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List Price: $15.93 | | Label: RCA
Salesrank: 3436
Released: August 15, 2006 |
| Our Price: $2.07 |
| Used Price: $1.00 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Back to Basics Track Listing:
1. Intro (Back To Basics)
2. Makes Me Wanna Pray featuring Steve Winwood
3. Back In The Day
4. Ain't No Other Man
5. Understand
6. Slow Down Baby
7. Oh Mother
8. F.U.S.S. (Interlude)
9. On Our Way
10. Without You
11. Still Dirrty
12. Here To Stay
13. Thank You (Dedication To Fans...)
14. Enter The Circus
15. Welcome
16. Candyman
17. Nasty Naughty Boy
18. I Got Trouble
19. Hurt
20. Mercy On Me
21. Save Me From Myself
22. The Right Man
23. Back To Basics (Bonus Video)
Editorial Review:
Japanese pressing of the highly anticipated two CD 2006 release from Pop diva Christina Aguilera features bonus Enhanced Video material. Christina Aguilera has transformed her image and musical style with every album. With the new Back to Basics album, her musical style has changed from the urban and light rock sounds of Stripped to a soulful and jazz-inspired album. Aguilera has described this album as a soul record combining elements of 1920s, '30s and '40s blues and jazz with modern day influences. The record finds her working with hip-hop producers DJ Premier, Kwame and Mark Ronson for the first time. It will also find her working with Linda Perry, who worked with Aguilera on Stripped (2002). RCA.
Description of Back to Basics:
Back to Basics, Christina Aguilera's first disc in four years, refines and clarifies the--let's call it "sexy"--aura surrounding this platinum firebrand. Here, the best belter in a class that counts Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears on its roll call has turned her attention to love songs: the supercharged and ubiquitous first single "Ain't No Other Man," for one, and the hushed stunner "Save Me from Myself" for another. That doesn't mean she's foresworn being nasty, though. Dive deep into this set, past the gorgeous crackle that frames the old-school jazz-, blues-, and soul-inspired tracks on the first disc, and you'll reach a playful and familiar raunch; "Candyman" celebrates a "one-stop shop" who "makes the panties drop" to a boogie-woogie beat, and "Nasty Naughty Boy" sends out a heated, big-beated invitation to "sip on my champagne/Cause I'm gonna give you a little taste/Of the sugar below my waist." Thoughtful listeners should snap out of their fascination with Xtina's undiminished yet newly un-tramp-like sexuality, though, because what they'll really want to focus on throughout these 22 tracks is the honest-to-God artistry. While the rock producer Linda Perry helps disc two pop in interesting and unexpected ways (check the muffled blues number "I Got Trouble" and "Mercy on Me," an obvious nod to Fiona Apple), DJ Premier, a mainstay on Jay-Z and Nas projects, pipes a batch of aural high-fives into the nostalgia-bitten first disc (the deep-down funk of "Back in the Day," the strut-strut early hip-hop sound of "Still Dirrty"). Their nudges aside, though, Back to Basics is all Aguilera's baby--she executive-produced, and she's found herself artistically. Nobody would argue, in fact, if she swiveled around the chorus to "Ain't No Other Man," written for her husband, and aimed it at herself: "You got soul, you got class/You got style, you're bada--." --Tammy La Gorce
More from Xtina
Christina Aguilera |
Stripped |
Mi Reflejo |
My Kind of Christmas |
Christina Aguilera -Stripped-Live in the UK |
Christina Aguilera-My Reflection |
Back to Basics Reviews:
I love it 
2009-08-29 - I love that Christina paid homage to the stars of the 20-40's era. I love the music and each song tells a different story. I think she could of toned-down her vocals on some of the tracks. I love the outfits and colors in the booklet. I still think her Stripped album was better.
Back to Basics 
2009-04-27 - It was in great shape,I also love the conditon it was in when it showed up... and it came in a timely manner.
Very Solid Effort
2009-02-04 - First off, I know that Christina gets a lot of flack for trying to hard to be original or authentic, but in an industry where so many artists with lesser (or non-exsistant) talent put little effort into repetitive disposable hits, I think she should get credit for trying to do something innovative. Did she succeed? Not entirely, but she gets an A+ for effort from me.
What I do not like about the album:
- Some of the songs do sound like she is trying to hard to recapture the sound of old jazz or blues records (ie. the cracking of the turntable which is heard a lot throughout the 2-disc epic) and the track "Back in the Day" makes it various that this album is attempt to do so by mentioning a slew of soul artists. But like I said, at least she has a vision.
- She also over sings a lot on some songs, when it really isn't necessary. She proves on the amazing "Save Me From Myself" that less is more and that her voice can sound beautiful when she doesn't belt.
- The CD is way too long. There are about 5 songs on the first disc that are filler. If she condensed both discs onto 1 disc, this album would be incredible. Just for fun, here's what my ideal track listing would be:
1. Enter the Circus
2. Welcome
3. Makes Me Wanna Pray
4. I Got Trouble
5. Aint No Other Man
6. Save Me from Myself
7. Understand
8. I Got Trouble
9. Slow Down Baby
10. F.U.S.S.
11. Candyman
12. Hurt
13. Mercy on Me
14. Oh Mother
15. The Right Man
What I like:
- The second CD is very solid. The melodies are great and I like that it's all real instruments. My personal favorites are "Welcome", "Mercy On Me" and the aforementioned "Save Me From Myself".
- I really like the use of some of the samples on the first disc, particularly on the smash "Ain't No Other Man", and "Slow Down Baby". They're very funky and the songs sound fresh because the originals were not instantly recognizable songs to most people.
- Although she does over-use her voice at times, she sounds amazing for the most part and she sings with a lot of emotion.
- The album doesn't sound like any other pop album of the last few years and there is a timeless quality to a lot of the tunes, so I think this album will not sound dated in 10 years.
Overall, this is a great album, and depute a few flaws, it is worth the money. Give it a chance.
Christina is a Winner Everytime!
2009-01-31 - I bought this CD specifically because I love her song "Candyman" and of course I got so much more!! Obviously, I didn't read the description completely because I was pleasantly surprised to find 2 CDs!
No basics 
2008-06-07 - Let me start off by saying that I'm a huge Christina fan. I think she's an incredibly talented young lady with a powerhouse voice. However, the theme of this album is suppose to be a tribute to traditional jazz and blues music from the 20's, 30's, and 40's. Christina has openly said that she wanted this album to reflect on old jazz music. However, the album only achieves this on 2 or 3 tracks. "Candyman" and "I Got Trouble" sound like authentic jazz tunes that could've been recorded in the 1940's. "Nasty Naughty Boy" is a sultry, seductive song that sounds like it's straight out of a 1920's burlesque strip show. The rest of the album is filled with up-tempo pop tracks (Slow Down Baby, Aint No Other Man), sappy love songs (Save Me From Myself, The Right Man), overdone vocals (Hurt, Mercy On Me), and filler tracks that don't stand out at all (On Our Way, Without You). With a 2 disc album, I expected much more from Christina.
The main problem I have with this album is its lack of continuity. If you're going to aim for a specific theme on an album, stick with it throughout the entire thing. Christina wanted to pay homage to jazz, but she didn't do a very good job. The 2 opening tracks of the cd talk about how she's going to "go back to basics to where it all began", but this album hardly does that at all. It doesn't achieve what it sought out to do, and that's the biggest disappointment of all. Christina had a great idea with this album, and if done correctly I think it could've been fanatastic. But it was misdirected and poorly executed. Good idea in theory, but done all wrong.
