Christina Aguilera (+Bonus CD)

Performer: Christina Aguilera/Madonna
Artist: Britney Spears; Missy Elliott
Distributor: MSI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Christina Aguilera (vocals); Jerry Goldsmith (conductor); Carl Sturken, Travon Potts (various instruments); John Goux, Bruce Watson, Tim Pierce, Michael Thompson, Anthony Mazza, Ali Boudris (guitar); Heather Holley (piano); Robin Thicke, Pro J. (keyboards, synthesizer, bass, drums); Robert Hoffman (keyboards, bass, drum programming); David Frank, Steve Kipner (keyboards, drums); Ron Harris, Paul Rein, Kris Kellow (keyboards, drum programming); Ron Fair (keyboards); John Glaser (Moog synthsizer); Matt Laug (tambourine); Johan Aberg, Eric Anest (drum programming); Guy Roche (programming); Shelly Peiken, Sue Ann Carwell, Evan Rogers (background vocals). Producers include: David Frank, Steve Kipner, Guy Roche, Ron Harris, Aaron Zigman. Engineers include: David Frank, Steve Kipner, Mario Luccy. "Genie In A Bottle" was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. "What A Girl Wants" was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Personnel includes: Madonna (vocals, guitar); Missy Elliott, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears (vocals); Mirwais Ahmadzai (guitar, programming, background vocals). This German edition includes a bonus remix CD. Since Christina Aguilera is the third and last of the New Mickey Mouse Club alumni to hit the charts in the mid-'90s -- following two members of 'N Sync and Britney Spears -- it's easy for cynical observers to assume that she was the lesser of the three talents since she arrived last after everyone scaled the charts. That's not the case at all. If anything, Aguilera is the best of the three, blessed with a rich voice that's given the material it deserves. Her eponymous debut remains firmly within the teen-oriented dance-pop genre, but unlike Spears' album, this is done right. The songwriting is strong -- the ballads are engaging, the dance numbers are catchy -- the production is clean and uncluttered, letting Aguilera's voice take the foreground. Most impressively, she not only has charisma, she can actually sing, bringing conviction to these love and heartbreak songs. So, Christina Aguilera may be lightweight, but it's lightweight in the best possible sense -- breezy, fun, engaging, and enjoyable on each repeated listen. Out of the deluge of teen-pop albums in 1999, this feels like the best of the lot. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine American Life was the rare stumble in Madonna's career, an album that garnered neither sales nor critical acclaim and failed to generate a hit single. Disarmed by its lack of success, Madonna scrambled to revive the success, first appearing in a Gap commercial with Missy Elliott, then causing a commotion at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards by French kissing Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera as a prelude to a performance of her failed single "Hollywood," which did more for Britney than Madge, and then finally offering Remixed & Revisited for the 2003 holiday season. This contained four remixes of songs from American Life, the VMA performance of "Like a Virgin/Hollywood" with Britney, Xtina, and Missy, the Gap ad "Into the Groove"/"Hollywood" fusion "Into the Hollywood Groove," and finally and inexplicably, the Bedtime Stories outtake "Your Honesty." Even if the beats are a little dated, this latter track is the best song here, since it has both a strong hook and a strong sense of fun, something that was entirely missing from the somber American Life. The approaches of the remixers are as subtle as a jackhammer, whether it's on the metallic-flaked "American Life" by Headcleanr or the '90s-retro Nevins mix of "Nothing Fails." The VMA performance includes Britney sounding exactly like early Madonna and Christina sounding exactly like Cher, with Missy Elliott on the "Hollywood" segment of the medley. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine American Life was the rare stumble in Madonna's career, an album that garnered neither sales nor critical acclaim and failed to generate a hit single. Disarmed by its lack of success, Madonna scrambled to revive the success, first appearing in a Gap commercial with Missy Elliott, then causing a commotion at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards by French kissing Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera as a prelude to a performance of her failed single "Hollywood," which did more for Britney than Madge, and then finally offering Remixed & Revisited for the 2003 holiday season. This contained four remixes of songs from American Life, the VMA performance of "Like a Virgin/Hollywood" with Britney, Xtina, and Missy, the Gap ad "Into the Groove"/"Hollywood" fusion "Into the Hollywood Groove," and finally and inexplicably, the Bedtime Stories outtake "Your Honesty." Even if the beats are a little dated, this latter track is the best song here, since it has both a strong hook and a strong sense of fun, something that was entirely missing from the somber American Life. It's missing from Remixed & Revisited too, since no amount of rejiggering can bring these moribund songs to life, particularly when the approaches of the remixers are as subtle as a jackhammer, whether it's on the metallic-flaked "American Life" by Headcleanr or the '90s-retro Nevins mix of "Nothing Fails." On all these mixes, Madonna sounds as if she's out of step with the music of 2003, and that's also true on the weird VMA performance, where she's overshadowed by Britney sounding exactly like early Madonna and Christina sounding exactly like Cher, before all of them are streamrollered by the rampaging Missy Elliott on the "Hollywood" segment of the medley. And matching the iconic "Like a Virgin" with the anemic "Hollywood" not only does the newer song no favors, it points out how lacking the American Life material is -- a situation that is only amplified by its inclusion on this EP, where "Like a Virgin" and the Bedtime Stories leftover both prove that the newer material is substandard. Madonna will likely bounce back from this bad year, but no matter what she does, she can't salvage American Life. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine This Japan-only edition of Christina Aguilera's blockbuster debut is fleshed out with remixes of "What a Girl Wants," "Genie in a Bottle," and "I Turn to You"." It also features a energetic, almost frenzied Latin dancefloor mix of "Genio Atrapado" (much different than the Mi Reflejo version, which was much closer to the English language original), as well as the spectacular radio single version of "Come on Over [All I Want Is You]"." The album's original track listing is unchanged, and the remixes aren't exclusive to this recording. However, collectors and/or Christina completists might still be interested in this release, as it includes alternate cover art and is a nice package overall. ~ Johnny Loftus Christina Aguilera rocketed to the top of the charts with the smash hit "Genie in a Bottle" from this self-titled debut and placed herself among a leading generation of young, multi-talented pop artists. Like fellow performers Britney Spears, J.C. and Justin of 'N Sync, and actress Keri Russell, who stars in the TV show Felicity, Aguilera is a graduate of the New Mickey Mouse Club television program. Songs such as "What a Girl Wants" with its guitar-driven melody, and the soulful gospel strain of "So Emotional" show Christina Aguilera's polish. Some of the other tracks that stand out are the powerful "I Turn to You," which was written by Diane Warren; "Reflection," which was produced by Matthew Wilder; and the dance floor mover "Love Will Find a Way," from hit makers Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers. Always one for a remix, Madonna follows the AMERICAN LIFE album with an EP that includes alternate mixes of four album tracks. "Nothing Fails (Nevins Mix)" glides along on an acoustic guitar line and skittering, distorted beats, while 1980s revisionists Mount Sims take on "Nobody Knows Me" with a dirty keyboard/vocoder barrage. Finally the Headcleanr rock mixes of "Love Profusion" and "American Life" are energetic, guitar-heavy versions of the originals. Also included on REMIXED & REVISITED is a live recording of the Material Girl's show-stopping 2003 MTV Video Music Awards performance of her "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood" medley, featuring the additional diva trinity of Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and Missy Elliott. On "Into the Hollywood Groove," Missy pops by again for a studio fusion of Madonna's "Into the Groove" and the aforementioned "Hollywood." Topping everything off is the previously unreleased "You Honesty," a buoyant, funky track from the BEDTIME STORIES sessions.

Entertainment Weekly (8/20-27/99, p.126) - "...When Aguilera straddles the crossover-appeal fault line...she delivers giddily delicious radio pop....CHRISTINA still makes a credible bid to be the late-summer soundtrack to romantic rebound." - Rating: B- Q (1/00, p.106) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...shows off her pretty, but powerful vocals to suprisingly impressive effect."

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