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Bionic (Christina Aguilera album)

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Bionic is the fourth studio album by American pop singer Christina Aguilera, released on June 8, 2010, through RCA Records. The 18-song album sees Aguilera collaborate with a new range of producers and songwriters including Tricky Stewart, Polow da Don and Samuel Dixon who have each produced three songs for the album as well crossing over from several different musical styles including R&B, pop, electropop, and synthpop.

Bionic is the singer's first studio album in four years since Back to Basics (2006) and was preceeded by lead single, "Not Myself Tonight" which reached top 40 in most countries. Upon release, the album received mixed reviews from music critics. Some praised Aguilera for being daring and experiemental whilst others felt that she was heavily influenced by her collaborators which resulted in inconsistency and genericity. In the United States it debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 albums chart with sales of 110,000 copies, becoming her lowest charting album on the chart. Bionic made UK chart history by first debuting at number one with lowest number of copies sold in eight years and then by registering the largest weekly decline for a number one album.

Background

Already during the Asian leg of the Back to Basics Tour in Summer of 2007, Aguilera said that her upcoming album will be "short, sweet and completely different" from her previous long play Back to Basics. After the birth of her son, Christina stated in an interview with Ryan Seacrest that her forthcoming album will include a totally new aspect of herself as an artist, because of the pregnancy with her son.[6] Aguilera has stated in the past that she takes her time between each record in order to enjoy and experience life so that musically and artistically she produces the best material. On her official website, Aguilera revealed: "Working on this album with so many talented artists and producers that I admire was really an amazing experience. The artists I chose to work with added so many unique sonic layers to Bionic. My intention was to step into their world and what they do combined with my own vision and sound. The results were magic."[7]

Aguilera describes the album as a unique mix of many genres and styles of music: "I was able to explore and create a fresh, sexy feel using both electronic and organic elements with subject matter ranging from playful to introspective. I am so excited for my fans to hear the new sound. It is something I don't think anyone will expect."[7] She later went on to say "Each album I release is a representation of my personal life experiences and how they have shaped me. ... Over the past four years ... I have become a mother, a wife, and most recently an actress ... This album was put together to capture all of these characteristics [therefore] I chose to collaborate with a variety of artists and producers across different musical genres. I was able to explore and create a fresh, sexy feel using both electronic and organic elements with subject matters ranging from playful to introspective. This allowed me to challenge myself by using my voice in ways I never had before."[7]

Recording and production

In February 2008, in an interview with People magazine, Aguilera stated that she was going to start recording new material for her forthcoming album at her Beverly Hills home.[8] Currently working on projects for his label, Year Round Records, DJ Premier shared plans to head back into the studio with Aguilera. Premier said. "She's doing an all pop album again, but she wants me to keep the tone like what we did before. She's ready to start next month."[9] The producer of the second disc of her previous studio album Back to Basics, Linda Perry, was included in the forthcoming project too.[10] In an interview with Billboard in October 2008 Aguilera told that it will be mostly produced by Perry.[11]

Australian singer-songwriter Sia Furler and her collaborator/bassist Samuel Dixon worked with Aguilera on a number of tracks for Aguilera's fourth studio album.[12] Aguilera told Billboard that she is a big fan of Sia and stated that she was thrilled when Furler said that she wanted to work with her too. Aguilera described Sia's voice as "really gritty and unique. Her voice has a really cool sound to it. I'm not exactly sure what we're going to get when we go into a studio together. There's probably magic to be had."[13] They recorded together in the studio in January 2009.[13] According to Furler's blog they wrote four songs together[14]

The British electronic band Goldfrapp and Ladytron were expected to be included in the album too.[13] Ladytron members Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu went to Los Angeles to meet Aguilera in December 2008, because they heard that they were one of Aguilera's favorite bands. There she identified what kind of Ladytron songs she liked and he added "We were impressed because she had a real deep knowledge of our music – album tracks, not just the singles!".[15] Ladytron said following about the sessions with the singer, "We went in with no expectations; the whole thing was a massive surprise. But it was incredible. She was so musically talented, a vocalist who really knows her voice. The first takes sounded really amazing, and while we'd made demos, it was only when her voice was on them that it all came to life. It's nice to talk about them, we've been sitting on this for a while."[16] They finished the work with Aguilera in March 2009 and produced 4 or 5 tracks,[15][17] but only 3 songs made the final cut.[18] UK band Goldfrapp said in a January 2010 interview that they did not finish the studio session and do not know whether their songs will make the final cut.[19]

The Australian said that the production team The Neptunes are working with Aguilera on her upcoming album.[20] In an interview with HitQuarters, Dr. Dre protege Focus... said, "We did a song and an interlude together."[21] He produced the beats for the track "Sex for Breakfast" which were then worked on by Aguilera and producer Noel "Detail" Fisher.[21] Focus... got involved with the project because he and Aguilera share a loyal, long-time engineer in Oscar Ramirez and Ramirez suggested and arranged the pairing.[21] Of the experience Focus... commented, "[Aguilera] knows exactly what she is looking for and is not afraid to tell you. It was the first project I've ever worked on where someone sent me examples and showed me exact parts in the song they were looking for."[21] Blogger Perez Hilton declared on his own Twitter account that Aguilera is working with the band Le Tigre, later confirmed by Aguilera in her E! Special,[22] an American dance-punk band known for its socio-political lyrics, dealing with issues of feminism and the LGBT community.[23] Aguilera said in August 2009, that she co-wrote tracks with British Tamil songwriter M.I.A. and Santigold, and according to the producer Tricky Stewart, chart-topping Hip-Hop artist Flo Rida will be featured on the album.[8][24]

Additionally Tricky Stewart and Claude Kelly wrote the song "Glam" which will appear on the album. Its described as "a hard club song that’s about high fashion. It’s really for the ladies about getting dressed and looking your best, working it in the club and getting glam and sexy before you go out. ... It will surprise people. I’m calling it a modern day ‘Vogue.’ I wouldn’t say it unless I believed it."[25] Kelly also co-wrote three other tracks for the album, including first two singles "Woohoo" and "Not Myself Tonight". He described the four tracks as all being "up-tempo and fun, they’re party anthems but at the same time have underlying messages."[26] Commenting on the experience of working with Aguilera, Kelly said, "What people don’t know about her is that she’s actually a really good writer. She has good ideas, good melodies, good concepts … She’s really involved from the very beginning to the very end."[26]

Music and style

During her fan question and answer segment in 2006 Yahoo! & Nissan Live Sets, she stated she would go "futuristic" with her next album. A complete opposite of Back to Basics. Producer, Rob Lewis has stated in an interview that Christina wants a more 'futuristic' sound for the forthcoming album. He said that Christina invited him to Kanye West's concert to help analyze every detail including staging, performance and the music. Lewis stated that he was also asked what he thought of a possible collaboration between Christina and Kanye. Lewis ended the interview with: "I can tell you that what you will see and hear from Christina will be different, original, and probably against the grain: the true form for Christina ... always re-creating herself."[10] Tricky Stewart also revealed: "It's just great. I wouldn't say that it's alternative, I wouldn't say that it's different; Christina's always been an artist that moves the bar and that's what the great ones do. They don't stay in the same place for too long, and this album is just another move for her. I really feel it's one of her best bodies of work that I've heard since Stripped. I think it's really, really amazing and I think it's well put together," he said. "She's mixing it up again. She's singing R&B again, she's doing pop. She's doing it all, but she's found a way to make it all meet in the middle because she's so many different things."[27]

In an interview with Vibe, Tricky Stewart stated: "With Christina it's a little different, because Christina wants music that you haven't heard before. She did things that she's never necessarily heard on the radio. She doesn't want a record that sounds like anything else so you're trying to create an entirely new sound for an artist. The three tracks that I did, they're all uptempo tracks so we definitely kind of get the club moving but it's just a matter of her doing different styles and using her voice in different ways."[28] In an interview with the New York Post producer Linda Perry said: "Everybody knows that Christina can sing, but I’ve been telling her that she doesn’t have to blow horns off every day. So she’s venturing out of her comfort zone and going more electronic... I think for Christina, not singing full out is probably the most vulnerable, insecure place for her. So to tone it down and not hit the big notes, that’s a really touchy place for her."[29]

Promotion

Aguilera revealed the title of the album as well as the name of three new songs in the February 2010 issue of Marie Claire magazine. On January 22, 2010, Aguilera premiered a stripped-down version of the Linda Perry produced "Lift Me Up" during the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief telethon.[30] A new song titled "Woohoo" featuring rapper Nicki Minaj, and written by Aguilera with Claude Kelly and "Not Myself Tonight" collaborators Polow da Don and Ester Dean was posted on Aguilera's official YouTube channel on May 7, 2010. Aguilera was also featured on the June cover of GQ Germany,[31] the June/July cover of Latina[32] and the June cover of Out[33].

On May 7, 2010, Aguilera performed "Not Myself Tonight" on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[34] "You Lost Me" was performed on May 26, 2010, on the American Idol finale.[35] Aguilera performed a medley of "Bionic", "Not Myself Tonight" and "Woohoo" at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards on June 6.[36] On the release day of the album in the United States, June 8, 2010, Aguilera performed a medley of "Bionic" and "Not Myself Tonight" as well as "Beautiful", "Fighter" and "You Lost Me" on The Today Show.[37] On June 9, 2010, Aguilera gave and interview and performed "You Lost Me" on the Late Show with David Letterman[38]. She performed "Not Myself Tonight" and gave an interview on Live with Regis and Kelly on June 10, 2010.[39] Aguilera performed "Fighter", "You Lost Me", "Not Myself Tonight" along with a medley of "Genie in a Bottle"/"What a Girl Wants" on The Early Show on June 11, 2010.[40] On June 13, 2010, Aguilera was featured on VH1 Storytellers[41] as well as on Behind the Music[42].

Aguilera planned to further promote the album by embarking on the Bionic Tour. Twenty concerts were scheduled across the United States and Canada between July 15, 2010, and August 19, 2010. English singer Leona Lewis was scheduled to be the tour's supporting act and the tour would be considered the North American leg of Lewis's The Labyrinth tour.[43] On May 24, 2010, Aguilera postponed the tour until 2011. In a message on her website and from tour promoter Live Nation, Aguilera stated that due to the excessive promotion of the album and her upcoming film debut in Burlesque, she felt she needed more time to rehearse the show and with less than a month between the album release and tour, it was not possible to create and perform a show at the level that her fans expect from her.[44][45]

Singles

"Not Myself Tonight" was released as Bionic's lead single on April 13, 2010. It debuted and peaked at number twenty-three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Aguilera's third highest debut on the chart after "Keeps Gettin' Better" (2008) and "Ain't No Other Man" (2006).[46] Internationally, the track was a moderate commercial success, peaking at number twelve in the United Kingdom[47] and peaking in the top thirty in Austria and Australia as well as peaking in the top forty in New Zealand and Sweden.[48] The song received generally positive reviews from critics, who complimented its club nature and Aguilera's vocals on the track; some reviewers also referred to it as her best uptempo recording since her 2002 single "Dirrty".[49] The accompanying music video featured a S&M theme, with Aguilera sporting different bondage-inspired looks.[50][51] Paying homage to Madonna's music videos for "Express Yourself" (1989) and "Human Nature" (1995),[50] the video received mixed reviews from critics, who complimented its aesthetic but called it unoriginal.[52]

"Woohoo" featuring rapper Nicki Minaj was released as the second single from Bionic. It was made exclusively available to the iTunes store on May 18, 2010[53] before being serviced to rhythmic radio on May 25, 2010.[54] The track was comparatively less commercially successful than the album's previous single, peaking at number forty-six on the Canadian Hot 100, number seventy-nine on the Billboard Hot 100,[55] and number one-hundred-forty-eight on the United Kingdom's singles chart.[56] Both of "Woohoo"'s peaks are Aguilera's lowest in the United States and Canada.[57] The single has received generally positive reviews, with critics praising Minaj's appearance in the song and commending Aguilera's powerful vocals.[58][59]

"You Lost Me" is the album's third single. The track was serviced to Mainstream/Top 40 radio on June 29, 2010, in the United States.[60][61] Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly called "You Lost Me" a "lovely" ballad[62] and Amber James of PopEater said the song was a "somber track" that brings the "honesty and emotion that have made Aguilera one of the premier balladeers of our time."[63] The music video premiered on Aguilera's official Vevo account on July 22. The music video's director, Anthony Mandler, also wrote the concept for the video, which features a series of connected vignettes.[63]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Entertainment Weekly(C)[62]
The Guardian[64]
Los Angeles Times[65]
The New York Times(mixed)[66]
PopMatters(5/10)[67]
Rolling Stone[4]
Slant Magazine[2]
USA Today[68]
The Village Voice(mixed)[69]

Upon its release, Bionic received generally mixed reviews from most music critics.[70] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 55, based on 22 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[70] Eric Henderson from Slant Magazine gave the album a mixed review, rating the album with 3 out of 5 stars, saying that on the surface the album is as "efficient a pop entertainment" as was Britney Spears' Circus (2008).[2] USA Today's Elysa Gardner gave the album 3 out of 4 stars and viewed her vocals as compensatory to the lyrical content. The music reviewer noted that on Bionic Auguilera "harnesses her prowess with greater maturity and imagination", but commented that though the albums are "hardly revelatory" the musicians singing "lends color and character to what might have been banal diva vehicles".[68] In a generally mixed review, Jon Pareles of The New York Times noted that the album was a "artistic swerve" for Aguilera compared to her previous two studio albums, but ultimately expressed that its musical direction "makes her sound as peer-pressured as a pop singer can be."[66] Pareles believed that Aguilera mostly represented herself as a "sexbot", which he described as a "one-dimensional hot chick chanting come-ons to club beats", on the album.[66] PopMatters writer Omar Kholeif gave Bionic a 5/10 rating and commended its tracks with "retro mixture of shouty pop and robot glam", but ultimately wrote that "it is Aguilera’s overzealous penchant for excess that leaves this comeback short of, well, being any good".[67]

Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield gave it 2½ out of 5 stars and wrote that Aguilera goes for an electronic makeover on Bionic, which was dressing in "Gaga-style robot glam" and "cranking up" the use of Auto-Tune.[4] Allison Stewart of The Washington Post described the album as being "noisy, robotic and overstuffed" and felt that one of the disc's "greatest disappointments" is its "virtual abandonment" of Aguilera's voice.[3] She concluded that Aguilera attempts "to do it all", which was to try to "revel in her newfound domesticity, to wrest her crown from Gaga and to reestablish her sex kitten bona fides", but overall thought that the plan back fired on Bionic.[3] In contrast, The Times writer Pete Paphides gave it 4 out of 5 stars and commended Aguilera's musical direction, writing that the album sounds "older and more confident" than her previous work.[71] Dan Martin of NME gave it a 5/10 rating and stated "Daring as some of the tracks are, they overwhelmingly loop her vocal around a generic house lick that has the effect of giving her very little to do vocally"."[72] "Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Leah Greenblatt stated that Aguilera's vocal talent is "too often negated" on Bionic by her "penchant for stock step-class beats and an aggressive, exhausting hypersexuality."[62] She continued that "If only Aguilera herself didn't seem so lost in Bionic's hollow, manic detours."[62] Spin magazine's Christopher R. Weingarten felt that the album's "forward-thinking production" was buried under "reverb, distortion, and computer st-st-stutter[s]" and wasted on tracks that contained "cringworthy lines".[73] Mesfin Fekadu of The Northwest Herald said that Bionic is a "disappointing" album.[74] He continued that the album will leave listeners asking "will the real Christina Aguilera please stand up?"[74] Fekadu concluded that the singer had "misstepped" on Bionic, which was a "shame."[74]

In his review for the album, Alexis Petridis of The Guardian said that compared to Aguilera's previous studio album, you can not fault the singer's desire to reinvent herself.[64] He added that Bionic's image shift is not as "straightforward as a return to what you might call Dirrty waters."[64] Petridis concluded that Bionic was an "occasionally brilliant and brave, occasionally teeth-gritting and stupid album."[64] One of Bionic's more positive reviews was from Allmusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine, who gave the album 4 out of 5 stars.[1] He said that Bionic does not feel daring, and wrote that apart from two tracks on the album, it "never delivers the future shock it promises," but believed that it's not necessarily a negative thing because the "robot-diva hybrids are often interesting even when they stumble".[1] Los Angeles Times writer Margaret Wappler felt that for most of Bionic, which is the album's "most successful vein," Aguilera plays a "hyper-sexed lover bot ready to tie you to the bed posts rather than tie your ears into knots with a well-executed legato."[65] Dan Martin of NME wrote that as "daring as some of the tracks are," the song's "overwhelmingly loop" Aguilera's vocals "around a generic house lick that has the effect of giving her very little to do vocally."[75] He further added that the album in a "strange way" is "perfect for the digital age".[75] The A.V. Club writer Genevieve Koski gave the album a mixed review, saying that Bionic relying heavily on a cadre of music writers and producers resulted in a "extremely muddled effect."[76] Benjamin Boles from NOW Magazine wrote that although Aguilera's voice is as "strong as ever," on every track she "comes across as a pale imitation of someone else."[77] He further said that the singer does not sound confident on the album.[77] In his review for the album, Heath Mccoy of the Vancouver Sun said that with Bionic Aguilera returns to the "kinky stuff with an electro-pop dance twist that will certainly draw comparisons" to Lady Gaga.[78] Kerri Mason from Billboard magazine gave the album a favorable review, saying that the "18-song set shows an artist confident enough to take direct cues from her tuned-in creative team."[79] The music reviewer further added that Aguilera "maintains her reign."[79]

Commercial performance

On the week ending June 26, 2010,[80] the album debuted at number three on the United States Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 110,000 copies.[81] Its first-week sales were comparatively less than those of Aguilera's previous studio album, Back to Basics (2006), which topped the chart with 346,000 copies sold.[81] The following week the album descended to number nine with the sales of 36,388 copies.[82] By its third week, Bionic dropped to number twenty-two.[83] After five weeks of release in the US, the album reportedly barely sold 200,000 copies.[84] On the week ending June 26, 2010, Bionic debuted at its peak position, number three, on the Canadian Albums Chart.[85] In the following week, it charted at number nine.[86] In the United Kingdom, Bionic debuted at number one on the Top 40 Albums Chart, becoming Aguilera's second consecutive studio album to enter at the top of the chart[87] although with 24,000 copies sold it became the lowest selling UK number one album in eight years.[88] In the album's second week of release in the UK, on June 20, Bionic made UK chart history by registering the largest drop in chart postions for a number one album by falling 28 places to number 29.[89] Bionic had a generally good commercial performance in mainland Europe. On the week commencing June 14, the album entered and peaked at number three on the Australian Albums Chart, by the third week, Bionic descended to number sixteen on the chart.[90] Bionic debuted at number one on the European Top 100 Albums Chart, becoming the singer's second consecutive studio album to top the chart.[91] The album held the top position for one week, and was replaced by Katie Melua's The House in its second week of release.[92]

Bionic was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments exceeding 35,000 copies.[93] It also charted and peaked at number eight on the Italian Albums Chart[94] and number six on the Germany Albums Top 50 Chart.[95] Bionic experienced similar commercial outcomes throughout the rest of Europe; it charted within the top twenty on charts in Poland, Finland and Norway, peaking at number seven, number ten and number twenty.[94] On the twenty-third week of 2010, the album debuted at the top position of the Greek Top 50 Albums Chart,[96] replacing Soulfly's Omen.[97] By its third week, Bionic fell out of the charts top 50 positions, and re-entered the next week at number twenty-seven.[96] Another successful charting territory for Bionic was Switzerland, where the album peaked at number two.[98] The album charted within the charts top twenty-five positions for five consecutive weeks.[98] On the week ending June 12, Bionic debuted on the French Albums Chart at number twenty-three, and eventually fell to number one-hundred-thirty-five by its fifth week of release.[94] Bionic charted within the top twenty-five positions in Belgium Flanders and Belgium Wallonia, peaking at number four and twenty-three respectively.[94] The album also managed to become a top ten hit in Austria, Ireland, New Zealand, Mexico and Sweden.[94] A less commercially successful territory for Bionic was Denmark, where the album peaked outside the charts top ten positions at number twelve.[94]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Bionic"Christina Aguilera, Kalenna Harper, John Hill, David TaylorJohn Hill, Switch3:21
2."Not Myself Tonight"Jamal Jones, Ester Dean, Jason Perry, Greg CurtisPolow da Don3:05
3."Woohoo" (featuring Nicki Minaj)Aguilera, Onika Maraj, Claude Kelly, Dean, JonesPolow da Don5:29
4."Elastic Love"Aguilera, Mathangi Arulpragasam, Hill, TaylorJohn Hill, Switch3:34
5."Desnudate"Aguilera, Christopher Stewart, KellyTricky Stewart4:25
6."Love & Glamour (Intro)"  0:11
7."Glam"Aguilera, Stewart, KellyTricky Stewart3:40
8."Prima Donna"Aguilera, Stewart, KellyTricky Stewart3:26
9."Morning Dessert (Intro)"Bernard Edwards, JrFocus...1:33
10."Sex for Breakfast"Aguilera, Noel Fisher, Edwards, JrFocus...4:49
11."Lift Me Up"Linda PerryLinda Perry4:07
12."My Heart (Intro)"  0:19
13."All I Need"Aguilera, Sia Furler, Samuel DixonSamuel Dixon3:33
14."I Am"Aguilera, Furler, DixonSamuel Dixon3:55
15."You Lost Me"Aguilera, Furler, DixonSamuel Dixon4:18
16."I Hate Boys"Aguilera, Jones, Dean, William Tyler, Bill Wellings, J.J. HunterPolow da Don2:24
17."My Girls" (featuring Peaches)Aguilera, Kathleen Hanna, Johanna Fateman, JD Samson, Merrill Beth NiskerLe Tigre3:08
18."Vanity"Aguilera, Dean, Claude KellyEster Dean4:21
Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
19."Monday Morning"Aguilera, Sam Endicott, Hill,
Taylor, Santi White		John Hill, Switch3:54
20."Bobblehead"Aguilera, Hill, Taylor, WhiteJohn Hill, Switch3:02
21."Birds of Prey"Aguilera, Cathy Dennis, Daniel Hunt, Reuben Wu, Helen Marnie, Mira AroyoLadytron4:20
22."Stronger than Ever"Aguilera, Furler, DixonSamuel Dixon4:16
23."I Am (Stripped)"Aguilera, Furler, DixonSamuel Dixon3:55
24."Little Dreamer" (iTunes only[99])Aguilera, Dennis, Hunt, WuLadytron4:11
Sample credits
  • "Woohoo" contains a sample from "Add Már, Uram Az Esőt!" as performed by Kati Kovács.[100]
  • "I Hate Boys" contains a sample from "Jungle Juice" written by Bill Wellings and J.J. Hunter, as performed by Elektrik Cokernut.[100]
Fan edition

The deluxe fan edition of the album includes:[101]

  • 12" custom designed box
  • Bionic album on 3× vinyl discs
  • Bionic deluxe edition CD album with exclusive bonus tracks and additional 3D album cover
  • 24" × 36" poster for the first five thousand editions in each country.

Personnel

Credits for Bionic adapted from Allmusic.[102]

Charts, certifications and procession

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