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Artist: Christina Aguilera Album: Bionic Release Date: June 8, 2010 Record Label: RCA
I haven’t done one of these in a long while.
After releasing a greatest hits album with a few new tracks like Keeps Getting Better, Christina claimed her forthcoming album would contain a futuristic sound. In her last album, Back to Basics, Christina channeled Billie Holiday, sang jazzy and soulful melodies, and even included a circus theme. I didn’t dig the over-the-top album. It felt too ambitious and unaccomplished. There were several enjoyable tracks, but I never played it in its entirety.
During the promotional tour for Bionic, Christina endured a lot of flack and comparisons to Lady Gaga and Madonna. She was dubbed as a copy-cat and unoriginal. Though there are blatant Human Nature and Express Yourself imitations in the music video for the album’s leading single Not Myself Tonight, I didn’t see much of Lady Gaga. After all, “Lady Gaga didn’t invent dance-pop” as one YouTuber ranted. As if the comparisons weren’t bad enough press, Christina’s dry and monotone personality during interviews made many perceive her as obnoxious, even to me. Despite the ridicule, I loved Not Myself Tonight and was hoping Bionic would surpass all the negative criticisms.
The melodies of the first several tracks are fun upbeat electronic songs. Her collaboration with M.I.A. is evident in Elastic Love with an 80′s vibe while Christina’s vocals in the ballad I Am are reminiscent of Bjork’s style. The album slows down midway with ballads like Sex for Breakfast, Lift Me Up, and All I Need that are beautiful and soothing. I couldn’t help but think of Janet Jackson’s classic ballads from the 90′s while listening to them.
The last three tracks are a nice boost of energy with female anthems like I Hate Boys, My Girls, Vanity. While I do enjoy the up-tempo beats, I could not stand the lyrics; “I’m not cocky. I just looove myself, … bitch!” The lyrics remind listeners of why Christina receives criticisms of being vain and obnoxious. She comes off as trying too hard and the overuse of “bitch” doesn’t help either. It’s this kind of attitude in some songs by Christina, Beyonce, and the Pussycat Dolls that irritate the hell out of me. There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance.
Bionic is like a combination of many inspirations rather than a lazy attempt at replicating others. Although this is not my favorite pop album, it is the first album by Christina that I’ve been able to enjoy without the need of skipping many tracks. It’s a great balance of electronica, pop, dance and ballads that showcase her amazing talent. Not exactly impressive as Stripped, but definitely not a snooze-fest like Back to Basics.
Favorite Tracks:Bionic, Elastic Love, and All I Need.
Least Favorite:Woohoo, Glam, and Vanity.
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on Monday, June 14th, 2010 at 7:21 pm and is filed under Album Reviews, Reviews.
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Happy | Listening to 
Artist: Christina Aguilera
