of creativity, it's still way too predictable, generic and safe. 2 safety vests out of 5 🦺🦺

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

Was surprised to see dirty on the list even more shocked to see this album. Very different to dirty but more just a throwback to older music, remember the hits at the time but don’t think this has stood the test of time.

She's got pipes for sure but falls into the 'more performance than song in isolation' group. This album is long. Save Me from Myself is fairly unique from the rest of the album and it shows her singing well without showboating all over the place.

I can hear the influence of DJ Premier on here, but does nothing for me. Her voice is holllow for me most of the time. The track Hurt is the closest I got to feeling something. There didn't need to be this much on here. The whole album just makes me want to go listen to other artists like Etta James, Roberta Flack or Nina Simone.

OK stuff, but seems pretty generic

I'm surprised how much I wanted to like this, more than anything. I figured going into this it would be an easy one star, but I found myself enjoying many of the samples, and the production in general. What holds the album back for me is the vocals. While her voice is technically amazing, it hardly ever feels honest, instead feeling like a hollow recreation of the voices of the greats that came before her, and the constant references to said music doesn't help to draw away the comparisons. It is an amazing voice on the surface level, but it never moves me, and when an entire album feels as though it is built on that voice, it takes away a lot of the credibility. Still, I have to give this album credit, because it was far better than I had anticipated.

Oookaaay. Why?

Supposedly this is an homage to the great R&B stars of old but it's deeply lacking in something that those greats understood. There are very few sing-along choruses and almost no hooks. Instead, "Back to Basics" is bloated with continual, unnecessary vocal runs and empty wailing. Otis or Billie or Etta would never release an album with so much fluff and so little substance. Their songs were memorable. They were earworms. People sang their songs in the kitchen or while waiting at the bus stop. They had hooks. The tracks on "Back to Basics", on the other hand, are largely forgettable due to their lack of any melody or repeated lyric to grab on to. The album is saved from a truly failing score only because the lyrics on the back half of the album start to unexpectedly get a lot more intimate and personal. Unusually personal for a pop album. Unfortunately, there are SO MANY writers credited ("Slow Down Baby" has a whopping 11 writers) that it's impossible to know how much of the lyrical content of this album is real and how much is manufactured for effect.

Similar reaction to her last appearance on this list: as a signer she certainly has the goods, and some kind of elite crack team assembled these pop missiles. But it's all too slick and overproduced for me. Some essential component of soul is muted. A lot of the lyrics are really on the nose too- no nuance. I don't dislike it but I wouldn't seek itnout.

Not bad at all! I think I would’ve given this one more star had it not been so incredibly long and had it not gotten quite a bit weaker towards the end. Nice job, Xtina.

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

Pas aussi mauvais que j'aurais penser pour être franc. Il y a du bon la dessus, du back to basics.... blues, gospe etc. elle a une belle voix mais c'est pas vriament mon style de voix ni de chant. 3.25

Pyöräytetääs levy ihan alusta ja lyöttäydytään kuuntelu päälle... Vaikuttaa olevan ihan hyvää musiikkia mutta aika tasapaksua r&b... Kuitenkin hyvin tehtyä.. eleganttia ajateltua ja eikä liian siroa.. vaan perus early 2000's rohkeaa.. Jotenkin tähän aikakauteen liittyy se oma rohkeus ja luotto poppiin.. Poppi sanaa käytän aina negatiivisessa mielessä reviews ellei kyse Pet shop boys.. detached dance-pop... TÄMÄ PUOLESTAAN ON NIIN PERKELEEN KIINNI KAIKESSA:: ON FANEISSA KIINNI JA NIITÄ YLISTELLÄÄN KESKEN ALBUMIN JA ON HAUREUKSIA JA ON SIVEETTÖMYYTTÄ!!! HIENOA!! HIENOA!! VITUN HIENOA!!!

I think she has a terrific voice and is a talented pop star. The music was alright, although this isn’t a genre that I enjoy. I didn’t listen to the whole album as it was a bit too long for my taste.

Starts so well with a diva/hip hop/bluesy style that recalls the power and skill of Mariah Carey, but with good songs and seemingly fewer annoying vocal theatrics than Mariah even though it is actually full of the same vocal tricks I disliked with Mariah! All good for the first disc until the awful and ugly ego trip of "Thank You" - not actually a dedication to her fans, but all about how "wonderful" Christina is to all the people that left her messages - so ugly and disappointing given the decent quality up to then. Second disc is interesting in its links with roots and older styles, but I mostly prefer the hip hop/ blues/soul songs in the first half. Ultimately it suffers from being too long. 3.5

Just a really expansive album. She demonstrates her range and skill and talent across the entire album. The challenge is listening to her moan and grunt and yell on every song. Just too talented for me to appreciate.

A high amount of polish and Christina's voice is powerful and can be amazingly soulful. The album starts well for me (Make Me Wanna Pray), but doesn't carry it much higher than that. No songs I love or want to repeat, and its gets pretty samey after 22 songs.

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

Too long for a pop album in my opinion. The amount of variety is impressive though. Many of the tracks are very catchy and feature some cool eclectic production.

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

3.4 - Such a phenomenal voice. She clearly had fun making this album. Maybe too much fun. Someone should’ve shown some mercy and told her rein it in a little. Lots of cringey moments, especially on side B with its stretch of olde timey jazz revival. Most of the songs sound like cheap facsimiles of other female artists like Fiona Apple, En Vogue, Evanescence, Lauryn Hill. Still a fun listen but she sort of indulges her worst Karen instincts and goes a bit overboard.

This is fine, good even, but clocking in at almost two hours is a no-go from me.

Oli kyllä parempi albumi kuin olisin odottanut. Vaikkakin ihan liian pitkä. Voittaa kuitenkin monet alt rock mölyämiset mitä listalla tähän asti on tullut.

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

No

It's solid, and I like the throwback style. But holy bloat, Batman.

Bloated into like 3 separate albums, but I liked one of them.

This is not to my taste. I can appreciate that she has an amazing voice but I played the whole record and can't recall any song at all. 2 stars for her vocal abilities but would never listen to this again.

Wow, I forgot what an amazing voice Christina Aguilera has. It’s powerful. And some of these vocals runs are insane. I like the hip-hop-leaning production on Disc 1. Even when the songs aren’t that memorable, the production is appealing and Aguilera sounds awesome. Disc 2 gets cheesy for my taste and the production choices are frequently annoying. The producer tries too hard to style the music so that it sounds like old jazz and soul. And I think those choices hold the songs back. “Save Me from Myself” is nice though. I never hear her sing in a hushed voice like this. 2.5

Christina is a vocal powerhouse. I think she was underrated in the context of the bubble gum 1990's pop because she could reeeaallly sing. This album backs up that claim with strong tracks that maintain her vocal prowess already 5 albums into her discography up to this point. This is however one of those instances where I question an album's selection on this list due to the artist having other albums that far surpass the current one. IMO this isn't anywhere close to her self titled (with "Genie In a Bottle", "What a Girl Wants", "I Turn to You", and "Come On Over on it) or her album "Stripped" (with "Fighter", "Dirrty", and probably my personal favorite CA track, "Beautiful" on it), and yet roughly halfway into this list we haven't heard either of those yet. Track 2, "Makes Me Wanna Pray" is a fantastic second song. There's gospel in there, there's a super tight band behind her, and it's a perfect platform for her to get up to the mic and do her thing. I love her riffs and rubato-ing in the last minute or so of the track. Great energy. Unfortunately I can't STAND those weird static-y sounds that are panned hard right and hard left here. I think it's some like faux vinyl crackle which would fit this nostalgic / "back to basics" / throwback idea that she is going for, but it's just a little too heavy handed in the mix. This was a nice listen. Again, I can't help but feel that this is at the very best her 3rd best album though.

How on earth are there two Christina Aguilera albums on this list? This is some bullshit.

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

It is such a long album. Totally unremarkable and unnoteworthy. It was better than her previous album on this list but that does not take much. No desire to listen to it again. It is not a two but it is better than a one. I will round down.

Great, powerful voice! Tracks are often similar.

Yeah nah. Too many bells and whistles, distractions from just getting on with the song. And.... once you've heard enough other people do impersonations of the "Christina Aguilera" ooooh yeeeeah you hear nothing but that in her tunes.

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

I mean, everyone should hear her talented beautiful voice. But I don't know if this double album is really the one to make us get through, unless we like pop. Disc 2 was much more enjoyable; it was a little less formulaic although still a lot more belting than necessary. Hurt was very good and a keeper for me. The Right Man is somehow very evocative of Hopelessly Devoted To You from Grease. Must be the chords or the melody outline or something.

She has quite a soulful voice, strong range too. Pleasantly surprised about this one! 3.5

Qui tingués dubtes sobre la veu de Christina Aguilera, hauria d'escoltar aquest treball. Sembla un catàleg d'exposició de la seva potència, versatilitat, flexibilitat i solvència a l'hora d'afrontar qualsevol génere. Les composicions, la majoria r&b contemporani més aviat genèric, no acompanyen el suficient, però tot i la seva duració, és suficientment variat i interessant com per fer-se un lloc entre els discos a tenir en compte de la segona meitat dels 00s

I like the idea of this vintage framework on an album and Christina Aguilera certainly has the vocal chops to do something ambitious with it. But the concept, such as it is, is uneven and not fully fleshed out. The samples and other bells and whistles were mostly just annoying to my ears. Christina is obviously an extremely talented vocalist and her performances are technically excellent here. But she’s very much a belter who relies on volume rather than nuance, and I needed her to dial that back. To paraphrase another reviewer, you can name check other/better singers all you like, but you’d better be prepared to serve up something remarkable, and I don’t think she has here. A second disc was unnecessary and should have been shelved or worked into a separate album. Fave Songs: Understand, Hurt, On Our Way, Oh Mother, Here to Stay, Without You

Loved it, thought it was recorded terribly at first due to (what could be regarded in the modern era as) a dusty vinyl rip. But I guess that’s the point, it’s back to basics!

Love candy man, but overall not my thing

Second half was much more interesting than the first

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

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

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

Not really my sort of music. Pure pop, with no real substance. She looks great, but it's the music we're hear to listen to and review, not her looks. A reasonable 2, which means it's 'listenable', but more than likely forgettable and not for my top 1,001 albums

I don't dig this, but it sounds well made.

Better than I thought. Cool samples and production. But very long.

The vibes between the two albums in this double album set were so different. I didn't connect with the first album at all. The second album was a wild tone shift and while I found it more interesting than the first, I was repulsed by the many food metaphors for sex, the Candyman song, and to wrap it up with a ballad about marriage ... it lost me hard.

did not realize christina aguilera was making christiany pop albums a couple of these songs felt kinda.... pandery? weird vibe. i like the risk taking with the sound though, it's not exactly what you expect from christina a song full of voice mails from fans is a CHOICE.

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

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

I don’t have a comment on the album as a cohesive unit because I listened to this over two days split up into several listening sessions There were songs I quite liked, especially in the first half of the album, but also songs I skipped about halfway through

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

This album is a lot, stylistically, production, and length. No one ever tell Christina Aguilera that less is more. It's honestly pretty bonkers and feels very bloated. It was a wild ride, and one I don't expect to take again.

What a voice!

same song 22 times

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

I hate albums with a thank you song. Her songs are not good enough for an album this long.

I really hated this.

Disappointing and too long. And 2 Aguilera albums in one week are going to ruin my Discover Weekly ffs

This is a tough one. There's great production on both discs of this double album - DJ Premier on disc 1 was a pleasant surprise - but it's overall too long, and the two discs don't really feel connected. I much preferred the second disc to the first with its jazz club style. If this were two separate albums I'd probably actually dig this a lot more.

A full throated, fully derivative album of supremely average songs. It’s a nice sound, it’s a good production and it doesn’t have a single stand out track. Background music for terrible bars who would play it too loudly.

Ok, too long and too poppy. She has a really strong voice and there are some really good songs on there though.

Big swing Far far too long. Has absolutely no need to be as long as it is. The more modern sounding stuff is better than the second cd which Is quite dull 2/5

I could be fine with this if it was shorter but it wasn’t!!!!

If this were just disc 1 I'd give it 4 or maybe 5. She's got the pipes and this is great 2000s pop! Ain't No Other Man is one of my favorite pop tracks of the era. But this album is nearly 90 minutes long and the entire second disc is disposable.

Side B !

I like the idea of working with Dj premier - although when I'm listening to his beats I'm just thinking wow jayz would sound amazing on this. I like the idea of this album - have it on cd somewhere - but her voice is too overpowering for me it just dominates everything. I'm still team Britney

This is definitely NOT back to basics. It's a very ambitious album with loads going on. I think she's got a great voice (but would like to hear more calm) and I enjoyed this more than I expected. The main problem for me is just that it is far too long, lacks a bit of cohesion or direction, and she repeats a lot of the lyrical themes so much throughout. I reckon you could make a great 35 min album from this but 78mins? Nah.

Christina Aguilera's performance goes through two modes for the supposed "bangers" found in this release: loud, and EVEN LOUDER. And her half-assed attempts to go to any other mode on less showy cuts often fall flat. Apart from that, you're subjected to the usual mid-naughts r'n'b shenanigans that made Beyoncé famous. Hilarious how many songs on the first disc (more on the second list later) are trying to copy the formula of "Crazy In Love" without ever managing to leave a somewhat similar imprint in the listener's mind. The formulaic songwriting is not solely to blame here: even in her less artsy pre-*Beyoncé* and *Lemonade* era, Beyoncé could sometimes offer performances that were way more dynamic than the exhausting "screaming-your-lungs-out" routine Aguilera goes through here. Here you just want the singer to buckle up, so gratuitously over-the-top her vocals are. Black Eyed Peas are masters in subtlety and humility compared to her. Which speaks volumes. Unnecessary LOUD volumes, of course. Going back to Beyoncé, *Back To Basics* is also some sort of early precursor to *Renaissance* in the sense that it supposedly aims at paying homage to older music styles. *Supposedly* because, here, contrary to *Renaissance*, such suggested aim is only a promotional rant that was learned by heart by PR sycophants at the time of the album's release--and this so as to artificially give identity to a project that was cruelly lacking one. There's absolutely no real musical substance to such a claim apart from a few discreet, hackneyed arrangements that poorly aged on certain songs. Some interesting artists, like DJ Premier, come to collect a check once in a while (the man has to pay taxes, like most other people), and if such contributions are decent, they're never mind-blowing. Those few features never affect the 100% commercial intent enough anyway. This thing stinks of money badly spent from start to finish. The overall effect of Aguilera's music is therefore massively *generic* on the first disc. Pre-*Renaissance* equals "medieval" here (see what I did?). Everything sounds dated without having any chance of even acquiring some quaint charm decades later. *Who* remembers this album overblown to ridiculous proportions today, really??? Who really feels like they have to go out of their way to point out how important this record is for music history at large??? That's right, nobody--except maybe the 1001 Albums book! Back in 2006, *Back To Basics* had a clear peremption date written in capital letters on its forehead. Once an album cycle was over, it was on to another commercial one. It's simply, utterly risible. Did I mention that this album is also f*cking long? Yeah, I told you there's a second disc earlier, didn't I? And somehow, that second disc manages to be even worse. The supposed intent for this one is to hearken back to a 20s, 30s cabaret / jazz era, yet the result is only a horrid simulacrum--nothing showing true artistic flair in it. That so many people with obvious musical skills and technical abilities could be involved in this record and fail to see how its contents could be so grating and misguided is just mind-boggling. Unless, as I said, they came to collect a check. One last thing: the *title* of this album. It's just hilarious that people in Aguilera's entourage (producers, assistants, label executives, syncophants...) failed to suggest to her how stupid that title was when you consider the *bloated* thing that the final product is. That so many people seemed to have missed such a cruel irony can only trigger snarls and smirks from anyone serious enough about music and how it's supposed to uplift souls through anything other than hypocritical PR plans. *Back To Basics" is not even "basic". It's an overlong, punishing experience that manages to be both dumb AND pretentious. It's a rare combination, and maybe a reason to remember it in 2023. But only as a cautionary tale for pop music. It might be OK to have commercial intents at times. But please, oh please: when your avowed reach exceeds your grasp in such blatant manners, it's maybe time to shift gears and do something else. Or maybe even consider another career. All the money in the world can't buy taste and a little honesty with yourself. *Back To Basics* should mean that first, and everything else later. 1/5 for the purposes of this list, which translates to a 4/10 grade for more general purposes (3 + 1). Next, please. Number of albums left to review: 382 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 280 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 146 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 198 (including this one)

So damn cool. Lot of energy

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

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

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

First of all, the production is like nails on a chalkboard. Especially the S-sounds and some of the percussion. That being said, she has a good voice. The songs would have been good with a more organic production. The arrangements are too tight, too perfect, emotionless. And it's longer than it should have been. Apparently this record is not in the latest editions of the book anymore. There's other records I would remove before this one, despite the obvious shortcomings. Favorite song: Oh Mother.

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

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

Poppy RnB combining fairly traditional 60s motown-style instrumentation and arrangements (lots of good horns) with 2000s elements: hip hop pop beats, chorus-heavy song structures, rap verses, turntables, and self-aware sampling of her own hits. This album is leaning into the gospel diva thing and all the songs function as platforms for big vocal perfomances. She has some pipes and isn't afraid to use them. She's an undeniable talent, terrifying range, astonishing control, surprising tonal variety and this is a virtuoso performance in an style that's not usually my thing, but I liked this more than I expected. The first half is hard to distinguish this from the rest of the generic pop radio landscape of this period and it blurs into the morass of post-boy band American Idol bubblegum. The second half, where she escapes the 2006 hit factory to campily mess around with woozy blues and horny jazz stuff is fucking great (the ballads & orchestral less so though). Why is her dedication to the fans 4 minutes of voicemails of people praising her? Favorites: Nasty Naughty Boy, I got Trouble, Mercy on Me

Can she sing extremely well? Yes Is she very talented? Yes Can she do runs? Most definitely! Way too much in my opinion (which means nothing). Do I like her music? Not really.

Back to overproduced autotuned rubbish lol...

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

Can't do Christina's throaty growly voice. Not my bag. I like smoother singers. Production is fine. Didn't listen to all of it because it's an 80-MINUTE DOUBLE ALBUM, which is completely unnecessary. This challenge is starting to suck. Maybe 5 out of 15 albums have been good. How is this album past her prime essential in any way?

I really can’t say that I’m looking forward to this album. I’ve never really been a fan of the diva belting, and the “look at how quickly I can sing loads of notes” type of singing. That said, Christina does have a few bangers (Genie In A Bottle is Great) so maybe it won’t be so bad. Songs I already knew: Ain’t No Other Man, Candyman, Hurt Favourites: Save Me From Myself Unfortunately, this was pretty bad. The first half had me simply bored, but when CD2 started and I heard Nasty Naughty Boy, it made me physically nauseous with how cringy it felt. I usually love cringe, but this was truly awful. There really wasn’t much here for me to remark on as I was just bored. She’s obvious a talented singer, but that’s not really doesn’t make the songs any more interesting. Definitely not a fan of this album.

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

There are some great tunes here, and I like the production choices and instrumentation, especially in the first half. But damn the album is too long.

Beaucoup de vocalises mais ça me laisse assez froid, c'est très autosimilaire.

Decent album but again there just seems something missing, shame that they tried so hard to have her capitalize on the RnB craze back then

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

Tremendous voice and some catchy songs, but ultimately felt that the album was too long. Pretty much quintessential 2000s pop. 6/10.

I only knew Christina Aguilera by name. I probably heard a bunch of her songs before but wouldn't be able to name a single one. I must admit I was skeptic before listening to it. I even thought about skipping it all together. After some thought I did force me to listen and it was.. Good? It's far from what I listen usually, but I really enjoyed it. No songs really made an impression on me, but I still spent a nice moment listening to it. It's a 3, but it very well could have been a 4

Some beautiful soulful songs, but after a while, her great voice tends to grate on the ears.

Dit is het soort artiest dat ik totaal niet volg. Zo iemand die uiterlijk altijd verstopt gaat onder een laag plamuur, glitter en nep, bah. Toch is dit in muzikaal opzicht wel een aardig afwisselend album, veel verschillende stijlen en allemaal wel leuk gedaan. Maar ja, ik knap af op die track 'Thank you' (met allemaal slijmerige fans) en al die andere zelfverheerlijking. Puntje eraf daarvoor.

Het zou kunnen dat mijn oordeel wat vertekend is. Want er wordt meegezongen in huis. Na een paar nummers heb ik het wel gehoord. En dan moet ik nog anderhalve cd.

Twee cd's vol zuurstok-hip-pop-n-soul. Ze heeft wel een dijk van een stem, dat valt moeilijk te ontkennen. Maar waarom wil ze dat continu etaleren op volume brandweer zonder daadwerkelijk enige vorm van tekst? Wohohoho yeaheaheah! Steeds maar weer willen laten zien hoe goed je hard kan zingen. Muzikaal zit het verder wel goed in elkaar, uitstekend gebruik van beatjes en toeters om de boel aan te kleden. Alhoewel Christina zichzelf liever uitkleedt sinds haar gebooste plastic zelfvertrouwen. Een degelijke 3, al blijft ook nu weer het probleem dat een dubbelalbum volstrekt onnodig is.

No sé si escucharlo o no. Solo hay una canción entre las más oídas de Spotify que es Candyman. Venga voy pero empieza mal al estilo de Mariah Carey. No me ha interesado nada.

And here we have the most overt pop album I've done so far. It was also released the year I was born! Anyway, this one's okay. I think Christina is a really good singer. Her voice lends well to these songs. The writing and subject matter is a bit basic, though. The album is a bit too long, but unlike the last album I listened to, LCD Soundsystem's "American Dream," that comes from the amount of songs, as opposed to the length of the songs. Something interesting about this album is the clear split between the first and second halves in terms of tone. The first half is fairly consistent, with the same general sound and use of horn samples throughout. The second half started by feeling pretty unique, then it made me uncomfortable, and it ended fairly strongly. Overall, nothing amazing, but a pretty decent album all things considered. 3/5.

Pop, R&B. Ni fu ni fa.

Way to many genres trying to be stuffed into this to be anywhere near enjoyable. Her voice is sick obviously but the production is a big no from me

I've already reviewed Stripped and my complaints are more the same. Here you have a generic pop singer whose primary appeal is her expressive voice. She has her hits, and this record is no exception, but most of it is filler trash. The appeal is this record is that the first half is dominated by minimal funky beats and gospel back vocals, while the second side reflects a musical with cabaret style and stage effects. And for it's coherency, it does make for a slightly interesting concept album experience, but the songs don't live up to the expectations.

Good!! Candyman is my fave track.

Un mix de old school jazz et de soul à la sauce moderne. Cool style. Y'a des tounes ça faisait longtemps j'avais pas entendu.

ain't no other man is a great song. The rest not so much

Je suis un peu partagé, la qualité de l'album n'est pas mauvaise en soit, la musique se tient et la production est bonne, mais c'est tellement trop radio friendly, facile à écouter et la voix de Christina Aguilera ne tombe toujours pas dans mes goûts. Ça veut trop faire et ça n'accompli pas grand chose. C'est impressionnant sans être agréable. 4/10

Solid

Very strong first half. If you just look at that disk 1 it's probably 8/10. The second half makes the album pretty bloated. A lot of highs, and a lot of filler

Kind of a 1

She’s got a fabulous voice but this album doesn’t feel sincere and got quite dull quite quickly.

2.5

Good voice, not my thing.

Annoying record with middle of the road RnB music of a singer that prefers vocal acrobatics to decent singing. And it goes on an on and on...

I was always curious about this album. Christina has some guilty pleasure songs that I enjoy from my youth and a powerful voice but I'm generally not into her songs too much. So on paper this all seemed good. Going "old school" would surely make the most of her talent, right? Well consider me underwhelmed. I guess the idea was to not go TOO old school so it still sounds modern enough. I guess most people like that, but I don't. If she had an album full of big band tunes and Ella Fitzgerald covers I'd probably be pretty happy. This just sounds like a pop record with a little bit of a gimmick. It's not too terrible, but it should've been much better. This woman can sing the hell out of a song but the songs she's singing just aren't particularly good or interesting. What a shame. Too damn long too.

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

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

Safan un par de temas pero en otros es un pop muy básico y superficial. Not my tipe.

Not my cup of tea. Well Produced.

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Ain’t no other man

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

Intolerable. Plus, I fail to see what this album is doing in this forum (but then again, there’s so much of that here, I have to accept I just don’t get it).

horrible..

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

Not my style, but she's great at what she does.

Too much production I’m not sitting through 22 songs.

Ik kan haar zangtalent wel waarderen en ik kon bepaalde videoclips van deze mevrouw nog veel meer waarderen, maar qua muziek vind ik dit helemaal niks. Ik voel me altijd onprettig bij dat schreeuwerige uithalen wat zij en Mariah Carey heel graag doen. En continu hard zingen. Zelfs in de rustigere nummers moet de zang minimaal uit de tenen geperst worden en moet het niveau brandalarm toch een paar keer aangetikt worden. Alsof je een gesprek hebt met iemand die bij het minste en geringste vol in de verdediging schiet. Doe nou eens rustig. CD 2 is een boudoir circus theater. Ik ben daar na 2 tracks mentaal eigenlijk volledig afgehaakt. Leuk dat de lijst af en toe wordt geüpdatet maar dit album had er voor mij niet bij hoeven komen.

She has a nice voice and the tunes bounce along nicely. It's very "warbly" style which I personally don't like, she's certainly putting a hello f a lot effort into singing though. 2.3

Terrible. It's as if the world has forgotten that songs are supposed to have a tune. Drum rythmns and expensive production don't make up for the obvious lack of decent songs. She clearly has a great voice, but this might just as well be a recording of vocal exercises.

Realistically a 3 star album for me but loses one because it's far too long. Did not need to be a double CD

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

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

Stripped has been one of my most unexpected highlights of this process. Realising that I'd missed a truly brilliant album out of snobbery at the time. This, the follow up, is less great. Both sides have a single banger (Ain't No Other Man and Candyman) and there's good bits - a twelve bar blues gone 00s pop, an odd duck with a 50 Cent sample and an opener with Steve Winwood! But it's overlong, overstuffed and a bit of a slog overall

Had some Christina Aguilera songs I had heard before like Ain't No Other Man but I hadn't heard the majority of the songs before. Some good songs but not all my style.

Love me some Christina and not ashamed

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

In not a fan of her vocal acrobatics and this double album seem to throw everything at the wall to see what sticks...There is too much to take in really and I guess her centre stage voice holds it together (a bit). Not for me

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

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

We got Aguilera's Stripped on my birthday just a couple of months ago and my review then mentioned being put off by the 78-minute running time. And here we are again with another 78 minutes of music. And again still, I am impressed with Aguilera's voice but I find a lot of these songs very samey and not my thing at all. My ears perked up a bit with the first few old-style tunes on disc 2 but then we were back to mostly full-throated melisma eventually. I wish this album was about half as long.

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

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

I would not chose to listen to Christina Aguilera on my own, but here I am listening to the second album recommended to me on this list. ¿Why did this recommendation have to be a double album? In general, the music verged on okay. I just don't have time for the drama from Aguilera. I prefer listening to fewer love songs, and particularly when Aguilera is doing her version of "look how daring I am to be raunchy". I'm not sure about the character she's trying to play in her music. This album gets two stars because it went on WAY TOO LONG. Now I have to purge my YouTube history, so that I don't get suggestions for having listed to way too much Aguilera.

It's not necessarily an album that I would relisten from top to bottom, however there are few songs that I discovered and added to my playlist I enjoyed them especially Slow Down Baby & Still Dirrty.

Objectively, she’s a great singer. But I don’t like the diva style, with the never ending flourishes. And many of the songs are barely songs, with little to no melody, and just serve as vehicles for her singing.

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

The length of this album significantly diminishes what otherwise might be a decent album - especially as, midway through, we start getting jerked around by fan voicemails and whatever the hell "Enter the Circus" was. The first half was pretty solid, the second half went off the rails for me.

There are 2 Christina albums on this list?! "Stripped" at least seemed authentic. This one seems a bit forced.

I listened to it as duty calls me to. It's competent but 100% not my thing. Idk.

yet another double album that should have been a single album

5/10. There were some nice old fashioned Soul/R&B sounds in there, and I respect her for taking those and doing something new with them, but I'll admit I would've probably liked the album more if she hadn't. And why was there a clown-music song on this album? She's not even British.

Some songs on this album are quite good - Aguilera recruited a group of talented producers and they generally delivered. However, this album is way too long. And part of its central theme is calling back to past classics. I’d certainly rather be listening to any of the artists that she name drops than this album. The second half of the album also felt entirely superfluous to me. Side note: the album cover is one of the worst I’ve seen in over 900 projects on this list. 6/10

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would

I actually liked some of this album. Incredible voice with some riffs on old school standards

Meh.

not bad tbh

Just not my type of music but were a couple of songs that were suprisingly pleasant

6th September 2023 Listened mainly on the drive to and from Costco. Christina brings her pop vocal prowess to play with a big band. Results are strong.

Some surprisingly good bits

Shows off her talent, but it goes on a little too long. The "Thank You" track was probably well-intentioned, but comes off a bit cringey, like testimonials for the Christina Aguilera brand.

She has a great voice, not really my bag, but a real talent. 3 stars.

Another album that's not my thing. This rating is not reflective of the quality of this album, just not something I'd listen to.

Dat ze wel kan zingen wist ik al wel, maar het is zo jammer dat het allemaal van die theatrale bagger is, die ze maakt.

Ook dit zal me echt aan mijn reet roesten. Zo'n hekel aan die greedy songbird

Madam kan heel aardig zingen, en het is ook behoorlijk catchy. Maar tegelijkertijd ook wel heel behoorlijk gedateerd. Zou allemaal wat spannender mogen.

Nou, ik zal eens gul doen.

This album begins with the explicit statement that Christina Aguilera is trying to be old school. This too on the nose statement is followed by the name dropping of various jazz greats before dropping into a first half typified by the melding of classic soul and R&B with hip hop motifs and samples. The second half starts with uncomfortably sexually charged songs dripping in bad innuendo before ending with a mea culpa of sorts. The transition is very jarring. This album should have been pared down to maintain some musical cohesion. When it’s good, the music is enjoyable though Aguilera’s trademark over singing does overshadow the album. She’s clearly an extraordinarily talented singer, but completely loses the plot and is mired in over technical vocal delivery.

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

It has some fun pop bops on it. I can't listen to a whole album of it really though.

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

Surprise entry. Doesn’t offend but definitely doesn’t inspire

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

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

Never thought I would enjoy but this one is her best album. Amazing voice

basic

Back to acids, huh? What about that idea? The lack of artistry is made up for by technical polish. It’s like rubbing your face all over a freshly polished red classic convertible from the fifties, but in sound form. Feels like what would play in the trailer for an Ice Age film. The occasional song has a genuinely interesting sound, like “Without You”. It’s cool. Sounds like a shittier version of Kiss from a Rose. The second half of the album has done interesting moments, too. The whole experience feels too much like processed cheese, however. I can’t bring myself to give this anything approaching a 3, most likely because of my superego’s association of itself with high culture and it’s inability to concede to guilty pleasures.

idk why but i thought christina aguilera was a pop artist. it was good but nothing really special. a little long

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

This album was certainly better than the last C Ag album 1001 threw at us. The funky and gospel infused music that were the first few songs was easier to handle than the pop from the other album. After the first few songs the album unfortunately reverted to pure unadulterated pop. I couldn’t get past the first half dozen or so songs.

I prefer this to Christina's earlier 1001 release. Her jazzy, bluesy voice is firing on all cylinders, and she's much more listenable than singers I'd lump in the same category, like Britney or Mariah. The songs shoot off in Different directions and the production, is, at times, downright edgy. My million dollar question though, is why do so many superstar female vocalists, from Christina to Beyonce to Madonna share song writing credits with many, sometimes more than a dozen, guys?

Nope

Accomplished, but just not my thing.

3.5

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

with two Xtina (remember that?) albums in a week the algorithms gonna think i'm a fan of women singing about being a bit slaggy. AI probably thinks i want to listen to WAP.

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

@SHACK AKA Andi McCormick LOVES this album. He once posted a picture of his dick on Facebook. Look him up.

2 Christina albums?? Ok, Dimery had the hots for her for sure. Björk for his "I'm an intellectual" moments, Christina when he just wants something skanky... but gotta say, she's obviously dialled that back a bit since 2002. Album art is atrocious. Font and colour scheme straight from some bedroom DIY new age album called something hilariously cheesy like "Aquarius Dreaming". aaaand it's garbage pop music same as the other one. Pretends to be some kind of retro jazz thing, but adding fake pop/fizz samples to 2000s R&B doesn't add class or make it anything but 2000s R&B. She does that wailing idol singer thing well, but... eh? This is just too much. 2/5. Update: HAHA someone else had the exact same thought as me. High five!

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

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

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

Undoubtedly a good vocalist. Just not for me.

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

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

Not for me.

Ehhhh, no.

MORE? There's TWO Christina Aguilera albums on this list? She's not going to fuck you, my guy. This is apparently the better one though, so whatever. It's more R&B. As always, way too damn long. Nobody should be listening to R&B for over an hour at a time. That's the musical equivalent of overdosing on sugar. Disc 1 is an actual Tartarus punishment. I think I could get married and have 6 children by the time that slogfest wraps up. Disc 2 is where Christina remembers that there's more to music than crooning ChatGPT prompt-ass lyrics over beats that are about as deep as a metronome. It opens with a weird circus song that reminded me I'm listening to a music album and not white noise, and then had a diverse streak of some nice songs. I really liked "Welcome" and "Hurt" especially. 0/5 for disc 1, 3/5 for disc 2. Over all a 2/5 experience that I will never return to in the 378 more years I plan to live on this Earth. (Also this is my 600th album! I bitch and whine a lot, but it's been a fantastic journey so far. I'll miss this a lot when I'm done.)

Pop. Bastante mejor de lo esperado.

Excelente voz femenina. A ratos sensual, en otras con más timbre. Canciones fáciles de escuchar. En la primera parte del disco, canciones con más ritmo. En el segundo CD, se luce y se aprecia más su voz