People Magazine Review Back to Basics

Christina Aguilera Back To Basics Aug 21, 2006
by Chuck Arnold

“So here I stand today. In tribute I do pay. To those before me who laid it down and paved the way.” So sings Christina Aguilera in the intro of her third studio album, on which she invokes such soul, jazz, and blues trailblazers as Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, Etta James. For a good part of this ambitious double disc, the Grammy-winning diva succeeds in fusing classic and contemporary sounds into something wholly fresh. Disc 1 is a real winner, a crafty melange of hip-hop beats and retro RnB with old-school samples ranging from B.B King to Gladys Knight and the Pips. DJ Premier , of the ’90s jazz-rap duo GangStarr, produced five tracks including the hit “Ain’t No Other Man,” a fierce junk workout that showcases Aguilera at her belting best. Things fall off on the more pop-oriented disc 2, though. While the Andrews Sisters-style “Candyman” is swinging fun, the overblown ballad “The Right Man,” one of many songs inspired by her recent marriage to music exec Jordan Bratman, closes things on a wrong note.

3 out of 4 stars