Christina Aguilera, Liberation | Album Review 💿

After a six-year hiatus, pop superstar Christina Aguilera returns with her sixth studio album, ‘Liberation.’ Although imperfect, it has some great moments.

Hmm, “It’s hard out here for a” 90s-00s pop star.  Christina Aguilera has experienced her share of highs in pop, and her share of lows.  Lately, in regards to her musical career, Aguilera has underperformed.  After killing it on her 2006 double LP Back to the Basics, success dwindled.  Bionic (2010) wasn’t nearly as successful, while Lotus (2012) was solid, but a commercial flop.  Hopefully, her sixth studio album, Liberation, reinvigorates interest and commercial success in one of music’s greatest vocalists.  There are great moments throughout this album.

“Maria”

Liberation begins with two introductions essentially. First there’s “Liberation,” with its dramatic, building strings, followed by “Searching for Maria.” “Searching Maria” serves as the preface for the LP’s first triumphant moment, ✓ “Maria,” which samples Michael Jackson. Aguilera gets a lift form a resurgent Kanye West, who co-produces with Che Pope.  Vocally, she’s on-point, showcasing her grit and soulfulness.  The premise? Aguilera has lost a part of herself – “Where, where, where is Maria?”

“I ain’t built for no fake shit / Bitch don’t play me, I raise kids.” Woo! Following the sickness of “Maria,” Christina Aguilera is ✓ “Sick of Sittin’.” Or perhaps, it’s the extended hiatus between albums.  Regardless of why, Anderson .Paak gives Aguilera one of the most electrifying songs of Liberation, one that truly brings the liberation element out.  This is an eclectic gem, fusing rock, pop, funk, and soul.  She kills it.

“Fall in Line” 

Interlude “Dreamers” fitting precedes the album’s crowning achievement, ✓ “Fall in Line”. “Fall in Line” features a grinding, soulful, six-eight groove, perfect fuel for the fire for Aguilera and Demi Lovato. Aguilera gets to work with controlled, nuanced vocals on the first verse.  The message, aimed towards girls, is pitch-perfect:

“Little girls, listen closely
…in this world, you are not beholden 
You do not owe them
Your body and your soul.”

Aguilera’s beastly vocals begin to appear on the pre-chorus, letting her pipes rip on the chorus (joined by Lovato). Lovato takes the lead on the second verse, similarly maintaining composure and poise, before spreading her wings and flying on the chorus.  The true magic occurs when these they join forces, particularly the second and third iterations of the chorus.  The empowerment is real. The sexy “Right Moves” featuring Keida and Shenseea blends reggae, pop, and hip-hop. A flavorful record, it’s a nice stylistic contrast – a vibe.

“Like I Do” 

“Like I Do”, is the second Anderson .Paak production.  GoldLink ‘gets the party started,’ following the colorful, unique instrumental intro.  His flow is captivating and overall superb, definitely setting up Aguilera for success.  Expectedly, she sounds strong on both verses. Can you guess the premise of the chorus? Using Aguilera’s own words, “No, baby, you can’t do it quite like I do.” Enjoyable and well-performed without being game changing, arguably, the production is the biggest selling point.

“Deserve” gives Liberation yet another different flavor. Co-written by rising stars Julia Michaels and MNEK (he produces as well), Aguilera sings about feeling unworthy of her lover at times.  She throws in some profanity for some extra stank on the chorus:

“Sometimes I don’t think I deserve you
So I say some fucked up shit just to hurt you
But you know I do it all ‘cause I love you
So, baby, tell me I’m the one that deserves you.”

“Deserve” is pretty nice, but not as nice as the balladry of ✓ “Twice”. Christina Aguilera asks previous lovers a series of questions on the first verse, ultimately confused by the situation.  On the second, she seems focused more on her role in the relationship, and like her lovers, it seems to be a mix of good and bad.  On the pre-chorus, she highlights imperfection, necessity, and pain.  The centerpiece is the chorus.

“Well, sometimes I wonder what is the meaning of my life?
I found the price of love and lost my mind
Oh, I will forgive them all of my wrongs and my rights
I do it all again and won’t think twice, no
Won’t think twice.”

Beyond theme and lyricism, “Twice” is a great fit for Aguilera because it allows her to show off the emotion and power of her pipes.

“Accelerate”

The energetic, but quirky “I Don’t Need it Anymore (Interlude)” precedes the quirky “Accelerate”, which can be described as a fragmented, gimmicky modern-pop, hip-hop-infused record.  Although the production is interesting, “Accelerate” falls short. For one, the songwriting lacks depth.  Secondly, Ty Dolla $ign can’t keep up with Aguilera, noticeably going out of his vocal range. His attempt at singing high notes may not bother everyone, but it was personally hard to ignore. The 2 Chainz rap over the soulful, trap production switch is among the selling points, though one has to question its fit contextually. All in all, “Accelerate” is a big fat pop mess – take it or leave it.

 “Pipe,” featuring XNDA, isn’t about weed. No, pipe is slang for sex. The innuendo is ripe: “I get loud when you put that pipe down, pipe down, pipe down.” While the song isn’t chocked-full of substance, the production is great, particularly the electric piano and drum programming. On “Masochist,” she acknowledges a bad relationship, but despite her better judgement, she continues “to hurt myself in this way.” All in all, it’s effective, but not as excellent as the best.

Speaking of the best, ✓ “Unless It’s with You” is definitely the best of the closing quartet of songs.  This ballad finds Christina Aguilera showing off her best attribute – her gorgeous, one-of-a-kind vocals.  Once Aguilera ascends into her sick upper register, ‘it’s over’ – she goes into an entirely different dimension.  “‘Cause I don’t want to get married / Unless it’s with you,” she sings on the powerful chorus.

Final Thoughts

All in all, Liberation is an enjoyable, modern day pop album.  It’s imperfect, but that’s generally the case with pop albums as of late.  Still, the ballads in particular are stunning, and lead the charge as the crème de la crème of Liberation.  And yes, “Accelerate” was named one of my worst songs of 2018, but, it’s definitely not unlistenable.  Need a good pop album by an artist who can sing the songbook? You’ve got it with Liberation and Christina Aguilera.

✓ Gems: “Maria,” “Sick of Sittin’,” “Fall in Line,” “Twice” & “Unless It’s with You”

Christina Aguilera • Liberation • RCA • Release: 6.15.18

Photo Credit: RCA