After the disappointing commercial and mediocre critical reception to her 2010 effort Bionic, the voice of our generation, Christina Aguilera, makes a highly anticipated comeback with the release of her seventh studio album, Lotus. The album, featuring collaborations with her “The Voice” colleagues Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton, represents the rebirth of an artist who has been on the music scene for more than a decade. While her last effort did not showcase her amazing vocal talent, Aguilera hits every note on great dance tracks and emotional ballads. Preceded by top forty hit “Your Body”, the new project combines sounds featured on all four of the artist’s previous albums to create a creative listen that shows off the talent of a vocal powerhouse.
The project two years in the making kicks off with an Intro track unlike any others. The three minute experimental track could be an entirely different piece on its own, and to be fair, that’s exactly what it is. Aguilera compares herself to a beautiful lotus, this album is her rebirth. The artist claims she will never die and rises high as she gets listeners ready for the musical journey they are about to venture on.
The real music begins with what Aguilera has been calling her “Fighter 2.0”. “Army of Me” does sound like somewhat of a sequel to the previously mentioned song, but done with a modern reinterpretation. Right off the bat, Aguilera’s vocals take full charge, something they failed to do on her previous release. “What you thought was your best decision, just became your worse mistake,” she sings to the man who thought broke her into a million pieces.
Aguilera’s sexual side takes center stage on “Red Hot Kinda Love”, which expresses her love for the man she will stop at nothing to bring back home with her. They may have just met, but the singer is head over heels in love, feeling that they have known each other for quite some time. The production is a little different than the rest of the album, a fast-paced, Latin vibe that works to a certain extent. Not my favorite track.
The first of the two collaborations comes through the speakers and you know you are in for a good time. “Make the World Move” features the distinct vocals of Cee Lo Green and I think the pairing is absolutely perfect. The song has enough energy to tear the roof off any building and Green’s contribution has become somewhat of a catchy earworm. The vocals work, the lyrics are positive, and the beat will make you move your feet.
Choosing “Your Body” as the album’s lead single seems to be the right choice when placed around the rest of the track list. The song had an upbeat, radio-friendly sound and showed Aguilera taking charge again. The sexual energy is turned as high as it can go with lyrics like “It’s true what you heard, I am a freak I’m disturbed, So come and give me your worse”. Why the track peaked at number 37 is shocking to me.
“Let There Be Love” needs to be immediately serviced as the album’s official second single. My words cannot describe how perfect the track really is, but I’m going to try my best anyways. Featuring a club-ready, dance/electronic beat, the song has Aguilera describing a love that is making her eyes roll back. The chorus is definitely the highlight. I picture listeners whipping their hair back and forth as the pump their fists to the artist’s soaring vocals.
The first ballad on the album comes in the form of “Sing For Me”, where the artist claims she was born to sing. Apparently when she opens her mouth, her whole heart comes out which seems true as her vocal performance is one worthy of snatching everyone’s breath. To me, the ballad is reminiscent to those which came out in the late 80s/early 90s. The last minute cements just why Aguilera is still relevant ten years later.
Another ballad, “Blank Page”, which was rumored to be the album’s next single, is probably the greatest moment on the entire album in terms of power and talent. The song starts off slow and somewhat depressing as the singer pleads for a second chance from her lover. “Let our hearts start and beat as one forever,” she sings in a heart-wrenching moment that would have snatched up Grammys if released before the cutoff date.
“Cease Fire” is certainly one of the most interesting inclusions on the album, but its uniqueness is one of the reasons I enjoy it. Supported by a military beat, Aguilera sings she is tired of fighting for peace when she is the only one on the front line. The singer is asking her lover to lower his defenses. Both of the parties in the relationship are hurting and she is willing to wave the white flag.
Aguilera cranks out another dance floor-ready track with “Around the World”. The song, which bares comparisons to releases from Pitbull, and even Hilary Duff, describes the artist’s desire to make love with her man all around the world. With a clever nod to “Lady Marmalade”, her hit with Lil Kim, P!nk, and Mya, the track is fun and catchy, but not necessarily the most groundbreaking piece of songwriting on the album.
The track many critics are finding trouble with is one I actually found delightful. Aguilera is telling her haters just exactly what they can do on “Circles”. The track features a hip/hop vibe, a sound baring resemblance to rapper Nicki Minaj, but Aguilera does Minaj’s job even better than she can. The song has attitude, it has sass, and it will make people think twice before they mess with the pop diva.
The final ballad, “Best of Me”, is your typical, “pick yourself back up when you are knocked down”, inspirational piece that many in an abusive relationship will relate to. What sets this generic formula of a break up song apart from the millions of others is Aguilera’s ability to actually evoke emotion. As a listener, I was feeling everything she was at the time of the track’s recording. That is talent.
The album closes with the Blake Shelton-assisted, country/pop track “Just A Fool”, a song I can see being released as a future single. The track can dominate many airwaves as Aguilera’s strong pop vocals mesh well with Shelton’s manly country performance. “I had my heart set on you, Nothing else hurts like you do,” the artists sing to each other on the bright chorus. I was scared for this track, but the two shut me up.
Lotusmay not be the best release of Aguilera’s long and successful career, but it is certainly an improvement from her previous album that did not show off what made her a star in the beginning: her golden voice. With six albums previously under her belt, I never thought Aguilera released a full-fledged pop album. That’s exactly how I would classify this new project. The singer uses elements found on Back to Basics, Stripped and Bionic and mixes them with help from innovative dance producers to create something that represents her time in the music business. Aguilera is the voice of my generation and I’m glad she proved it. Lotus receives a high 90%.
Tracks to Hear: “Army of Me”, “Let There Be Love”, “Blank Page”, and “Just A Fool”
Bonus tracks found on the deluxe edition of the album, “Light Up the Sky” and “Empty Words”, are wonderful and deserve multiple listens while “Shut Up” should be shunned for being the only “bad” track found on the effort. None of the three bonus track were included in the album’s overall review.
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