I’d like to talk about Christina Aguilera who is an artist I truly appreciate. Even if she is discreet for a while, she’s still active & new music should be released soon (I hope so…).

Despite the success of her first album, I cannot say I was fan at the time. Maybe because of the perfect pop princess image ?! Anyway, she caught my full attention with Stripped & the raunchy single Dirrty featuring Redman. Who doesn’t know this song and music video ?! A video directed by David Lachapelle of whom I like the distinctive work and style.

With this exposure – no pen intended, I discovered an authentic personality, someone real, vulnerable & strong at the same time. A brave woman, passionate & working hard to make her dreams come true.

This record was a great achievement and a risky gamble especially for a woman (we can’t talk about gender equality yet…). She has my respect for that. I think it’s safe to say that she also paved the way for many singers of the new generation. Many are inspired by her work and style.

Few years later, Back To Basics was released. This double CD and its retro-modern style was also uncertain but successful. A beautiful and personal tribute from the singer to great artists who marked the music industry and many generations.

The third album Bionic pushed us in the future offering electronic sounds with moderation & beautiful ballads like You Lost Me.

Then, we had to wait a couple of years to get Lotus. That’s where the shoe pinches in Aguilera’s career, in my opinion. Even if there are some nice tracks as Blank Page written with Sia. I may be wrong but it looks like Christina was less inspired or had less freedom and control over this album than over the previous ones.

Let’s hope that her next studio album will help us forget about this flop.

[su_accordion][su_spoiler title= »Stripped » icon= »caret-square »] [su_spoiler title= »Promo » icon= »caret »] Nothing but the first single arouses people’s curiosity actually ! However, the promotion around the album was active. Christina did many live performances & interviews. I remember she took part in Mtv Diary giving access to exclusive BTS of the album recording. We saw her walking down the streets of New York with Carson Daly. She also went on tour all over the world – I saw her performing for the first time with that album. Her team worked really hard to make of Stripped a major success and it worked ! [su_spoiler title= »Visual identity » icon= »caret »] Throughout this era, Christina aka Xtina played the game at 100% : her nickname, her make up, her hair, the way she dressed, her behaviour, her piercings and tattoos, etc. The whole works & represents well the concept & objectives of the album : standing out from the crowd, showing her abilities as a singer & songwriter, proving she is more than a pop princess, and so on. in short, that she is a real artist AND a person with stories to tell. I like the visual ID and design of the booklet & the CD jacket. The cover artwork is clean, simple and efficient with the white backgound, the thin halftone pattern on Aguilera’s figure, the contrasted grey scale and the personalized typography. The generous amount of photos, the lyrics, the silver touches, the photo collage in colours at the end of the booklet, etc. It’s all in the details. Really well done. [su_spoiler title= »Musical style » icon= »caret »] This album is mostly pop and R&B with some soul, rock, hip hop and latin vibes. Different genres that suit nicely to her powerful voice which can also be delicate as we can hear on The Voice Within and the very personal I’m OK. [su_spoiler title= »Some of my favourite songs » icon= »caret »] Walk Away, Can’t Hold Us Down & Dirrty. [su_spoiler title= »In short » icon= »caret »] The visual identity is logical and well constructed with the booklet of the album, Xtina’s look, her music videos and live performances. All of that makes of Stripped a real success that marked many people and Aguilera’s career. And we can say that her management team had her back at the time despite this risky bet. [/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]

[su_accordion][su_spoiler title= »Back To Basics » icon= »caret-square »] [su_spoiler title= »Promo » icon= »caret »] Once again the promo around the album was active. The process started with Christina introducing the lead single Ain’t No Other Man during an award ceremony on Mtv. [su_spoiler title= »Visual identity » icon= »caret »] True to herself, Christina aka Baby Jane adopted a retro fashion look that suits her perfectly. There, we could see a young woman, more elegant, feminine and sensual. The album’s visual identity makes no exception. Besides the retro vibes, it also displays a circus theme with the second part. The universe of this double album is more colourful, expressive and aesthetic bringing out Christina perfectly. There are lots of pictures and the graphic design is well balanced, neither too retro nor too modern. [su_spoiler title= »Musical style » icon= »caret »] Back To Basics is also a pop and R&B album with jazz, blues and soul influences mixed notably with hip hop vibes. With this album, Baby Jane offers strength, power and vulnerability. A pleasure. [su_spoiler title= »Some of my favourite songs » icon= »caret »] Intro (Back To Basics), Oh Mother, Welcome, Candyman, Nasty Naughty Boy & The Right Man. [su_spoiler title= »In short » icon= »caret »] I really enjoy the visual identity of this album. It is fresh, feminine, playful, uncertain again but well done. It suits her well both musically and visually. [/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]

[su_accordion][su_spoiler title= »Bionic » icon= »caret-square »] [su_spoiler title= »Promo » icon= »caret »] The promo was disrupted by the almost simultaneous release of the movie Burlesque starring Christina Aguilera alongside Cher. Even if it had a good start, it was nipped in the bud due to the difference between the universes of both the album and the movie I guess. For the first time, Christina didn’t go on tour. I think it would have been wiser to promote the movie first, its universe having similarities with the Back To Basics era. And then, releasing Bionic that unfortunately didn’t get the attention it truly deserves. In terms of sales rate, this album is considered as a flop. But for many people – fans & pros – it is considered as one of the best Aguilera’s albums. [su_spoiler title= »Visual identity » icon= »caret »] The singer brought back to life her alter ego, Xtina as a 2.0. Frankenstein, with the help of the artist and graphic designer D*Face who did an amazing job ! He raised the bar high. By using the promo pictures, he created unique and strong visuals. Dope ! We meet up again with a provocative Christina but more futuristic and mature this time. Clean visuals enhanced by D*Face work. The concept and research are going even further with this album. [su_spoiler title= »Musical style » icon= »caret »] It is an electropop album with R&b vibes. It is well balanced and we can hear other facets of Aguilera’s voice. [su_spoiler title= »Some of my favourite songs » icon= »caret »] Woohoo, Sex for Breakfast, Lift Me Up & Morning Dessert (intro). [su_spoiler title= »In short » icon= »caret »] I sincerely believe this album has everything it takes to be a hit. Unfortunately it didn’t get the chance it deserves. And I still consider Bionic as a must when it comes to her career. [/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]

[su_accordion][su_spoiler title= »Lotus » icon= »caret-square »] [su_spoiler title= »Promo » icon= »caret »] Almost nonexistent. We heard about it mostly at the begining with the release of the lead single Your Body. Then, it got weak. No tour, only two singles out, one music video, rare live performances. [su_spoiler title= »Visual identity » icon= »caret »] There’s no guideline. It is disjointed, random. I don’t really recognize the singer here. Apart from a few details, the artwork looks like the one from Stripped. The photos are incoherent. It looks like Christina is less confident and inspired. There are lots of pics and the layout is a bit heavy. Same about the typography used for both the album title and titles inside the booklet. [su_spoiler title= »Musical style » icon= »caret »] Lotus is a pop album with elements of dance-pop, euro-dance, rock and more. This album sounds a bit too commercial for me. Some tracks are interesting but not enough to save it in my opinion. [su_spoiler title= »Some of my favourite songs » icon= »caret »] Red Hot Kinda Love & Blank Page. [su_spoiler title= »In short » icon= »caret »] I’m not convinced by this album which lacks of consistency both visually and musically. [/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]

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