Christina Aguilera‘s latest album Lotus hit retailers yesterday (November 13), facing stiff competition from several other high-profile releases — and while “Your Body” has continued to plateau on the charts, anticipation was still running high for Legendtina’s big comeback. But were critics ready for Aguilera’s blooming Lotus? Well — sort of. Overall reception has been fairly mixed, with most reviewers awarding the album a middling score and noting that while there are strengths, it suffers from pathological oversinging and production overkill that makes it feel mediocre as a whole. But nobody’s arguing that her voice is still one of the best in the game, and everyone agrees that Lotus is a modern pop record that (probably) improves upon the chaos of Bionic.
Read the best quotes from the critics after the jump.
:: The Onion AV Club found Lotus “disappointingly faceless,” writing: “[H]er most successful songs tended to possess personality, vulnerability, and a defiant disregard for convention. Lotus, Aguilera’s fifth album of new material, often disappoints on all three counts. The relative indifference to her last album, 2010’s unfairly maligned Bionic, seems to have pushed her into making an album that isn’t as outré or risky. And so in spite of a recurring theme of rebirth, Lotus often plays it safe. “
:: Grantland called the return “glorious,” noting that while there’s plenty of filler, the album is still “more than enough to remind us of Christina’s prodigious vocal talent and to reestablish her credentials as a career artist,” and unpacking the thread of anxiety that runs through the album: “She has been open about the prehistoric sexism she encounters in the entertainment industry. Lotus is packed with aggressive songs about fighting back against your “superhatin’” enemies. Despite all the army imagery and the domineeringly sexually confident attitude, Aguilera seems very defensive and almost insecure. She can wail, of course, but it’s the rare softer moments that tease at the Christina we still only sometimes see.”
:: The Huffington Post thought that the album was solid but just short of exceptional, writing: “Christina Aguilera is easily one of contemporary music’s best voices. She’s got pipes that music-lovers need to hear at a time when Top 40 radio features studio-enhanced vocals and award shows are full of lip syncing. That’s why her fifth album, Lotus, is somewhat disappointing – not because it isn’t good, but because it isn’t great. Sure, it’s an improvement from 2010′s Bionic, a chaotic album that is Aguilera’s only one not to reach platinum status. Lotus is more focused, thankfully, but not as satisfying as her first three releases.”
:: The New York Daily News liked Lotus, in particular the songcraft, although they felt her vocals were at times too powerful for the songs: “Even when Aguilera means to shed real blood, the sheer force of her vocals cauterizes the wounds before any red can flow. She’s a bully of a singer, pummeling the notes into the ground as she rails in triumph. Of course, there’s a certain charge to be had from such raw power. And Aguilera deserves credit for indulging far fewer showy melismas this time. She may continue to oversing, but at least she’s doing so with more focus. Also improved is the material. Lotus contains some of the catchiest, danciest and funniest songs of the singer’s career.”
:: Entertainment Weekly lambasted the album, giving it a C- and writing that Aguilera seems unlikable and the production is overkill: “Backed by megaproducers Max Martin, Shellback, and Lucas Secon, and boosted by The Voice, Lotus should have been Aguilera’s mainstream pop comeback. Occasionally she can still power through a chorus like a Russian weight lifter (see: ‘Sing for Me’). Too bad most of these tracks digitally smother her voice, draining all the emotion until she just sounds bitter. It’s unclear whom she’s mad at here. But somehow Lotus makes you want to root for the other guy.”
:: The Guardian thought Lotus was modern and effective, even with its occasional misfires: “Most of the uptempo tracks follow production trends closely and then drop an ecstatic Aguilerean ululation on top. You can see straight through them but they work. There’s more Rihanna-copping, for instance, on’ Around the World,’ a come-hither tune that also quotes from Aguilera and co’s cover of Lady Marmalade (Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa, Pink), from a time when she could put no stiletto wrong.”
:: The Boston Globe felt the record announced her return to the pop charts well: “Bubbling over with memorable melodies, throbbing dance grooves, and dynamic vocals, her new album, Lotus, is a good start in the effort to refocus attention on Aguilera’s skills and scrub our memories of 2010’s disastrous Bionic… There are missteps, including needless Auto-tune and a few of what sound like Rihanna or Katy Perry leftovers. And there are several tracks that sound mindlessly repetitive as sedentary listening experiences but will likely improve with the addition of a dancefloor, including the Max Martin-Shellback produced ‘Let There Be Love.’ Welcome back, Xtina.”
What do you think of Lotus? Sound off in the comments below, or let us knowon Facebook and Twitter!
Critics (like you) hate ‘Circles’ coz it talks about you. I love this song since I love anything ‘Aguilera’. So just spin buttf*cks coz she don’t care – long live {Bi~ON~iC} !
You love anything “Aguilera?” So even if she made a crappy record you would probably like it?
You’re one of those over obsessive fans, which is scary.
You probably thought “Burlesque” deserved an Oscar for movie of the year didn’t you?
I’m a big fan of Christina….since day 1….but even I know when she makes something not that great. Come on now, be realistic.
Critics may not like “Circles” because it’s just an OK song not because it’s directed to them. I don’t know if you really know what a critic is but they have just as thick of skin as Christina does. They can dish it out and take it like the best of them.
I think it’s all very relative. Sure, you can point to certain concrete things (like her oversinging and the production) that one can judge, but general like and dislike is really relative. I, too, have been a fan since day 1 and I will tell you that I liked Bionic. Yes, it was chaotic and suffered from classic “eyes bigger than her stomach” syndrome. But even with the flaws (which were admittedly plentiful), I still liked it. Liked it more that B2B, even though that album was, musically, her best work. But I didn’t like it because of all the filler songs (2 discs was a bit much) and the general….boring feel of it. I still like it, generally, but I don’t like it as much as I like, say, Bionic or Stripped. And, tbh, it took me over a year to listen to Stripped from start to finish b/c I didn’t like it right off. Also note that Stripped wasn’t all that well-liked by critics either, but it’s arguably her most relateable work, even if it was also chaotic and “genre-hoppy”. And that’s the thing: you not liking it doesn’t mean it isn’t great in another sense. I like Lotus a whole lot, even if I recognize it is, for better or worse, a really safe album (some think that safe= mediocre. I disagree, but whatever). Basically, Christina makes “grower” albums. All of her works have grown on me and I like them for what they are and what they represent in her artistry. As a fan, I support her while also being critical. It’s possible, even if it’s not something that is not really done in this current ADHD musical landscape. Anybody can be a casual fan. I’m a life-long one.
she needs to go back to Linda Perry and DJ Premier… Keep Sia though, and bring back heather Holley and Robert Hoffman!!
You’re right ! But she did the best job ever with SCOTT STORCH !!!
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just because metacritic says something is bad doesn’t mean that it is.. why dont you listen for yourself instead of being a sheep/follower , anyways i love her voice and i will get the cd tomorrow and judge for myself.
LOL you use metacritic to nurture your own musical tastes? That’s some koolaid drinkin’ for yo’ ass………. Good luck with that.
Meta critic gave LOTUS a 60% rating that is in NOT bad,,,,,,,
it’s basically 3 & 1/2 stars out of 5 which is borderline GOOD & EXCELLENT!!!!!!
Have you even heard the album LOTUS do yourself a favor and ACTUALLY LISTEN TO IT it’s a great pop record from even greater artist………..
“borderline good and excellent?” you’re pushing the excellent part.
The album holds a score of 60 out of 100 (indicating “mixed or average reviews”) based only on 9 critical reviews, according to the music review aggregator Metacritic.
MIXED OR AVERAGE REVIEWS. GOOD, YES. EXCELLENT, NO.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot, actually. Most of the reviews boil down to basically Lotus is solid, if not boring. Good, but not great. And the thing is, while I get the Christina comes with a whole bunch of expectations (which is why vocal modifications on Bionic were so maligned. She’s THE Voice. Her not performing in a way that is expected is seen as bad, no matter how noble her intentions or her dreams of experimentation), the album itself is a good, solid one. There are some very Christina things about it, but it’s not Stripped. WHICH IS FINE.
Look, if we’re being honest, as much as Femme Fatale was great, Circus was not. As much as Loud was uber-successful, Rated R was not. It’s also pretty telling that both Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj have re-loaded their successful albums instead of releasing a new one. If anything, Lotus is very indicative of Christina following the new business model of a pop star: safe and current with a twist. Coming off of Bionic, which, unsurprisingly, is being re-evaluated by a good number of people who thought it was crap, this album is crucial. It’s going to be hip some casual fans to (or back to) Christina’s music and that’s important. This album, at its basest level, is a foundation for the new era of Christina and it’s a damn good one.
I disagree about Brit. FF is consistant, all single worthy no fillers compared to Circus. But her vocals are bland, all are obviously auto-tuned. There was no creative input by Britney. Can say the same for Circus, but at least we heard her real voice and some diversity. Ultimately, I choose ITZ as her best cause we got Brit writing & producing. Complete control and one of the first use of REAL Euro-dance in Top 40 music.
I’ve listened to most of Lotus. Xtina over sings… always has since Stripped and always will. It’s her, deal with it or don’t listen. I personally grow tired here & there cause I think without, she is still slaying every other vocalist. But critics need to move on from that. I can argue that Gaga always uses religious references, Bey always uses repetitive non-creative lyrics (the reason for her and Gaga’s success IMO), Katy & Taylor use teenage love stories.
In the end it is what defines these artists and separates them individually. You cannot criticise one without pointing out others. Over-singing is Xtina’s thing – I would prefer if she toned it down cause she ain’t gonna prove nothing, but she is Xtina, so deal with it. I still enjoy most of her songs!… but I am sucker for Back to Basics, even with all its fillers glory.
I know Xtina oversings. She’s been doing it actually since 1999, and I’ve been a fan since then, so it’s just a thing I’ve come to accept. Lotus is actually less over-singing than, say, both Stripped and B2B, but that’s neither here nor there tbh. As it were, B2B was my least favorite album of hers b/c there was too much filler. A good chunk of those songs, while well-produced (DJ Premier is everything, ya dig), they were largely forgettable. But that’s opinion. The critics do need to get over a lot of things when it comes to Xtina and go along with the ride. My whole argument is that Lotus is a nice start to re-establish her as the powerhouse she always has been. (Like Circus was a good foundation for FF, but was a step up from the sad (yet good) Blackout)
Bionic was great but it was very left of center for Xtina & I think her fans where SHOCKED. BIRDS OF PREY is a masterpiece among other bionic tracks. If Bionic was released in 2006 then it would have been a groundbreaker PRE-GAGA So Buonic came 4 years too late… But Xtina is an amazing artist & Lotus has some beautiful music on it lie BLANK PAGE, EMPTY WORDS BEST OF ME SING FOR ME & JUST A FOOL….
Funny as these are the few reviews that are negative. What about big names like…VIRGIN MEDIA 4 STARS, GRAPEJUICE 4 STARS, ALLMUSIC 4 STARS, BILLBOARD 4 STARS. You reviewers are stale wood who have no tune in your head and have to just listen to what is the ‘trend’ and not what is actually talent, versatility and contemp
Big Names? 5 out of the 7 they listed are BIG NAMES. The reviews aren’t even that negative. Were you expecting “spectacular?” “album of the year?” “her best work ever?” Because “Lotus” isn’t that at all. I think those reviews perfectly match what the record really is…which is a decent album.