Review: Lotus - Christina Aguilera

Interest in Christina Aguilera as a recording artist may have waned after the lacklustre performance of Bionic in 2010 but since then, it is her figure that has been the subject of media attention. True, we have seen her working her vocal chops alongside Cher in Burlesque and yes, she did achieve monumental success featuring on Maroon 5’s ‘Moves Like Jagger’ last year, but Aguilera’s return feels a long time coming. Lotus is definitely a step up from Bionic, having more commercially appealing pop songs and some nice personal touches; midway through Aguilera proclaims “when I open my mouth my whole heart pours out” and that definitely comes across on this album.

Things kick off with the ‘Lotus Intro’, a strong albeit slightly repetitive opener that signals the singer’s rebirth and by track two there are no questions about the album’s intentions. In that sense it is reminiscent of 2002’s Stripped. A comparison which is further justified in the following tracks; ‘Army of Me’ is one of the best songs on the album and it is impossible to listen to it without thinking of Stripped’s ‘Fighter’, which can’t be a bad thing really. These songs are Aguilera at her best: strong, vocally outstanding and sexy.

And it is fair to say that Aguilera has well and truly turned up the sexy by the time lead single ‘Your Body’ kicks in. This song makes my list of 2012’s best pop songs and its club-ready beat and catchy chorus make it a standout on the Lotus track list. I am, however, a little disappointed that the album only includes the radio edit and the more risqué version is nowhere to be seen. I enjoy both renditions but can’t help but feeling the explicit lyrics pack more of a punch.

Lotus is fairly predictable in its progression. After a block of insanely catchy songs including ‘Your Body’ and what should be the next single ‘Let there Be Love’, Aguilera spends time taking on ballads ‘Sing For Me’, ‘Cease Fire’ and ‘Blank Page’. You can almost assume that any ballad by Christina Aguilera will be good but the latter is definitely the strongest in this instance. ‘Blank Page’ is beautifully written and performed with just a simple piano for accompaniment. Perfect.

However, Aguilera should not be accused of playing it safe on this album; Lotus takes some unexpected and genre-mixing turns. Take ‘Around the World’ and ‘Red Hot Kinda Love,’ which draw upon Aguilera’s Latin roots, for example, or ‘Just A Fool’ with its country twang, thanks to an appearance by Blake Shelton. Lyrically, ‘Circles’ also grabs the listener’s attention from the get-go with some sassy lines like “spin around in circles on my middle finger”. Not what I expected at all, but I am pleasantly surprised by the track; it is playful, memorable and if, like me, you were missing the explicit version of ‘Your Body’, you’ll be happy to know Aguilera’s potty-mouth is in full effect on this song.

Despite some issues I have with the tracklisting, Lotus is certainly a return to form for Christina Aguilera, who seems to have rediscovered herself here. She makes Lotus entirely her own and her artistic identity is clear throughout (something I think was missing from Bionic). Lotus is an excellent pop album and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.