Underrated: Christina Aguilera - Bionic

‘Underated’ is back, back, back this week with a look at Christina Aguilera’s ‘Bionic’.

Christina Aguilera’s album ‘Bionic’ is one that many of her fans in the UK and Europe will have no idea exists.  But did you know that ‘Bionic’ was actually a record breaking number one album in the UK?  It holds the title as the fewest selling number one album in British chart history and the fastest drop in UK album chart history, falling from number one to number thirty-six.  Ok, so they’re hardly record breaking achievements Aguilera is likely to be shouting from the roof tops, but the fact that it got to number one at all considering the lack of promotion it received outside the US is quite a feat.

When ‘Bionic’ was released in June 2010, Aguilera found herself in a strange position.  Since her hugely successful sophomore album ‘Stripped’ in 2002 she had enjoyed being the top pop princess on the scene thanks to Madonna’s move in to electro dance music and Britney’s move to the psyche ward.  Despite lacklustre sales of it’s follow-up ‘Back to Basics’ in 2006, ‘Stripped’ and it’s hit singles such as ‘Dirrty’ and ‘Fighter’ had established Aguilera as a unique and exciting talent.  Then in 2008, whilst Christina was busy raising her first child, one four letter word burst on to the scene and changed everything: Gaga.

With the huge success of her first two albums, Lady Gaga became the most unique and creative talent in some years to find major mainstream success.  Basically, Gaga turned the pop music world on it’s head, she was able to raise the bar and all other female pop stars had begun to be compared to her.  Beyonce made the first move and instead of competing against Gaga, actually teamed up with her on the hit singles ‘Videophone’ and ‘Telephone’.  Now, nearly five years since her last studio album, Christina Aguilera was about to release her new CD in to a post-Gaga world with one problem - she had no idea anything had changed.

Since releasing her greatest hits disc in 2008, Christina had excited fans by hinting her next album would have hints of electronica music and focus on the future – in direct contrast to the throw-back themes of ‘Back to Basics’.  Many critics were also intrigued when Aguilera announced she was working with electro queen Peaches and New York transgender group Le Tigre on the new album.  So when it was revealed the first single from the album ‘Not Myself Tonight’ would be produced by hip-hop heavy weight Polow da Don, many were confused as to how this would fit in with the fresh new, futuristic sound Christina had promised.  The truth is, it didn't.

‘Not Myself Tonight’ is not a terrible song, remixed and played really loud it’s actually very good, but in it’s radio edited existence it lacks anything particularly attention grabbing or different to what you can already hear by other less established artists.  It didn’t help that the video Aguilera made for the single is absolutely ridiculous – over stylised, over sexed and over the top, not to mention a homage rip-off of several other music videos by Madonna and Beyonce.  For some reason many detractors accused Aguilera of copying Lady Gaga in both music and image with ‘Not Myself Tonight’, but to be honest I don’t see it.  This bad press sent Christina’s record label in to panic mode and all overseas promotion was cancelled to concentrate on the US market.

Aguilera’s problem is that she paid no attention to what had happened in music and pop culture in the time she was away.  One look at the Billboard top 100, or even a trip to a club would have given Christina all the hints she needed as to where to take her music next, instead she just did what she wanted to, as she always has.  And one look at her record sales in recent years would have shown her that would be a mistake.  As a result when ‘Bionic’ (a title in relation to the futuristic direction Aguilera wanted to go in) was released, it struggled to get any attention from the music buying public, radio or TV.

Luckily for Aguilera ‘Bionic’ is actually a pretty good body of work and had it been released two or three years earlier it would have been a huge success.  The more poppy tracks like the ode to loving yourself album-closer ‘Vanity’ (a former song of the moment) and the Peaches/Le Tigre collaboration ‘My Girls’ prove Aguilera has a sense of humour.  The album’s title track and the MIA penned ‘Elastic Love’ have a genuine futuristic sound and either would have been a far better choice for first single, whilst ‘I Am’ and ‘You Lost Me’ both written by Aguilera and Australian singer Sia, find Christina singing in new and more moving ways than ever before.

Other great tracks include the fun hip-hop/pop track ‘Woohoo’ featuring Nicki Minaj and the sensual ‘Sex for Breakfast’, however neither are particularly unique and once again, not really futuristic.  One track ‘Prima Donna’ sounds like something Ciara would have made on her last album, certainly not a bad thing, but probably not the kind of comparison Aguilera would have wanted.  If only she had included more tracks like bonus songs ‘Monday Morning’ and ‘Birds of Prey’ on the main disc, these are truly unique electro-pop songs that would certainly have better suited ‘Bionic’s mission statement.

There could still be hope for ‘Bionic’.  Despite the first two singles ‘Not Myself Tonight’ and ‘You Lost Me’ not receiving much attention, there are enough great songs on there for Aguilera to turn it around.  The trouble is, with the release of the soundtrack to her first movie role ‘Burlesque’ this November, has Christina given up on ‘Bionic’?  I guess we’ll find out, but it would be a shame to see an artist who claims to put so much in to her art, to just abandon her latest work.  And if not, let’s hope Aguilera rediscovers her own artistic identity and is able to make an album as unique as she thinks it is.