Christina Aguilera: Back to Basics Reviews
'Back to Basics' is Christina Aguilera's first album in four years. The Double CD includes a great variety of Modern Jazz and Funk tracks with a Retro feel.
There's a great variety between the tracks. Their are heartfelt and heartbreaking tracks. Especially the song 'Oh Mother' about Christina's mother and her abusive father, something of a sequel to 'I'm OK'. Their are fun dance tracks like the first single 'Ain't no other man' and 'CandyMan' which is feels like a song out of a black and white movie meets the 21st century.
Especially enjoyable are the number of Interludes that add variety and help tell the albums story. Such tracks include 'Enter the Circus', 'F.U.S.S' and the 'Back to Basics Intro'
There are throwbacks to Christina's 'dirrty' days with the track 'Still Dirrty' that assures fans she's still that girl as well as the track 'Nasty Naughty Boy' - a slow seductive song.
There are some songs about faith including 'Makes me wanna pray' and 'Mercy on me' - each with a great gospel groove.
I especially enjoyed the 'Thank-you (Dedication)' which features audio clips from fans thanking Christina for the music and saying how it's helped them in their lives. Granted this can be percieved somewhat as bragging but is also a great way of giving back to the fans for their support.
Overall this is a great CD and Christina is an undeniable talent. I'd definitely recommend the CD for her fans and even her non fans.
Review #2 - By Amy
From 'Pop Princess' to 'Dirrty X-Tina' and now 'Baby Jane' Christina Aguilera has once again delivered a new look, sound and album intitled 'Back To Basics'. With a mix of old jazz/blues/soul music from the 1920's, 30's and 40's, many critics wondered how Christina could pull it off but with her dedication and passion, Christina has delivered this style of music in a modern day twist on a 2 disc album.
Her first single off the album 'Aint no other man' is a fun record with an extemely catchy tune as she manages to recreate a 1920's sound with her own taste, singing about her current relationship with her husband Jordan. Her second single off the album 'Hurt' is completly different, a beautiful ballad that once again Christina sings about her personal feelings and past relationships. Apart from the two singles she has so far released Christina's album has something for everyone. From up-tempo fun tracks such as 'CandyMan' to 'Back In the Day' where Christina reveals who inspired her to make the record. Christina develops the old style of music perfectly in 'enter the circus' an intro to 'welcome' where the traditional circus music creates an exciting beginning to the second disc.
Apart from the original intentions of the album Christina still manages to pull off modern beats with 'Here to Stay' where she sings of how she has still mangaged to remain true to herself and and how she is 'gonna keep on doing my thing'. We also get a taste of the 'dirrty xtina' from the previous album where she sings of how she hasn't changed as much as everyone may think. Singing 'I still got the nasty in me' 'and if you want some more sexy, still got that freak in me'. Christina also delivers more raunchy lyrics in Nasty Naughy Boy with the opening lines of the song 'come here big boy'.
Over all Christina manages to deliver an album different from anything currently in the charts. With extemely personal records such as 'oh mother' and 'the right man' to fun catchy tunes and amazing vocals, Christina has once again pulled it off with an excellent record.
Song Ratings:
Disc one:
1: Intro-(Back To Basics) Basically what the titles says, an intro to why she is creating this record with catchy music. 7/10
2: Makes me wanna Pray- Amazing vocals, fun, upbeat song. 8/10
3: Back In The Day- Good music, a dedication to old soul artists. 7/10
4: Aint No Other Man-Extremely catchy and well sung, fun song and good choice of a first single. 10/10
5: Understand-One of the slower records of the album, a nice song but not one of her best ballads 6/10
6: Slow down baby- Great music, very catchy 9/10
7: Oh Mother-Very emotional, not one to listen to a lot. 6/10
8: FUSS-Very slow, all thought Christina sounds amazing with her vocals, the song fails to deliver anything special 5/10
9: On Our Way- Quite similar to Fuss, catchy chorus- 6/10
10: WithOut You-Another ballad, personal to Christina but slightly boring 5/10
11: Still Dirrty- Very catchy and relevant to her image and personality 9/10
12: Here to Stay- Fun, up beat song to sing along to 10/10
13: Thankyou-Not so much a song but just a few messages from fans, ok to listen to just a couple of times 4/10.
Disc 2:
1: Enter the circus-Sets the mood for the second CD, very catchy, haunting music 9/10
2: Welcome- Beautiful music, amazing vocals, catchy. 10/10
3: Candy Man- Fun, up beat tune 9/10
4:Nasty Naughty Boy-Back in Christina's 'Dirrty days' a fun record, very old sounding 8/10
5:I Got Trouble- You feel as though this song was actually made in the 1920's, very effective 7/10
6:Hurt-Beautiful Ballad, amazing lyrics and vocals. 10/10
7:Mercy On Me-Amazing, powerful lyrics and vocals. 9/10
8:Save me from myself-Very slow and doesn't really pick up but sung very beautifuly 5/10
9:The Right Man-All about her wedding, nice song but not one to listen to over and over 4/10