It has been four years since the release of ‘Back to Basics’, which earned Christina Aguilera her fourth Grammy award, and this week marked, the return of the songstress with her fourth studio album entitled ‘Bionic’.
Never one to travel the safe route, the 18-track set sees the songstress switching from her previous record’s old-school aura to a futuristic sound that is more varied in the areas of styling, construction and overall production.
SUMMARY ANALYSIS
Opening the set on a strong note, the title track “Bionic”, which was co-written by the songstress, delivers the futuristic sound that she has been raving about since the project’s start and it arises as a shining asset, as does “Vanity”, where she chants “I'm not cocky, I just love myself, b*tch”.
The album’s first single “Not Myself Tonight”, despite its lackluster charting peak at No. 23, does, in fact, bode well for the singer through its top-notch production courtesy of Polow Da Don and aggressive lyrical content.
Other notable highlights include the fun “Elastic Love”, which resembles the sound of and was co-written by M.I.A, the Latin-laced “Desnudate” and “Glam”, which is heavily filled with the essence of Madonna.
Still when all is said and done, nothing shines brighter than the ballads, which truly reinforce that Aguilera is one of the best vocalists of her generation. From the seductive “Sex for Breakfast” to the remarkably-controlled vocal performances on “You Lost Me” and “I Am”, as well as, the inspiring Linda Perry-gem “Lift Me Up”, Aguilera more than proves her worth.
The lesser moments arise in the second single “Woohoo”, which features Nicki Minaj, the sleepy “All I Need”, the uninspired “I Hate Boys” and “My Girls”, as well as, the annoying intros “Love & Glamour” and “Morning Desert”.
FINAL VERDICT
While ‘Bionic’ doesn’t surpass ‘Stripped’, which stands as Aguilera’s best work, it is a better effort than her 2006 release ‘Back to Basic’ and what’s even more impressive is that although she flirts with different sounds and work various producers, the set still manages to comes across as a cohesive set.
3½ OUT OF 5
CELEBRITY BUG’S KEY TRACKS
“Bionic”, “Not Myself Tonight”, “Elastic Love”, “Sex for Breakfast”,
“You Lost Me”, “I Am”, “Lift Me Up” and “Vanity”.
“You Lost Me”, “I Am”, “Lift Me Up” and “Vanity”.
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