måndag 24 Maj 2010, 23:45
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In July 2008, Christina Aguilera spoke to Glamour magazine about her upcoming album. "I'll be referencing Pop Art, Andy Warhol’s art. So it will sound fun and fast-paced." It had also been reported that she had begun collaborating with electropop superstars Goldfrapp, Ladytron, Sia, and Le Tigre - a bold move for a pop star at that time. In November 2008, she released her first greatest hits album which featured the half-assed "Keeps Gettin' Better" (a sad imitation of Goldfrapp's "Ooh La La"), "Dynamite", and electronic reworkings of "Genie In A Bottle" ("Genie 2.0") and "Beautiful" ("You are What You Are (Beautiful)". These new songs were called a 'taste' of what was to come for her next album. Well…these songs tasted like ass but how could you go wrong with acts like Goldfrapp and Ladytron?
So…let's get a few things clear. Aguilera's intentions for her new album was to bring electropop to the mainstream with an Andy Warhol "Pop Art" inspired image? Got it?
In August 2008, a New York native by the name of Lady Gaga, heavily influenced by Andy Warhol, avant-garde fashion, and pop art - released her debut album "The Fame". Her single "Just Dance" was under the radar and slowly taking off on the radio. Gaga's #1 fan at the time, blogger Perez Hilton, accused Aguilera of stealing Gaga's image for her performance at the 2008 MTV Music Video Awards. When Aguilera was confronted with these accusations, Aguilera told the L.A. Times, "I’m not quite sure who this person is, to be honest. I don’t know if it is a man or a woman. I just wasn’t sure. I really don't spend any time on the Internet, so I guess I live a little under a rock in that respect."
By April 2009, Christina Aguilera didn't need to go online to know who Lady Gaga was. Her singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face" were back-to-back #1 hits and went on to sell 4 million copies each in the United States. Obviously, Aguilera needed to revamp her album and move far away from her initial direction to avoid more accusations of imitating the newest pop princess.
So what do you do to avoid being accused of imitating Lady Gaga? Simple! Imitate EVERYONE ELSE.
Aguilera gets completely lost and hides herself behind her songwriters and producers to the point where it's hard to tell if it's even her. This album is based on Aguilera giving her best impersonations of her favorite artists from the opening and title track "Bionic" (Santigold impersonation) to the Harajuku Barbie anthem "Woo Hoo" (with the Nicki Minaj hook) to "Glam" (Aguilera's failed attempt to make her own Madonna -esque "Vogue" anthem) to "My Girls" (a bad Peaches impersonation) to "Desnudate" (which sounds like an early or alternative version of Britney's "I Got A Plan (Get Naked)", and last but not least, the Janet Jackson-esque "Morning Desert Intro". And hell, since Christina is imitating every great female pop star this decade, she might as well rip herself off! "Sex For Breakfast" is a rewrite and reworking of "Loving Me For Me" (from her best album "Stripped") and "I Hate Boys" a half-assed reworking of the half-assed "Keeps Gettin' Better".
I have a feeling most of these songs were less of a collaboration with these artists and more like re-recordings of unreleased tracks from their previous albums - as a song like "Elastic Love" would have fit well on M.I.A.'s album "Kala" and "My Girls" would have fit appropriately on Peaches' "I Feel Cream" album.
If she had waited a little longer, we would have gotten Max Martin & Dr. Luke to make some Ke$ha songs for Mrs. Bratman.
And let's not get me started on the album's calculating lead single, which sounds like every popular song on the radio from 2006 to 2009. The percussion and drums of Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack", the synthesizers of Britney Spears' "Break The Ice", with a Rihanna-esque melody. 1+1+1 = Hit? Obviously not.
Aguilera's biggest problem in her music is that she spends so much time trying to 're-invent' herself that she forgets to add personality to her new 'visions' (if that's what you want to call them) and tries to justify her ego and self-righteousness as a personal trait. Yes Christina, we get that you're sexy, confident, and a superwoman, you say it every 5 minutes…but who are you? Without a personality and your own style, how can you work with such powerful and distinct artists without them overshadowing you on your own album? Madonna can work with Justin Timberlake and still sound like Madonna ("Miles Away"), and even the recently leaked demo of Lady Gaga's "Telephone" performed by Britney Spears proves that Britney can still sound like the Britney YOU all love.
Aguilera's only trait is the fact that she can take a note and sing it all the way to hell and back. Her trademark oversinging can be found in the Linda Perry song "Lift Me Up" and the Sia-penned "You Lost Me" which could be considered by fans, to be as distinct of a style as Aguilera is capable of.
The album's standout track is "I Am". Here, Aguilera ditches the oversinging and shows a new side of her voice without impersonating someone else. It would have made a nice album closer rather than "Vanity". After 17 songs of doing everything to steer clear of Lady Gaga, here comes "Vanity", which sounds like a B-side off of "The Fame". Proof that Aguilera has failed from every angle with "Bionic".
2 stars. This album is a fucking mess.
Key Tracks: "Elastic Love", "I Am"