Christina Aguilera - Lotus (Album Review)
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Monday, 19 November 2012 |
Written by Jaspreet Kaur Takhi
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Christina Aguilera hasn't had the best few years; her last album, 2010’s 'Bionic' sold half a million copies which, in comparison to the 12 million sold of 2002’s monster hit 'Stripped' made 'Bionic' a commercial disaster leaving the record company’s coffers with much less money than they had started with. She also got divorced, released the box office turkey 'Burlesque' and to top off what has been referred to by some as her annus horriblis, became a size 12 (shock horror).
 As indicated from the title, 'Lotus' symbolises Aguilera’s rebirth as an artist emerging from the rubble of recent years. She vehemently addresses the obstacles she’s faced and this album is most definitely cathartic for the 31-year-old judge of the US version of The Voice.
As expected from Aguilera, her power ballads are nothing short of stunning with 'Sing for Me', a personal anthem which reminded me of 'Keep Singin’ My Song' from 'Stripped'. The collaboration with the woman of the moment Sia, 'Blank Page' is also a highlight which showcases exactly why Christina Aguilera is a multi platinum selling star with that hair-raising Aguilera falsetto that is like music marmite. However, and although I hate to say that there is a however, the ballads which form a small portion of the album cannot conceal the lacklustre tracks that form the rest of the record. The so-called radio friendly songs are pleasant enough to listen to casually and can keep you engaged when you are getting ready for a girly night out but lack any real substance lyrically or musically. This is not what I am accustomed to when listening to a Christina Aguilera album and a lot of the tracks on 'Lotus' can only be described as generic, with the ballads being the album’s saving grace. 'Let There Be Love' is a solid and heavy dance track, surpassing the Max Martin produced 'Your Body' which evidently has had the most work put into it creatively and commercially but fails to pack a punch like previous hits. 'Make the World Move' is collaboration with her fellow judge from The Voice Cee-Lo Green, but you wouldn’t know if you hadn’t read the sleeve (or your iPod screen) as you can barely hear him! These songs glue the album together satisfactorily but not enough to make it stand tall among some of the other standout releases of the year.
My final verdict: 'Lotus' is frankly an average effort from an above average artist, which is what makes it so frustrating. If anyone else had released it I would probably have been less scathing. 'Lotus' is good, but not great, which is not what one expects from someone in the upper echelons of the music world like Christina Aguilera. Her talent and potential have in my opinion been done a disservice in this album. Having said all this, I will still be queuing up for her 2013 tour...
'Lotus' was released on 9th November 2012 by RCA Records.
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