| | Full Review | Ratings (154) |
Give your Rating |
| 0.0 | | November 14th 12 |
Subtlety not being part of Christina Aguilera’s vocabulary, she trades the retro-swing of Back to Basics for the future-pop of Bionic, receiving assists from a roster that reads like a who’s-who of progressive pop in 2010: M.I.A., Le Tigre, Peaches, and John Hill & Switch, known for their work with Santigold. But like the half-cyborg/half-diva illustration of the album cover, this revamp is only partial. Aguilera hedges her bets by adding a ballad from old friend Linda Perry, gets Tricky Stewart to produce a trio of cuts, drafts Polow da Don and Focus… to produce some heavy and slow R&B, respectively, letting enough air into the machines to reassure hesitant fans that she hasn’t abandoned her roots. All this hesitancy means that for as many risks as it takes, Bionic doesn’t feel daring. Apart from the stuttering opener of the title track and glassy chill of “Elastic Love,” notably the two Hill & Switch productions, this never delivers the future shock it promises, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, because the robot-diva hybrids are often interesting even when they stumble, as they do on “WooHoo,” its incessant title loop piercing like a dental drill. Exhibit A in Xtina’s curious tin ear for sex, “WooHoo” doesn’t work as temptation, not when the chorus come-on is “licky licky yum yum,” but her crassness is no longer alienating as it was on Stripped; it’s simply part of her persona, just like her shameless narcissism, showcased on the closing “Vanity,” where she gets her kid to confirm that she’s the greatest of them all. This triumphant self-possession comes so naturally to Christina that it’s hard not to wish that she acted so boldly throughout Bionic, letting the entirety of the record be as distinctly odd as its best moments. Frankly, the deluxe edition of Bionic does suggest what the album could have been: it’s supplemented by four bonus songs that are wildly imaginative, whether it’s the clattering, chanting “Bobblehead,” the cool synth glide of “Birds of Prey,” the perfect new wave pop of “Monday Morning,” or Sia’s mournful ballad “Stronger Than Ever.” In their place on the album proper are competent, relatively colorless club odes to fashion and fabulousness and Perry’s boring inspirational “Lift Me Up,” songs that play to Aguilera’s persona without inhabiting it. The rest of Bionic -- not just the hipster flirtations and Sia’s trio of richly ruminative AAA ballads, but the tracks directly within Aguilera’s wheelhouse, like Tricky Stewart’s wildly successful, slinky “Desnudate,” and the sultry slow burner “Sex for Breakfast” -- find Christina not playing to expectations but simply acting as a natural diva and is all the more compelling for it.
Bump |
| 2.0 poor | prettymarie | December 7th 11 |
First off, I would like to say that i'm completely obsessed with this woman. Christina Aguilera has the most amazing voice of my time, IMO. And she's totally gorgeous. This album was a major disappointment because it was just a collection of garbage. I'm still confused and infuriated that the epic track "You Lost Me" was anywhere near the other lame excuses for music featured on this bullshit, I mean, album. Prima Donna is actually pretty good in comparison to the others, and woohoo is fun. Her voice is amazing as usual though.
Bump |
| 2.5 average | caiocoletti | October 9th 10 |
I was sooo happy with the Back to Basic's style... This one isn't bad at all, but Xtina can do better.
Bump |
| 0.0 | Bitchfork | June 18th 10 |
Okay so "You Lost Me" is beautiful but everything else is just reminiscent of some hypewoman (who's stuck in Madonna's and Gaga's footsteps) teaching an informal anatomy class above dreadful club beats.
Bump |
| 0.0 | Counterfeit | June 12th 10 |
"OMG I WANNA BE LADY GAGA HUGE AGAINNNNNNNNNNN" SO I'M GONNA BASICALLY COPY LADY GAGA N
STUFF
Bump |
| 3.0 good | BSX | June 12th 10 |
Christina comes back into the music world with a vengeance and in a way repeats history with her
Dirrty part 2 video "Not Myself Tonight". Her voice is strong as ever yet on some tracks like
"Bionic" and "Elastic Love" the focus seems to be more on the music and less on the vocals much
like Britney's Blackout. She also uses sex like Madonna and Janet as a form of power (tracks like
"Woohoo" and "Sex For Breakfast" are prime examples), but it's the ballads that make Bionic shine.
Tracks 11 through 15 are reminders of Back to Basics and are a welcome change from the electro-
sexual nature that dominates the record. Hopefully Christina will worry less about trying to keep
her "spot" in the music realm and focus more on making quality tunes. Download: Desnudate, Glam,
Sex For Breakfast, Lift Me Up, All I Need, and My Girls.
Bump |
| 2.0 poor | Matty CONTRIBUTOR | September 22nd 22 |
| 2.5 average | Harlz | February 26th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | JoshieG | January 13th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | alamo | November 9th 19 |
| 1.5 very poor | fog | August 20th 19 |
| 3.0 good | LeoAV | November 20th 18 |
| 2.0 poor | dunnope | September 17th 18 |
| 2.5 average | rmcrae | August 19th 18 |
| 1.5 very poor | solrage | October 31st 17 |
| 1.0 awful | Michael | September 17th 17 |
| 2.0 poor | rasi | August 7th 16 |
| 2.5 average | ABlake | October 23rd 15 |
| 2.0 poor | Krimea | December 24th 14 |
| 2.0 poor | ariich | October 3rd 14 |
| 3.5 great | miyo | May 4th 14 |
| 2.5 average | Viales | April 7th 14 |
| 2.5 average | Syiman | December 1st 13 |
| 3.5 great | DNNY | May 12th 13 |
| 1.5 very poor | RuanCSC | January 6th 13 |
| 1.5 very poor | poke2002 | December 15th 12 |
| 3.0 good | chayka | November 7th 12 |
| 1.5 very poor | Solisis | September 24th 12 |
| 2.5 average | jpratm | August 28th 12 |
| 1.5 very poor | Leliana | July 24th 12 |
| 2.0 poor | kojpl | July 7th 11 |
| 1.0 awful | Zo0lz | April 30th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | AMGuide | November 5th 10 |
| 1.0 awful | ladi | November 2nd 10 |
| 2.0 poor | IN64 | October 2nd 10 |
| 1.5 very poor | Comj | August 31st 10 |
| 2.5 average | Vanwarp | August 25th 10 |
| 1.5 very poor | Iai EMERITUS | July 18th 10 |
| 3.0 good | Vesey | June 13th 10 |
| 2.0 poor | mvdu | June 12th 10 |
| |
Give Your Opinion on Bionic
|
