Christina Aguilera: Back to Basics

I think you should know that I secretly... ok, not so secretly... love Christina Aguilera. Outside of a very obvious physical attraction, I actually think she's very honest, very talented, and has such a beautiful and powerful voice.

This album, Back to Basics, takes some very interesting twists and turns, combining hip-hop/R&B beats, 30s and 40s dance music, and her usual kickass, high octane voice into one of this year's best female vocalist albums.

The intro, aptly called "Intro (Back to Basics)" makes you think this is going to be a heavily-processed electronic beats album. But my girl's too good for that. She swings it around quickly, with mixes of gospel, hip-hop, smokey jazz samples, and hints of funk. The album closes on a similar note, with voicemails from fans talking about how much they love Christina. It's a bit heavy handed, but it works well as a coda to the album. Or, should I say, first disc.

That's right, there are two discs in this package. What a deal!

The first disc flows nicely, keeps good pace, works well as a great poptastic album for late in the summer. The second disc, while lacking flow, is, at points, painfully beautiful. Aguilera passes on a lot of the electronic production, sampling, and heavy beats, opting for studio instruments creating a soulful, powerful addition to an already amazing album.

On the first disc, spin up "Makes Me Wanna Pray," "Back in the Day," "Ain't No Other Man," and "Without You." On disc two, you'll want to hear "Candyman," "Nasty Naughty Boy," "Hurt," and "Mercy on Me."

In the End: This is the first Christina album I've listned to front to back. It's wonderful, it's crackling with vocal power, it's got a great sound, and it's got one of my future wives. All that makes this a great find, even if it is closer to the bubble gum pop-tarts than I usually go. Christina's smokin' hot, and so is "Back to Basics."

On the Web: Most of what I've mentioned is, as always, available on The Hype Machine.

Technorati Tagged: Christina Aguilera | Female Vocalists | Pop Music | 2006