Christina Aguilera - Lotus

[Music Head]

online listen
not on my x-mas list
there were a couple I liked
a ballad and the duet with Blake Shelton
another duet with Cee-Lo that sucked
most too dance/techno for me
don't care at all for the clip, the first single
1.3 from me and not yet rated by the pros at allmusic

from the album - Your Body
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cfCgLgiFDM

released Nov 13th, 2012



Bio - from allmusic

A leader in the parade of Mickey Mouse Club veterans who stormed pop at the turn of the millennium,
Christina Aguilera was the sexy, brassy diva of the bunch -- the Rolling Stones to Britney Spears’
Beatles, as it were. Initially, it was difficult to see Christina outside of the prism of Britney, whose
1999 success launched the new millennium's teen pop boom, but Christina’s big hits of 1999 -- “Genie in a
Bottle,” “What a Girl Wants,” “Come on Over” -- more than held their own with “Baby One More Time,” while
revealing a vocalist with considerably more power and range than her erstwhile rival. Soon, Aguilera
distanced herself from the rest of the teen pop pack beginning with her carnal sophomore set, Stripped, a
heavy R&B album from 2002 that found its greatest success with the ballad “Beautiful.” Christina may have
overemphasized her sexual side with singles like “Dirrtty,” but by the time of 2006’s Back To Basics, it
was clear that Aguilera was the most musically ambitious, and reliable, pop diva of the boom.

Born on Staten Island on December 18, 1980, Aguilera spent her early childhood in Pittsburgh, PA. By age
six, she began performing regularly in local talent shows, working her way to an appearance on the
nationally televised competition Star Search. This was the true beginning of Aguilera’s professional
career, leading her to joining Disney Channel’s reboot of The Mickey Mouse Club in 1992. Christina joined
a cast that also featured future stars Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, and
Keri Russell. The New Mickey Mouse Club lasted for two years and after its cancellation, Aguilera began
working behind the scenes of the pop machine, cutting a duet with Japanese pop singer Keizo Nakanishi
called “All I Wanna Do,” then representing the U.S. three years later in the Golden Stag International
Festival. Her first big break arrived in 1998, when she recorded “Reflection” for the soundtrack of
Disney’s Mulan, a performance that lead to a contract with RCA Records.

RCA released Christina Aguilera late in the summer of 1999, several months after Britney’s “Baby One More
Time” began the teen pop boom. Christina’s debut reached the top of the U.S. charts on the momentum of the
number one single “Genie in a Bottle,” which was followed in short order by another chart-topper in “What
a Girl Wants,” which happened to be the first number one of 2000. Aguilera racked up recognition in a
number of ways, playing the Superbowl halftime show and winning the Grammy for Best New Artist, as “Come
On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)” gave her a third number one single. Aguilera kept new product flowing,
too, releasing the Spanish-language Mi Reflejo -- she didn’t speak the language, so she learned lyrics
phonetically -- and My Kind of Christmas by the end of the year, while other labels attempted to cash in
on her success via an unauthorized collection of old demos called Just Be Free. Christina Aguilera drifted
down the charts in 2001 but she stayed in the spotlight via her participation of a remake of Labelle’s
“Lady Marmalade” for the soundtrack of Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge.

When Aguilera resurfaced with new material in 2002, she began using the appellation Xtina, which was not
the only “X” on her sophomore effort, Stripped. A carnal collection of risqué R&B largely produced by
Scott Storch, Stripped was a defiant break from her teenybopper past, and Aguilera promoted it by flashing
lots of skin on the covers of her album, Rolling Stone, and Maxim. Such striking sexuality earned mixed
reviews and the lead single “Dirrty” failed to replicate her early success, but she straightened the ship
with “Beautiful,” a ballad that turned into an anthem of sorts and peaked at number two on the Top 100.

Aguilera took another left turn for her next album, 2006’s Back To Basics. The title suggested something
simple but the album was anything but, spilling out over two discs and running the gamut from brassy swing
to modern dance. Its lead single, “Ain’t No Other Man,” was another blockbuster and Grammy winner for
Christina, and the tour was her most ambitious to date. In 2008, Aguilera released her first hits
collection, Keeps Gettin' Better, which was available exclusively via Target in the U.S. After a four-year
break, Aguilera returned with her fourth album, Bionic, in the spring of 2010. Bionic proved to be
Aguilera's first flop, earning decidedly mixed reviews, generating no hits, and failing to go gold. It was
followed by a second stumble in Burlesque, Aguilera's first starring role on the big screen which was
greeted to mediocre reviews and lackluster box office.

These were sudden unexpected setbacks, but Aguilera's comeback came just as quickly, arriving in the form
of NBC's televised singing competition The Voice. As one of the four celebrity judges -- the others being
Maroon 5's Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, and Blake Shelton -- Christina found herself on a hit show that
elevated her profile and gave her another hit single as Levine's duet partner on Maroon 5's 2011 chart-
topper "Moves Like Jagger." The Voice retained its popularity in its second season in early 2012, and
Aguilera spent much of the year prepping her fifth album, Lotus, which was released in November 2012.

Album Review - from ny daily news

By all rights, Christina Aguilera’s new album should find her opening a vein. It’s her first disc since
she experienced a divorce, released a flat-out bomb CD (“Bionic”), and appeared in a full-on stinker of a
flick (“Burlesque”).

True, the singer has rebounded of late, with a day job handing out judgments on the cheesy hit TV show
“The Voice.” But that still leaves a huge backlog of pain crying out to be processed in her work.

It’s entirely possible that Aguilera thinks that’s just what she’s done on her new CD, “Lotus.” Certainly,
its songs don’t want for references to emotional agony, starting with an introductory track that doubles
as a mission statement. “Rise up/this is the beginning,” she sings at, well, the beginning. “Leave the
past behind.”

With that, she’s off, spewing a torrent of defensive declarations that deny any legacy from her breakup
and career disappointments. In “Army of Me” Aguilera finds her “second skin.” In “Red Hot Kinda Love” she
hits the clubs in horny revenge. In “Sing for Me,” she snarls that nothing can take away the glory and
power she derives from her voice.

That last issue may be part of the problem. Even when Aguilera means to shed real blood, the sheer force
of her vocals cauterizes the wounds before any red can flow. She’s a bully of a singer, pummeling the
notes into the ground as she rails in triumph.

Of course, there’s a certain charge to be had from such raw power. And Aguilera deserves credit for
indulging far fewer showy melismas this time. She may continue to oversing, but at least she’s doing so
with more focus.

Also improved is the material. “Lotus” contains some of the catchiest, danciest and funniest songs of the
singer’s career. “Red Hot Kinda Love” contains a can’t-miss gimmick of a chorus. “Let There Be Love”
functions as a prime disco diva anthem, while “Your Body” gains points for the specificity of its one-
night-stand verse (“I’m a freak/if you don’t know where to go/I’ll finish off on my own”).

Only two of the disc’s 13 tracks attempt a genuine expression of vulnerability. Just one, “Blank Page,”
finds her looking inside and taking some blame. It’s a pretty song, if one that blatantly rides Adele’s
coattails. Not only does “Page” employ the same piano/voice arrangement as that star’s “Someone Like You,”
Aguilera apes the precise length of Adele’s notes.

It’s hardly the only song here to nick another woman’s style. In “Cease Fire” and “Around the World”
Aguilera affects an improbable island accent, à la Rihanna, while “Just a Fool,” sounds like something
Linda Perry would have written for Pink.

In that last number, Aguilera duets with fellow “Voice” judge Blake Shelton — in a way that’s telling. He
sings with measured resolve while she nearly suffocates him. It’s certainly a powerful approach, but it
comes at the cost of communicating genuine soul.

Track Listing

1. Lotus Intro
2. Army Of Me
3. Red Hot Kinda Love
4. Make the World Move Feat. CeeLo Green
5. Your Body
6. Let There Be Love
7. Sing For Me
8. Blank Page
9. Cease Fire
10. Around The World
11. Circles
12. Best Of Me
13. Just A Fool Feat. Blake Shelton

[TraceNspace]

I probably won't even give this one a listen but I will say I always thought she was a better singer than Britney and I never understood why Ms. Spears got more attention.

[SteveO]

Yup me too ! Probably won't give it a listen...the style of this music is saturating the record business !

However I think Christina is a dam good singer and I don't mind looking at her on The Voice !...lol

[CRAZY-HORSE]

heard your link...not really impressed, so i wont bother with the rest of it, but the girl can really sing when she chooses to,shame she doesnt do it that often....

[Music Head]

agree with the comments on her voice
great ballad singer if she'd stick to that
Blank Page is a good song here plus the thing with Blake
just the song style of most of this that's a turn off for me
I do watch The Voice to see if her boobs will fall out

[SteveO]

lol...gotta luv the MH !!!...I watch for the same reason !!!!!

agree with the comments on her voice
great ballad singer if she'd stick to that
Blank Page is a good song here plus the thing with Blake
just the song style of most of this that's a turn off for me
I do watch The Voice to see if her boobs will fall out

[xtian]

Nothings change in Christina's Body and face. she is beautiful.