The long-awaited album was met with a harsh reaction from critics, the general public and even some fans, which in turn resulted in disappointing chart positions and extremely poor sales figures, expecially for such an already well-established artist. Many blasted her for her drastic change of musical direction – the electro-pop sound is certainly a far cry from the jazz and soul-influenced Back To Basics four years before – and her style, as she combined her good old Stripped and ‘Dirrty’ girl days with the modern-day screen siren look. She was also accused of out-right ‘copying’ the music and fashion sense of a certain up-and-coming new talent at the time, that was unfortunately all part of Bionic‘s swift fall. But enough about what happened to it; why is it that this album is criminally underrated and unfairly misjudged?

Christina had explained that the vision for Bionic came from two places: firstly wanting a more ‘futuristic’ and electronic sound and secondly, embracing herself as a grown, sensitive and comfortable woman and mother, yet someone who still loves being sexual and having fun. And each song on the 18-track (23 on the deluxe version and 24 if purchased through iTunes) definitely encompasses each of those sides to her. From the sexy, pumping lead single ’Not Myself Tonight’ to the self-assuring ‘I Am’, from the erotic slow-jam of ‘Sex For Breakfast’ to party-starter ‘Prima Donna’ and from ‘All I Need’, a lullaby written for son Max, to ‘Vanity’, an anthem dedicated to being confident enough to love yourself - it is all covered.

Versatility has always been Xtina’s strength since day one: loud and brash, soft and pure, English, Spanish, pop, R&B, hip-hop, rock, jazz, blues, soul, dance and even reggae – her combined vocal and cross-genre abilities are what separates her from her peers and even those who came before her. Bionicsaw her shift to electro and synthpop, unexpected of someone whom many believed was ‘too talented’ to be incorporating such styles. She even used auto-tune – something she had been very much against in the past – on some songs to manipulate her voice rather than to correct it, and sometimes to the point of no longer sounding anything like her, as on the M.I.A.-penned ‘Elastic Love’. A crazy decision perhaps? Or a creative one? Aguilera admitted she was ‘really bored’ of doing the same, distinctive vocal tricks and wanted to try something new, saying she liked to challenge herself vocally – and in this case, using electronic ways to change it.

Aside from M.I.A., Aguilera enlisted the help of a large number of eclectic artists, writers and producers to work with her to mix their and her sounds together. Among those who lent their talents were Beautifulwriter Linda Perry, Claude Kelly, Tricky Stewart, Polow da Pon, Peaches, Le Tigre, Santigold, Ladytron and Nicki Minaj, who features on ‘Woohoo’, a dancehall influenced song about cunninilingus. Sia Furler had one of the strongest presences on the album, collaborating with Xtina on tracks such as ‘You Lost Me’, a painfully sad yet beautiful ballad about a broken relationship.

In truth, very few people probably even knew about Bionic, let alone listened to it, instantly believing it to be a flop or a copycat of Lady Gaga’s The Fame, but this album shouldn’t be judged simply because it performed badly or because it’s so different to her previous work. Instead, it should be listened to with an open mind to fully understand the meaning behind the lyrics to each song. Sure, the idea of a ‘futuristic’ and ‘electronic’ sound may have been a little farfetched and fell slightly short, especially after the original inspiration came from listening to The Prodigy, but her fierce and unique vocals are still on top form and her creativity, versatility and courage to take such risks can surely only be admired.

You can listen to Bionic on Spotify or download via iTunes and Amazon.

Source: So So Gay

All the coaches, not just her own, have Erin’s respect. “Adam [Levine] I saw at Blake’s, and he was super nice to me. It was my birthday when I saw him, and he came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. It’s frickin’ Adam Levine and he’s like, ‘Happy birthday.’

“I also saw Christina [Aguilera] when we were at the wrap party [and] she was just so cool. I wish that people could see how genuinely sweet she really is when the pressure and the lights aren’t on. And even Cee Lo [Green], he was always so cool with us.

“They are such great people, and that’s the frustrating thing about celebrity and all the things you have to deal with when you’re thrust into the spotlight. At the end of the day, these people are just people, and that’s what I tried to prove when I was on the show. I’m just a normal person.”

Source: Buddy TV

GALLERY LINK:

• (x021) Candids in 2012: At Il Ristorante di Giorgio Baldi With Matt – May 18

Choice TV: Female Personality
Christina Aguilera, “The Voice”
Tyra Banks, “America’s Next Top Model”
Carrie Ann Inaba, “Dancing With The Stars”
Jennifer Lopez, AMERICAN IDOL
Jessica Simpson, “Fashion Star”

Choice TV: Reality Competition Show
AMERICAN IDOL
“America’s Next Top Model”
“Survivor: One World”
“The Voice”
THE X FACTOR

Choice Single by a Group
“We Are Young,” fun. Featuring Janelle Monae
“Hit The Lights,” Selena Gomez & The Scene
“Ass Back Home,” Gym Class Heroes featuring Neon Hitch
“Party Rock Anthem,” LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock
“Moves Like Jagger,” Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera

GALLERY LINK:

• (x006) Candids in 2012: In New York City’s SoHo With Matt – May 14 [HQ]

Anyone who watched “The Voice” this season could tell the tension between coachesChristina Aguilera and Adam Levine was palpable and not just for the cameras. Aguilera was easily the most outspoken judge on the panel and rarely sugar-coated her opinions, coming across as overly harsh at times. Levine opted to go in the exact opposite direction, playing the nice guy.

(Which, as MTV’s resident “Voice” recapper, is not to say we think she was necessarily wrong most of the time. Indeed, it was strangely refreshing to watch a judge, you know,judge contestants, and Aguilera certainly knows a thing or two – perhaps more than any other judge on “The Voice” panel – about the technical side of singing. It was her directness and sometimes callous delivery that were controversial, not her actual opinions.)

Now, the conflict has reportedly reached a fever pitch, as Aguilera opted out of the red carpet at yesterday’s NBC Upfronts, during which Levine tweeted, “I thrive on awkward moments.” Aguilera did appear on stage with Levine and Cee Lo Green during the official presentation, though Levine stood far away from Aguilera on stage (above).

I thrive on awkward moments...

May 14, 2012 4:26 pm via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite

@adamlevine

Adam Levine

The pair started butting heads early in the season over contestant Tony Lucca. Lucca was a co-star of Aguilera’s on “The Mickey Mouse Club” when they were tweens, though the “Beautiful” belter didn’t seem to initially remember him during the blind auditions. Levine picked Lucca up for his team, and throughout the competition, Aguilera went after him hard. So hard in fact, it seemed that other motivations might have been in play.

The “feud” became a running theme of the season, so much so that by the finals, Levine, anticipating Aguilera’s criticism of his contestant’s final competitive performance, wore a glittering “Team Xtina” T-shirt under his flannel and revealed it when the pop star expectedly started laying into the singer-songwriter.

Reports that things were even more uncomfortable behind the scenes are rampant. Did Levine and Lucca pick Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” for his final song as one last dig at Aguilera? Was she so hard on the contestant because of an unrequited teenage crush? Did Levinereally call her that backstage after the show’s final performance episode? Who knows, but there is a laundry list of rumors about the feud, and no one (especially Levine) comes across very well.

The apparent trouble between the two has fans of the show (me at least) concerned for its future. NBC announced yesterday that the show will air two cycles during the 2012-2013 TV season (both fall and spring) with a September 9 return date already announced. Open-call auditions around the country begin in July, with the Blind Audition rounds with the star judges likely to begin filming sometime in early August ahead of the premiere.

That’s only a few months away and if Aguilera’s past feuds with Kelly Osborne and Mariah Carey are any indication, she’s not exactly one to forgive and forget. And to be perfectly honest, as a fan of the show, I’m not really interested in seeing these two bicker their way through another season because of unresolved personal problems. Their job is to fairly judge the singing talents of “The Voice” contestants, not spend months engaged in passive-aggressive taunts to satisfy a personal vendetta for which they appear equally culpable.

Source: News Room MTV

GALLERY LINK:

• (x002) Events in 2012: 2012 NBC Upfront Presentation

GALLERY LINK:

• (x004) Candids in 2012: In NYC with Matt & Max – May 14