ALBUM REVIEW: BACK II BASICS - CHRISTINA AGUILERA

Album Review, written by Toya
Leak date: 3rd August 2006

Back II Basics comprises of 30s and 40s bluesy jazz and soul with a contemporary backdrop. I guess not to alienate today's fickle record-buying public (though she did say that one day she'd love to do a hardcore jazz album Norah Jones style). Even though I didn't like some of the tracks, the writing production was fantastically written and well polished. The lyrics are on another level. Make Me Wanna Pray leaves you feeling you're at your local church choir but she sings the hell out of this song and blows out her lung pipes in the process. She does in fact over-sing this track and if she's not careful, she will end up like Mariah and destroy that overpowering voice of hers. No need to over-sing Christina. We know you can sing.

Back In The Day is a lovely tribute to the greats and she gratifyingly acknowledges Donny Hathaway, James Brown, Billy Holiday, Gladys Knight, Otis Reading and several other old-skool icons. Understand is a fantastic bluesy soul ballad and there's an old sample in there somewhere. Wonderful track. Slow Down Baby has been circulating for the past few weeks now and since I'm hearing this in high quality, the track is very solid. I love the saxophone in this track. Oh Mother is a deep but overpowering ballad with a sad but very inspiring message. Still Dirrty, (an ode to her Stripped era) is very old-skool and sounds a lot like Blu Cantrell's Oops (Hit Em Up Style). I like this. Cool beat.

Candyman is nauseatingly horrific, even in high quality. It sounds waaaay too much like that ludicrous track Mambo no 5 by Lou Bega. I cannot believe this is going to be the second single. I think that's a bad decision on her behalf, a decision she may fully regret. I think she should take a chance with a ballad like she did with Beautiful. She totally blew up with that, but hey, Bega had a massive no 1 hit so you never know. At the same time he was also a one-hit wonder, so go figure! I think the ballad Hurt would suffice quite well. Nasty Naughty Boy sounds too much like an old 40s musical. I was so excited about this track but unfortunately, I wasn't feeling it. The Right Man is a great but very emotional dedication to her husband. Overall whilst this album was all over the place in some areas and hard to get into in others, I think this is grade A quality and is definitely up there with Stripped, if not, better.

Rating: 4/5