Review 9 of 39

irulan writes:

5of 5 Stars

hands down the best pop album of 2006. not only for a female pop artist, but a pop artist in general. theres a sayin that goes "the cream rises to the top" or somethin like that. But when christina came out in 1999 with briney and the other clones, people saw them all as one person and that they all were playin catch up to britney. but i always looked at christina differently and now the rest of the world is seeing what i saw. she is the best of that era. britney and the rest of them are no competition and shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as christina after this album. i always believed the best will rise to the top.
i love how she takes risks and it just always works for her. she doesn't try to play safe. this album is so diverse but still maintains the same theme. i know she will top this album. i am really anticipating the fourth studio album.

Aug 24, 2006 13:29:02

Review 10 of 39

JRBear writes:

4of 5 Stars

I saw Christine on Good Morning America last Friday. I've heard her "Ain't No Other Man" blow away a lame awards show already; but then she did "CandyMan", which put the morning live audience into shock and awe, I rushed right out and bought the CD set and listened to it all day. This is a concept album from the heyday of concept albums (Sgt. Pepper; Electric Ladyland come to mind); and easily the most ambitious pop album in many years.
It first made me think: "Britney WHO? Beyonce WHO?" This album leaves them far behind as road kill where they belong. Christine is taking her rightful place along side of the all time great RB/Soul singers whose work she is inspired by.
Yes, there are some needless songs on Disc 1 (what album doesn't have that?); but Disc 2 is a mini-masterpiece all it's own. It does all those things a great movie does: It makes you smile; blush from the sexieness; lifts your spirits; and brings you to tears in the last reel; and leaves you humming a tune as you walk out to get back into line to see it again.

Aug 23, 2006 20:07:03

Review 11 of 39

Rojo28 writes:

3of 5 Stars

This album is thankfully a showcase of Christina's voice rather than her anatomy. Ain't No Other Man has 'set up'' the album to deliver what she aimed to do - the big band feel, with the modern RnB twists and there are some good tunes.

However, of all the blonde pop-tarts, it appears Ms Aguilera is increasingly taking her 'inspiration' from the original Material Girl, Madonna. With tracks like 'Candyman' sounding very, very similar to "Hanky Panky" (from I'm Breathless) you get the impression that if it weren't for Breathless Mahoney (Madonna's character in Dick Tracy) Christina wouldn't have any 'inspiration' at all.

When Christina abandons Madonna's former persona, she seems to be adrift and it reflects in the music.

We have had the Madonna 'sexy' image, and now Christina has done the 'Marilyn' thing, (like Madonna) I guess it's a case of 'watch this space' to see which of Madonna's ideas she is 'inspired' by next!!!

Sadly Ms Aguilera will achieve longevity as an artist, not because she is creative, but she has found a good template to follow....almost to the letter. Use your voice Christina and find your own ideas.

Aug 23, 2006 13:11:34

Review 12 of 39

upandout writes:

4of 5 Stars

I have to agree about the "self indulgence" and thank you for that Mrs. Bratman, an artist is an artist and self has a whole hell of a lot to do with it! Groove it up/change it up.... she is GIVIN` it up on this CD, dance, listen, bone, what ever, it all goes with this great collection of songs. I appreciate how she has held back on some of the material showing us her voice control, and that she continues to grow as a singer, writer and producer. It`s not the same old shit pouring over the air waves and in the clubs.
Can`t wait for more....

Aug 18, 2006 11:10:12

Review 13 of 39

MzrJoe writes:

4of 5 Stars

I'm groovin' to the new tunes right now as i speak and let me say that overall, Christina has gotten this CD right. It’s wonderfully original and sounds like nothing else on the radio, which given the homogenous loads of crap being flushed across the airwaves today is saying something.

Having read other reviews, I tend to agree that the album is self indulgent. But the hook is deep and vibe is strong throughout so I’ll let it slide.

“Oh Mother,” is a stunningly beautiful tribute to dark subject matter. Personal and self indulgent? Yep. But it moves me just the same. “Save Me From Myself,” is a totally unexpected display of subdued vulnerability. Personal and self indulgent? Yep. But as it turns out, her story is my story so it’s all good.

Now, let’s get busy… “Candy Man,” is fat with infectious pace and boogie-woogie goodness. “Makes Me Wanna Pray,” is a righteous jam indeed. But Lord, have mercy, it’s also nice to know, C is still “Dirrty.”

Listen, if you want to enjoy this album, let go of the “self indulgent,” knock against the disc and allow yourself to live vicariously for a bit. Trust me, decades from now, someone will be doing an album throwing back to “Back to Basics.”

Joe Maldonado – York, PA
joereporter@hotmail.com

Aug 18, 2006 09:54:30

Review 14 of 39

Lorimc writes:

5of 5 Stars

I think Christina Aguilera to totally the most talent singer known to mankind. She is so beautiful and has a voice like an angel. Her new album has got to be the best that she has ever done! After all of her hard work, it has really paid off. Christina is the best now, tomorrow, and forever!!

Aug 16, 2006 13:41:07

Review 15 of 39

jessica7531 writes:

4of 5 Stars

Let me start off by saying that I normally boycott all the disposable pop psuedo-music that's shoved down our throats everyday, and up until now that catagory has included Christina Aguilera. She's always had talent (I don't think anyone could deny that) but her choice of music has been beyond questionable. That being said, I really like Back to the Basics. I liked the whole retro vibe of the album and the old school beats are really refreshing, but it's not what I'd call a 'masterpiece'. Still, it's made me realize that even 'pop stars' can come out with really good music. I'm not going to hold my breath for Brittany Spears though!

Aug 15, 2006 22:16:34

Review 16 of 39

Iridescent writes:

3of 5 Stars

Though no one can deny she is extremely talented, most of the tracks on Christina Aguilera's new album 'Back to Basics' border on self-righteous. On disc one, the listener is bludgeoned with tracks like ‘F.U.S.S’, a verbal assault with no chorus or musical purpose, and ‘Still Dirrty’ where she attempts to justify her multi-layered, erratic sexual image to the media. Then ‘Here to Stay’ and ‘Thank You’, two tracks I have to admit I completely skipped through after hearing the first few lines. I was getting a little sick of hearing her continue to defend herself and talk about her own growth. I don’t know what it’s like to be Christina Aguilera. I don’t know what it’s like to live in the spot light. No average listener can possibly relate to these tracks. It also doesn’t help that Aguilera had already written a ‘here to stay’ type track on her Stripped album entitled ‘Keep Singin’ My Song’. It’s strange, for someone who constantly claims to not care what anyone thinks of her, she certainly spends a lot of time singing about it. We get it. You’re not going anywhere. Let the dead horse lie.
The tracks on Disc one I found appealing were ‘Understand’, a nice vocal that doesn’t have her going over-the-top, ‘Slow Down Baby’, a fun jazzy song that smashes to bits a conceited man‘s ego (who doesn‘t like that?), and ‘Oh Mother’, a less sappy and softer song about her history with domestic violence. (The first of which featured on her stripped album entitled ‘I‘m OK‘).
I have to admit I found the second disc to be a lot easier to listen to. Though, strangely, all of the tracks have a Broadway feel to them. In essence, as songs alone many of them don’t make much sense, but strung together they do. This was Aguilera’s biggest mistake composition-wise. The tracks all rely on each other, instead of being able to stand alone. ‘Candyman’ is a fun track, ‘Mercy On Me’ is at least believable, and ‘Nasty Naughty Boy’ is a fun sexual vamp. The heart of the second disc is ‘I Got Trouble’, a crackling blues song with strong old-fashioned vocals and guitar chords. The rest is like sitting in an auditorium listening to the never ending musical that is Aguilera’s life. I can’t see any of these songs being successfully released to radio, and therein lies Aguilera’s flop as an artist. Musically, artists tend to compromise the message of their songs for the sake of the sound of the music, whereas Ms. Aguilera is potentially compromising album sales and radio play time to push her shallow agenda.
All in all, Aguilera would have been better off to eliminate a second disc all together. All of the self-tracks (songs where she sings about herself over, and over, and over, and over, and over… again) could have been eliminated. This proves when Ms. Aguilera gets too much airtime, she starts talking about herself and never… stops.

Aug 15, 2006 17:31:32