You won’t find the next “Genie in a Bottle” on Christina Aguilera’s latest release, Lotus.
Christina’s been preparing for her launch back into superstardom for a while now.
Since her Bionic album flopped (and its accompanying tour was cancelled), her movie Burlesque failed to live up to the hype, and she divorced her husband Justin Bratman in 2010, she’s rebounded after she became a coach on The Voice.
Not only do 12.2 million viewers tune in to see Aguilera coach aspiring singers each week, the star’s scored her first number one hit in a decade in her collaboration with fellow Voice coach Maroon 5 fronrtman Adam Levine for “Moves Like Jagger.”
In fact, Aguilera’s best songs on Lotus are her collaborations with her fellow Voice coaches Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton.
“Make the World Move,” her 1940s-esque dance song complete with a brassy arrangement that features Cee Lo, is reminiscent of 2006’s “Back to Basics” alongside “Ain’t No Other Man” and “Candyman.”
You won’t mind, though: after it’s remixed, it’ll definitely be playing on repeat on Saturday nights in your fraternity house of choice.
Her duet with Blake Shelton, “Just a Fool,” her last song on the album, put Christina’s powerhouse pipes to the test with a country-rock ballad.
As always, Christina rises to the challenge — and you’ll remember why you fell in love with her in the first place. Besides her duets, her dance songs are definitely the strongest songs: if “Your Body” is a grown up version of “Dirrty,” “Around the World” tries to be this generation’s “Lady Marmalade.”
Unfortunately, it doesn’t pack the same punch — the most fun verse on the track is her reference to the 2001 cover with “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?”
“Red Hot Kinda Love” also is a standout, similar in sound to something off Britney Spears’ 2008 “Circus,” but with the playful, funky melodies Christina’s mastered.
Expect to hear “Red Hot Kinda Love” on the radio soon — if not, it’ll be ringing in your ears all. day. long.
Apart from these standout tracks, Christina’s other songs seem like tired versions of other songs — for instance, “Cease Fire” is a lot like Jordin Sparks’s “Battlefield,” but when she sings “The war that brings me to my knees/I’m tired of fighting for peace,” you don’t feel the same desperation and helplessness Sparks so effortlessly conveys.
The same goes for “Circles” — it’s definitely a fun, unexpected riot girl track, but for Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani, or Cher Lloyd, who channel that vibe much better than Aguilera does, it could be a bona fide hit.
Though Aguilera sings, “I look in my reflection and embrace the woman I’ve become./The unbreakable lotus in me, I now set free,” “Lotus” couldn’t be more different than any other of her albums. And that’s fine.
All in all, Lotus is much better than Bionic. If you’re looking for the tracks similar to those that made Christina famous — “Lady Marmalade,” “Beautiful,” or “Fighter” — you’re just going to have to hold out.
