Greetings,
Seriously, I have NO idea why I own a copy of this album? I'm not exactly a huge fan of Christina Aguilera's, though I do enjoy some of her songs. I'm almost certain that I obtained this by way of one those Columbia House deals. Apparently, I could only think of eleven albums I wanted for a penny, so I had an extra slot, and this got it. At the time, though, I remember being interested in the concept of what she was doing with this, and that it may have a chance at being good because it was something different. But is different always good? Let's find as we discuss this work.
Back to Basics was released in August of 2006, and it is a double album. Let's just get this out of the way. It did not need to be a double album. Look, I'm not picking on specifically on her for this. We all know that, outside of greatest hits compilations, there are very few double albums that need to be so. I mean, if I didn't let Fleetwood Mac get away with doing it when they needn't have, I sure as heck am not going to let her get away with it. And a lot of critics agreed with me on that. Most say it was just too much bogged down in the concept, which we'll get into later. Although, one reviewer apparently compared it to The White Album by The Beatles. Ummm . . . Yeah, no. Like, not even close. Moving on.
I guess I should talk about the concept of this concept album. I'm using that word a lot. Shame on me. So, the first half has a lot of urban influence with throwbacks to R&B. There was a lot of horn instrumentation and a gospel choir. It's this part where we got the first single "Ain't No Other Man", which I thought was pretty good and it did okay on the charts, crawling its way to #6. But it did get her a Grammy . . . and a sampling lawsuit. Well, you gotta take the sour with the sweet, I suppose. The section also has a pretty nice tribute to her mom called "Oh, Mother" and "Thank You" a dedication track to her fans. Those are always nice. And somehow, she got Steve Winwood on this thing. You go, girl.
The second half is even more conceptual, with something of a circus theme. Well, hang on a minute. Didn't Britney Spears do something like that a couple of years later? Hmmm . . . Anyway, most of the songs on this part were written by Christina and Linda Perry, which was a good idea considering their track record together, in theory. Most of the songs here are more jazzy and bluesy, more of that horn work, so musically, I thought it sounded great. Probably the most recognizable song from this was "Candy Man", Christina's dirty version "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" or something. Again, I like the music, but lyrically? Stop trying so hard. We get it. You have sex. Congratulations. Move on. Now I do really love her soulful vocals on "I Got Trouble", something she excels at a lot. I'm also a fan of the song "Save Me From Myself", which she wrote with Bill Bottrel, probably best known for his work with Sheryl Crow. So, no surprise that its style is a bit of a departure from the other tracks. Still good, though. But my favorite song on the whole album, both parts, is "Hurt". Not gonna lie. It kinda hit me in the feels.
So, my overall thoughts on Back to Basics are total A for Effort, but more of a C+, maybe a B-, for how much I actual like it as a whole. I can appreciate the creativity that went into it, and I don't doubt it was a labor of love. However, like I said, this should have been condensed into one album. Stretching it out so much just gave Christina more of a chance to do what she does quite a lot, which is more style than substance. Now, don't get me wrong. The woman has an amazing voice, but I like it so much better when she restrains herself. I know that there are times when we want the big notes and the vocal runs, but not all the time. In fact, I remember putting that "Say Something" song she did with A Great Big World on my best of the year list a while back. My biggest praise was how soft and beautiful she sounded. I'm no expert, but that's what I prefer from her. In short, if you're a fan, you'll like this, probably. I'm on the fence, but I always give credit where it's due. And it is certainly due for some of this project.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
