Customer Reviews

BIONIC (Explicit)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

'Bionic', Christina Aguilera's follow-up to 2006's 'Back to Basics' is aptly titled; like any machine, there's a lot going on, a lot of pieces and work that goes into making things function normally, and there's always something in need of fine-tuning. 'Bionic' presents a different Christina Aguilera than we're accustomed to: one that is on the defensive, desperate to reaffirm her place amongst other music and pop stars. Unfortunately, `Bionic' is just the little album that couldn't. It's not firing on all cylinders, if it is indeed "bionic" then it is due for some heavy maintenance and servicing because this is (in my opinion) Christina Aguilera's worst album to date.

The Good: Sound wise, 'Bionic''s strength lies with Aguilera willing to delve into so many different new sounds. If you were bored or overwhelmed by Back to Basics, or miss the edgy material of Stripped, 'Bionic' attempts to find a middle ground to please old and new fans alike. The opening track, "Bionic", serves as a fair warning that what you're about to hear isn't typical Aguilera stuff. She raps, she lets her voice be processed, tweaked, twirked and made mechanical sounding and sets the tone that this is an album meant to make you move. Like the cover and art work suggests, the album could be said to be split into two distinct sections: there's the first half which is very electronic, dance and mechanical sounding with Aguilera's usual vocal stylings toned down if not completely eliminated in favor of raps, hyper beats and club-orientated sounds. The second half is far more organic and human sounding, favoring songs about motherhood and emotion. There are some very upbeat, pop, catchy songs such as "Not Myself Tonight", "Woohoo", "Prima Donna" and more tame, ballad-type tracks like "You Lost Me" and "Lift Me Up" that feel as if they were included to reassure fans that the old Christina Aguilera is still present underneath the layers of machines and processed vocals on other tracks. The attention given to the album art, from the cover to the inner notes and photos, is great. Christina channels a new persona, 'Madame X', with some very risque, provocative imagery. The artist responsible for the art this era, D*Face, found fun ways to play with the 'bionic' theme by manipulating some of the images to make Aguilera appear somewhat robotic.

The Bad: While it's easy to see and accept that 'Bionic' was meant to be different and less serious than 'Back to Basics', it feels like a complete step-down from all the work Aguilera has done over the years to set herself apart as being a unique artist. Up until this release, she's never felt too concerned and worried about standing out or not being taken seriously. This album feels like a desperate attempt to convince the listeners that she's still relevant and worthy of her fame after such a long departure from the scene. Her attempt to re-invent herself into the edgy, fun, provocative singer who's more provocative and attractive than mother-like seems entirely unnecessary. What made Christina Aguilera stand out in her previous work is in fact that she didn't rely on autotune or computers to manipulate her voice to make her music interesting. Yet, 'Bionic' relies heavily on beats, voice and pitch tuning and mimicking the producers of her tracks (Sia, M.I.A., Ladytron, Peaches) and in the end, the artist is really lost within layers of sounds and beats. The first half of the album feels poorly pieced together. While "Elastic Love", "Glam", "Desnudate" are average music tracks that anyone, and I mean anyone, could have pulled off. Lyrically, Aguilera spends much of her time describing how great she is, why she is famous, why she's glamorous, why she's better than anyone on the scene and in the appropriately final track "Vanity" she even goes so far to review all of these questions and asks the listener "Who owns the thrown?" to which her child answers "You do, Mommy." I found myself unintentionally amused by her vanity and preoccupation with herself (her vanity, her fantasies, pleasures are all addressed on 'Bionic'). Missing from this album is the Christina Aguilera we've come to know and like: where is the real singing? Where is the confidence and desire to make music that no one else is making? 'Bionic' is an average album that any singer could have put out with the same sound and success; a true Christina Aguilera production it is not.

In most of the press and interviews for this album, Aguilera and her label has described 'Bionic' as having a futuristic sound. They failed to mention that the tracks that really experimented with sound and felt a bit on the side of futuristic were saved for the deluxe edition's bonus tracks. If you want variety, definitely purchase BIONIC - DELUXE (Explicit).

In all, 'Bionic' is a disappointment in that it feels like Christina Aguilera and her label tried to dumb down her music and sound to make her fit with other pop star acts, which ultimately failed. 'Bionic' has a very clunky feel - unlike past albums where the music seamlessly fit together to tell an overall story, this album felt loose and all over the place as if Aguilera is unsure where she wants to go or where she fits in after taking so much time off in between releases. Too many of the tracks felt wasted by either being totally unnecessary (all of the intros) or sounding like Christina Aguilera putting aside her vocal skills and talents in favor of imitating other artists and their styles and sounds. The music and release sounds rushed and I have a hard time believing it took two years to piece this together but it sounds as if it were slapped together in two months or worse, two weeks. A lot of these tracks, after a listen or two, are skip-worthy, unfortunately. Hopefully, 'Bionic' gives Christina Aguilera her opportunity to vocally rest and try out club/dance music and she won't keep her fans waiting another four or five years for music and material that better fits her voice and talents.

Listen to These: "Lift Me Up", "I Hate Boys", "Bionic", "Woohoo", "Vanity", "Prima Donna"

When I originally heard this CD, I was going to rate it 3 stars, but I decided to hold off on reviewing it for a few weeks.

You see, this isn't one of those CD's that you like instantly (especially by Christina standards), but if you keep listening to it, you'll like it more.

Anyway...

Christina starts us off with the title track "Bionic" saying that she's going to take over our minds and we'll shout her name "X-X-X-T-T-T-I-I-I-N-N-N-A".

The next song is "Not Myself Tonight", where Christina pretty much admits this album isn't who she is normally. In this Edited version, the F word is censored.

Then comes "Woohoo", a duet with new artist Nicki Minaj, where Christina and Nicki are flirting with guys, asking if they want to see their *woohoo*'s.

In "Elastic Love", Christina sings about loving a person whose love for her is like a rubber band 'cause it comes and goes over and over again.

"Desnudate" - if you speak Spanish, the title pretty much says it all. Christina wants a boy to take his clothes for her.

"Love and Glamor" + "Glam" is where Christina talks about fashion being a lifestyle and getting glam.

I haven't listened to "Breakfast" because of the title, but don't let that stop you from giving it a try.

The next part of the album is all about the ballads.

Starting with the song "Lift Me Up" where Christina wants her love to just lift her up and get her through this night.

"My Heart" is the best Intro on the album in my opinion. Christina's little boy says "mama" in the cutest way. :)

"All I Need" is then Christina's dedication to her son, Max, about him being all she needs. So sweet. :)

The second single on the CD, "You Lost Me", is about Christina's date turning out to be a cheater. Very sad. :/

"I H ate Boys" - well, not much more to say there. The title says it all. Christina doesn't like boys, at all. Which is kind of ironic considering she's married to one. ;P

"My G irls" is a duet with Peaches, about Christina and her g irls doing their thing, making music.

And the grand finale, "Vanity", is about Christina "not being c ocky, but LOOOVVVINNGGG herself" - not really the best song in my opinion, but you can decide that for yourself.

So, in the end, this album is very underated; don't let all the negative reviews stop you from buying it. Again, you probably won't like it after just one listen, but it just keeps gettin' better. ;)

I purchased the album today because I have been a huge fan since day one and I have always thought of her to be my favorite artist. However, I am really disappointed with this it. I listened to it in full about a week ago online, and was not impressed, but I could not help but buy the CD because I am a fan. With another listen today of the actual album, nothing has changed. I am hoping that the songs grow on me, but unfortunately I don't think its likely.

Like others have said, she has a natural talent that is just completely covered with crap synthesizers. I don't want to listen to a machine, I want to listen to her!!! Also, I found myself laughing at times at some of the lyrics because they are just so ridiculous, stupid, and immature on some of the songs. (ex Vanity, Woo Hoo and I Hate Boys) The song "woo hoo" could be ok, but I really can't stand the lyrics like "licky licky yum yum". And on the Deluxe edition "Bobblehead" "wah wah wah wah wah"...I'm sorry is this a Kesha CD? (PS there's an example of no talent) I feel like she is SO much better than this album. Her lyrics are stupid and the songs are overproduced. Other than that, there is not much left. Her voice is great, I think she has established that by now, but you can't hear it except for on the ballads. Hopefully she pulls a Kelly Clarkson after whatever that December CD was and quickly comes out with something better, because this is very sub par :(

I want to still be a fan, but she is slowly losing me...

First of all, I can definitely understand all the negative comments about CA's latest, "Bionic." It's not quite the Christina Aguilera that many of her fans (myself included) know and love. Christina favors much vocal tweaking in this outing, which is a little disappointing, since I believe she possessess one of the greatest female voices in all of music.

Still, after one listen, I found that I enjoyed this quirky album. The reason for my opinion? The fact that Christina is a constantly evolving animal; she doesn't let fans settle into a groove, and that makes her CD fun. You absolutely never know that kind of Christina (or Xtina or Baby Jane) you're going to get when you pop in a new release. When she first hit the scene, she was another pop princess in the vein of Britney, Jessica, and Mandy. "Stripped" introduced us to the edgy, highly-sexual, dirrty girl Xtina. "Back to Basics" gave us old-school crooner Baby Jane. Now with "Bionic," we get a new, electrofied combination of everything.

Now, many of CA's fans are disappointed with her latest outing, but I give her kudos for constantly shaking her music up, knowing that it very well might cost her some fans. She makes music on her terms, with no apologies given, and that's cool.

It is essential to get the Deluxe version. Look up the Deluxe on Amazon and decide if you want to buy based on those reviews. The bonus tracks of the Deluxe are this album's finest, and complete it. They are CRITICAL.

FANTASTIC!!! It disappoints me that the album has received so many poor reviews. I question if people have even listened to it. It is a remarkable album, one of 2010's best. Way to go Christina!!!

I love this album! I anticipated for this album so long. I enjoyed listening to it. Despite the mixed reviews from fans and critics alike, I actually admire this album. This album reflects her ability to take range to new levels and use her voice in various ways never heard before. This album is described as a unique mix of many genres and styles of music. I hope this album will be just as successful as her previous releases.

This album has been a long time in waiting. I must say upon initial listen I was only half impressed with it. I was expecting some overly catchy hooks and something that was full force on like a whole album of songs like "Not Myself Tonight". (Which i am glad it wasn't actually)

When I first heard the single it took some adjusting to for sure. I have never heard her like this before. It was heavy on the synthesizers and effects. These are typically reserved for her popstar counter parts. I felt that the first half was a strong experience and then it just sort of tapered off to a stand still.


Well after a few listens. I must say there are solid tracks here. There are some that might even stand the test of time. The album starts off with Bionic. This song pulled me in instantly. Especially on my favorite part where she says " ready to go". Here is a slick Timbaland-like feel to with it with a little JT put in for good measure. It was different not having her belt it out all the time. That was the biggest adjustment like most songs on this album. Next comes the single which I now skip due to it being played out already. I did enjoy "Whoohoo" feat. Nicki.I was also surprised to learn that the whole chorus is done by aguilera herslef. She sort of raps and flows on this one. She works it out quite well.

I enjoyed Glam which is a modern take on Madonna's "Vogue" in my opinion.Once again christina holds back (vocally) for most of that song and that takes some getting used to. Primadonna is nice number but i think it could have benefited from some additonal voices on the chorus. I also kept expecting a rap to come on but it never does. Even though you hear voices of the ying yang twins or lil 'jon distinctly even though they never spit any ryhmes. Maybe it's an illusion?

I surprisingly enjoyed "Elastic Love" more than I thought I would. Even though it is hard to actually hear Christina on this track because her voice is put through so many effects that she is unrecognizable.

The ballads all work on this album. My favorite being "You Lost Me" this one screams single potential all over it. I also enjoyed "I Am" where for part of the song she sounds like something out of a old movie.It works well here.

I surprisingly also enjoyed "my girls" and "i hate boys" (even though i am one myself).

I felt the song Vanity was a little much especially on the part at the end about "who owns the throne?" and then her child answers she does. I know it was probably meant as a joke but it comes off like she is kind of full of herself.

The album version I got didn't have any bonus songs ,but from what I have heard from other reviews they are something worth listening to as well.


I think if you are used to hearing Christina a certain way you may be disappointed intially but give it a few listens you will be surprised at what you like. I give it album 4 stars out of 5.

I don't know if she was born with it or if vocal lessons or choirs cultivated it, but Christina Aguilera has a dynamite singing voice. Not only that, her voice has personality because she can sing pop, rock, gospel or any genre of music and make it sound wonderful. I just love her voice; loved it since the "Genie in a Bottle" days. But oh how things have changed since "Genie in a Bottle." She has reinvented herself time and again. To describe her in two words, I would say talented and creative. I just finished listening to "Bionic", (great title) and it is just all over the place, especially as far as instrumentation is concerned. The album is 79 minutes, but I wanted more. She definitely did not give me enough vocally. These songs were not meant to showcase her singing voice. These songs were created in an effort to show her versatility, and I respect that, but I could not get into the album as a whole, so I granted it 3 stars.

For the most part, this is an upbeat album. I would even say it is a concept album because it's influenced so much by futuristic/electronic sounds. For example, the albums title track. "Bionic" and "Elastic Love" are both heavily influenced by the electronica sound. I can say that I do not like this for Christina. When Christina is doing R&B, pop and ballads, that's when I am all into her because I can actually hear that great voice. When she performs ballads, she puts so much emotion into her songs that it's unforgettable. It sends chills through the listener. The only time we get that on "Bionic" is on "Lift Me Up", a fine moment on this album. The albums real highlight, though, is "Sex for Breakfast." As soon as I heard it, I added it to my iPod at once and played it repeatedly. This track is sensual and very likable. "Glam" is just an updated version of Madonna's "Vogue." Simply put, it's an ode to make-up and fashion. Overall, it's a cute song.

In conclusion, this album is an acquired taste. Buy it if you are into lengthy albums (AKA getting your moneys worth), the electronica sound, and/or pop.

Mikeisha's Top 5

1. "Sex for Breakfast"
2. "Lift Me Up"
3. "Making Dessert"
4. "I Am"
5. "Glam"

This album has taken quite a beating from reviewers, and in truth many of the criticisms are valid. Yes, her voice is seriously technoed in this album, and yes in sound it does remind me a lot of the Lady Gaga music that I am familiar with. Got it.

But, nonetheless, when I slipped this CD into my player I got a stream of hot music that I really liked. The computerization tinkered with Christina's voice, but it still shines through, and sounds great. What can I say, am I a Christina Aguilera expert? No. Did I like this album, oh yeah!

This is an enjoyable robotic romp of an album, and I liked it.

(Review of Bionic by Christina Aguilera)