Christina Aguilera - Bionic
On “I Am,” the stunning Sia-penned, string-heavy gem buried deep in the middle of Christina Aguilera‘s new album, the golden-voiced singer revels in the joys of being loved for who she is.
But who is she exactly? On the bulk of the songs on Bionic, Aguilera’s fourth studio album, arriving four years after her last set, 2006′s Back To Basics, Xtina seems to be playing one huge game of musical make believe, making it hard to know when the real Xtina stands up.
Led by the artificially bold first single, “Not Myself Tonight,” penned by Ester Dean and produced by Polow Da Don, Bionic is a cold and calculated attempt by Aguilera to stay relevant in an era where big voices such as hers are treated as baggage scaled back to avoid fees and slick electronic beats are treated as first class passengers.
The first half the album is packed with caffine-drunk, characterless up-tempos that miss more than they hit; special ‘miss’ shout out to the ridiculous “Glam” which blatantly rips its essence from Madonna‘s “Vogue,” while ‘hit’ honors go to the deliciously bouncy “Elastic Love.”
It isn’t until the middle of the set that the robotic shell is stripped away with a section of immaculate slow jams and ballads — the ode to morning nookie “Sex For Breakfast,” the inspirational, Linda Perry-written “Lift Me Up,” the new mommy’s dedication to her son “All I Need,” “I Am,” and the smoky “You Lost Me” (the last three are all courtesy of Sia) — that fans and critics alike are allowed to fully experience the reason why every Christina Aguilera album will always be worth at least one listen: that voice. It’s when that audible perfection escapes from her throat that Bionic feels worth the wait, that it feels like we’re finally seeing who Xtina is.
Sadly, Bionic reverts back to the brash earache it started as for the final three songs. Most notable is the potty-mouthed ego-stroke “Vanity” which opens with the line “I’m not cocky, I just love myself, b*tch.” Eek.
“I’m asking you to take me just the way that I am,” reads more lyrics from “I Am.” If that’s the shallow, vamped-up cyborg she presents on Bionic, no thank you.
Vanity is about having self-confidence. The real Xtina has many sides, and it’s obvious many people have not had any time to realize that. She can sing everything and I’m glad she is having fun with this album because she can if she wants to. But like she has saud, you can’t please everyone.
I bought the album and I can say that I am really pleased! It has something for everybody, for every mood of the day. The most experimental tracks such as Elastic love and Birds of Pray are my favourites! This is only in the deluxe edition!
A friend of mine bought the ordinary version and wasn’t as pleased but when she listened to the tracks on the deluxe she was amazed!
i really love this album i think is great it’s eclectic,fun and she proved one more time that her voice is flawless. love Bionic
Honestly everyone I’ve talked to who bought the album likes different songs off of it. haha I hate ‘Elastic Love’, but you like it. I love Vanity because its so fun and you should be allowed to be vain, every once in a while. I also love all of the ballads, especially ‘You Lost Me’ and ‘I Am (stripped)’. Its really a variety and everyone seems to like it overall. But almost everyone agrees that ‘Not Myself Tonight’ was probably the worst lead single after hearing the whole album. lmao Everyone always hates her new stuff when she starts out, they hated her with Stripped at first, they hated her with Back to Basics too and now the hate for this album started and is slowly dying already. It just takes people a little while to get used to her return. It has been 4 years after all.
what happened Neon Limelight? You were all positive w/ her & now you’re goin Perez Hilton style? pls. like you know Euro electro Pop music. maybe you don’t understand how Ladytron, Goldfrapp etc… rolls, it not about the hits, its about havin fun. Geez
this is a great album! wait til XTINA turn things around and remain on top.:))