In the four years between "Back to Basics" and "Bionic", Christina released her first greatest hits compilation and gave birth to her first child. Both events remind you not only how old she is, but how long she's been a star. Eighteen years to be exact, dating all the way back to her days as a Mouseketeer in the early 90s. While Christina's never dismissed the fact that she has a past, she also doesn't seem to want to fully acknowledge it, either. Just look at her first three albums: her debut was filled with adult contemporary ballads mixed with perfect pop confections, "Stripped" combined urban soul, R&B, and more of that pristine pop, and then "Back to Basics" took a complete U-turn and recalled the Motown and Big Band arrangements of the 50s-60s. Each album had a distinct personality, so distinct that they never seemed to note that they're all a part of one discography. So come 2010, and true to form, we once again find Christina progressing her sound with "Bionic", which is the exact opposite of "Back to Basics". Much like Madonna's "Hard Candy", "Bionic" is a steely, robotic, and aggressive sex album that succumbs to modern trends.
In fact, "Hard Candy" and "Bionic" share more similarities than one would think; for one, they're both very cold albums, "Hard Candy" was devoid of life while "Bionic" is a lean and mean synth-pop machine, one that seems to suck all of the emotion and richness in Christina's voice. She lets in enough air so that the machine works fluidly, but that can't hide the fact that Christina may no longer be on the cutting edge. "Bionic" aims to be a progressive pop album, even though she has no problem with giving into the siren call of the computer. A singer as sharp as Christina should know that these steely synths don't suit her, but in true X-Tina fashion, she offers blown-out, wall to wall action with her new found sound. Since she tries so hard, she does successfully hit the mark a few times throughout the album: there's the lead single "Not Myself Tonight" which effectively uses the synths and sex appeal to highlight her strengths, "WooHoo" drafts Nicki Minaj to deliver a delectable rap and the song title repeats itself incessantly, becoming an indelible hook that doesn't tire the listener. The M.I.A.-penned "Elastic Love" is a chill dance groover that can get anyone moving, and "Desnudate" offers a delectable slice of dance-pop. The first half of the record is a non-stop, club-ready DJ set, and it offers plenty of impressive moments, but the most demanding listeners will definitely skip over many of the tracks. Then there's the second half of the record, the half that represents the normal side of Christina (as depicted on the album cover). "Sex for Breakfast" is the synth-ballad that transitions into the string of heavy-weighted balladry. Starting at the excellent "Lift Me Up" and ending with one of three Sia collaborations, "You Lost Me", this part of the album stops it dead in its tracks. You would expect that this chill-out part of the track-list would be a relief from the ruthlessly pornographic first half, but in actuality, the slow part of "Bionic" seems to be an apology for those robot-diva hybrids. All the ballads feel staid, and manage to completely eliminated the intense momentum brought on by the earlier songs. Unfortunately, that momentum is never recovered, as "I Hate Boys" and "My Girls" try their best to re-invigorate the album, but stumble drastically.
Then there's the closer "Vanity". In it, she exclaims: "I now take myself to be my lawfully wedded bitch", which pretty much sums up "Bionic" rather well. Its biggest problem comes from the fact that Christina is just taking herself far too seriously. She even goes as far as getting her son to say that his mom owns the throne, which is somehow trying to prove to the world that she can still stay up late, motherhood and marriage haven't tamed her, and she can still revolutionize the music industry as she did on "Stripped", but all this exertion creates an album that feels recycled and quite frankly ironic. It aims to be progressive, but never once introduces anything exciting or new. Everyone was featuring Nicki Minaj in 2010, everyone was putting their voice through a vocoder, and everyone was also as eager to please and Christina is here. For all the risks it seems to take, it never feels daring, which ultimately undermines its purpose. Even the high-gloss porno image Christina portrays on "Bionic" doesn't feel genuine, it actually reminds us that "Stripped" was coy, even with its fair share of carnality, she wasn't as blatant with her sexuality as she is here. There's nothing wrong with trying to make a statement, but "Bionic" isn't a statement, nor is it a groundbreaking achievement. Rather, its just a somewhat safe, somewhat risky affair that is much better than the stale "Hard Candy", but cannot revive the decline in Christina's career post-"Back to Basics". Mainly, because it lacks a sense of enjoyment, originality, and a tangible personality.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Bionic 2. Not Myself Tonight 3. WooHoo
4. Elastic
Love 5. Desnudate 6. Love & Glamour
7. Glam 8.
Prima Madonna 9. Morning
Dessert
10. Sex
for Breakfast11. Lift Me Up 12. My Heart
13. All I Need 14. I Am 15.
You Lost Me
16. I Hate Boys 17. My Girls 18.
Vanity
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