Only a couple years have passed since 2010, but in that short time, Christina Aguilera has been on the verge of a career meltdown. Her album "Bionic" became her lowest seller ever, she starred in the critically panned "Burlesque", she divorced husband Jordan Bratman, and then there was that unfortunate mishap singing the national anthem... When faced with such trials and tribulations, one might think to retreat from the spotlight and carefully contemplate their next career move. But not Christina, like every other instance in her life, she just kept marching on, despite commercial disappointment. She landed a job on singing competition The Voice, where she met Maroon 5 front-man Adam Levine, and created "Moves Like Jagger", one of 2011's definitive songs. With this newly re-opened window, Christina took no time at all to put together a brand new album, this time titled "Lotus". It's very appropriate, the lotus flower is virtually indestructible, but in context with the album's content, "Soldier" or "Phoenix" would have been even more fitting titles.
For one, "Lotus" would suggest that this album would be as warm and as soft as the flower itself, which it isn't, and the naked cover of Christina would also suggest that this album would be centered around her body, which it isn't. What "Lotus" is, is an album about the concept of being indestructible. Christina fills the album top to bottom with songs centered around the same, thundering beat. Starting with "Army of Me", which Christina claimed to be "Fighter 2.0" (which is a big stretch, as "Army" contains close to zero similarities to "Fighter"), an ending with "Best of Me", Christina powers through the gloss with her powerhouse voice. All of these staid marching beats become interesting with her usual vocal charisma. Although, as her voice is fuller than it was on "Bionic", what's also back is her tendency to over-sing (which she, unfortunately, does one time too many on "Lotus"). However, with her vocal gymnastics aside, it's also nice to hear a Christina that's energized and excited about the music she's making. "Red Hot Kinda Love" is a deliriously-fun modern-swing that recalls "Back to Basics", while the lead single "Your Body" is one of the best dance-pop songs she's ever recorded, complete with a monster-sized, driving hook. Quite frankly, she hasn't sounded this energetic since "Back to Basics", and she also hasn't felt this fresh since her debut. Overall, "Lotus" is a drastic improvement over its predecessor, mainly because it has more hooks, better collaborations (with other Voice personnel Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green), and not as many boring ballads (see "Sing for Me"). However, what "Lotus" isn't, is a complete mainstream comeback. Once again, due to her over-singing, the music usually overpowers her voice in order to compensate, resulting in no more than a loud wash of sound, where everything gets buried and indistinct. Still, the highs of "Lotus" haven't been seen since her artistic breakthrough "Stripped", and while it's not a knock-out punch that is enjoyable upon the first listen, "Lotus" deserves a fair shot. It's a step in the right direction, at least, as it proves that Christina is returning to being an artist unafraid of contradicting herself ("Make the World Move" preaches world peace, while "Circles" tells the haters to 'spin around on my middle finger'), who can carry a tune strongly ("Blank Page" is a good example as any), and can fill a record head to toe with songs that aren't strict surface pleasure, they require a few spins in order to fully catch hold. "Lotus" plays it safe, indeed, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, because it also turned out to be her most satisfying album in over six years.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Lotus
(Intro) 2. Army of Me 3. Red
Hot Kinda Love
4. Make the World Move 5. Your
Body 6.
Let There Be Love
7. Sing for Me 8. Blank
Page 9.
Cease Fire
10. Around the World 11. Circles 12.
Best of Me
13. Just a Fool 
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