Christina Aguilera has always been known as the tiny girl with the big voice. She's been hearing that all her life. In a way her voice has been what has set her apart from her peers, yet at the same time it's also been a point of criticism for people who claim she over sings. When compared to her arch rival Britney Spears, many people often say Christina has the voice while Britney has the stage presence. However, after Friday night's sold out concert at Madison Square Garden, it's clear to anyone with five senses that comparison is null and void.
Spears' stage presence relies on her elaborate sets, costumes, crisp dance numbers — glitz and glamor. Though Christina's show uses all those same elements as well, Aguilera's stage presence is wrapped up in something she has all on her own: sheer diva. When the lights dropped, those opening notes played, and Christina appeared on the stage in a tight white suit with a pulled down hat and wailed that signature "Heeeeey!", the crowd went berserk. She threw a white scarf off her shoulder and left no doubt about it — she is the diva ethereal.
From her nostalgic yet hip rendition of "Back in the Day," which pays tribute to soul legends like Aretha Franklin, James Brown, and Lady Day, to the dripping wet with attitude "Slow Down Baby," to the sultry and soulful ballad "Understand," Christina pulls out show stoppers right and left — showing opening act Danity Kane the real meaning of the word. Based on their performances Friday night, they clearly have not yet looked it up in the dictionary.
Whipping out those trademark chaps, she titillated us with the sexy and funky Still "Dirrty" and took us to church on "Makes Me Wanna Pray." Decked out in a sparkly ruby red number drenched in sequins, she sparked a fire in the crowd with a hit from her second album "Stripped" and when she sang a snippet from the female empowerment anthem "Can't Hold Us Down" — which honestly, judging from the crowd reaction she should have sang full out.
Aguilera took us to the circus in the later part of the show, full with her dancers walking on stilts, tossing around fire, and swinging from trapeze. She even pulled a male volunteer from the audience (though judging from the look on his face through the entire thing, it looked pretty involuntary to me) to punish during the raunchy burlesque number "Nasty Naughty Boy." As racy as it was, full with phallic symbols, sexual innuendos, and whips, nothing could've shocked the many elderly people I saw at the venue like the three and half minutes of masturbatory goodness that was "I Got Trouble."
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Jane
Does this girl have any original bone? That's just a rip off of Madonna's 1993 tour and Confessions. Aguilera can't even sing a song without belting/screeching that's not singing. She screams the songs and the songs looses all meaning or it's point to entertain. Then there's the dancing. She can't dance even if her life depends on it. All she can do is two step and the choreographer should be ashame for creating such pathetic dance moves. The back up dancers are sorry excuses for dancers. They should take lesson from the crew at Dance Life. Aguilera should take lesson from Britney, Madonna, Beyonce, J.lo and etc on stage presence and ideas. Oh wait, she's already is mimicking their past routines. Sad!
2 - Caroline
Xtina's singing, or should i say SCREAMING, is so damn annoyingggg. It's not appealing at all. She screams the whole time and thinks it sounds good, but it honestly doesnt. Okay, we know you can sing, but please make a song thats more enjoyable and quit screaming all the time. On top of her lack of originality, she needs to wipe some of that Maybelline off her face... oh wait, i get it... her clown face is supposed to go with the whole circus theme. ahhhh!
3 - A Concerned Citizen
without belting/screeching that's not singing. She screams the songs and the songs looses all meaning or it's point to entertain?
Okay, we know you can sing, but please make a song thats more enjoyable and quit screaming all the time
Maybe it's your own stylistic preferences and not her singing? Being a guy, and not involved as a fan of the genre either, I can tell you that Aguilera's voice is 10x better than basically everyone else's in the genre is.
Personally, I don't see anything wrong with belting or see how that style could make a song "lose it's meaning". If you look at many of the great classic rock artists, they had a fair share of belting.
Expand your horizons.
4 - joe
about the review, nice. But once again I see lack of respect from those who say she screams..I'm not her fan but I do recognize she is powerful and a true artist, I get easily bored of those people who can't do anything else to prove who they are, for that matter there is a universe of opionions so you may like her or hate her but that doesn't give you right to give a destructive critic
5 - joe
By the way, did those who say she was screaming actually went to her concert or are you just guessing??? If you hate "oversinging" "screaming" and whatnot..then go to a High School Musical show, I am sure you'll all be pleased jajajjaj
6 - Jane
Just because people think Christina Aguilera screams doesn't mean it's lack of respect it's just the fact or more like an opinion. The reviewer of the concert act like she some great performer with stage presence when she's just copying Madonna and barely does anything on stage.
"Personally, I don't see anything wrong with belting or see how that style could make a song "lose it's meaning". If you look at many of the great classic rock artists, they had a fair share of belting"
They don't belt every word or in Christina Aguilera case scream every word. Other singers sing with emotion and actually sing the words not scream it. All the screaming really does is shock the eardrums and annoy people.
7 - Orlando
I don't get why people who have such disdain for Christina would bother wasting their time both reading and then commenting on her reviews. You don't have anything better to do with your time than sit online and bash people you don't even know?
8 - arger.
i saw the opening show in houston and i loved it. i wonder if the folks with the negative things to day did even see a show. if you did, why did you pay and go? and if you didn't, how can you form an opinion? she is, obviously, inspired by madonna and takes from that influence. madonna does the same thing. madonna perfected it. taking influences, inspirations, and reintrepreting them to make them her own. is she a little more original in her reinterpretations? sure, it could probably be argued that she does. she did use the same music director as madonna. jamie king. or whatever his title would be. he does the choreography, i believe. i think she's coming into her own as an artist and an entertainer. everything was on point. she didn't dance like a janet or a britney, but she moved with them and moved well and energetically. also, she chooses to really sing as opposed to lip sync to do some choreography. she is even approaching her videos in a more mature way. really trying to make artistic statements. ok i'm done with my rant.
9 - Jade
rofl.
Christina needs to take lessons from NO ONE. She is the one with the voice, just because she may have the horse thing doesn't make her copied. Anyway - who HASN'T copied Madonna? Go figure before you say someone isn't original.
10 - Julie
Christina Aguilera has disappointed fans by reportedly lip-syncing at a gig on Friday night.
The Beautiful star encountered undisclosed technical problems at the concert in Madison Square Garden, New York City, prompting the audience to speculate the star was miming during the entire set.
11 - Jennifer
Christina will NEVER be in the league of Madonna OR Mariah. She doesnt even come close to comparing with the originals. She can imitate but never duplicate.
12 - jade
Ok Madonna can't really sing really all she is famous for is changing her look mariah carey only singd high notes that really not that amazing. Christina is so much better than those two and a loy of others
13 - joe
@JANE-well that's your point of view..so i don't care about it as you don't care of mine..I think there are different points of view and perception of things so for you she screams and for me she sings..say no more
14 - bianca
xtina is simply the best ever!!!
15 - rosa
christina is wonderful.. better yet TALENTED!!! how can anyone compare her to Baldy Spears, SHE CANNOT SING!!!!! every concert she has ever had was lip-synched. I like talent, christina has it, no one can say ahe cannot sing give the girl her props and respect her gift, she is better than madonna and i love madonna, mariah, not in the same category. stop hating people!
16 - Candace
Xtina busted for lip synching.... too freaking funny!!! hahahaha
17 - Chris Evans
"Xtina busted for lip synching.... too freaking funny!!! hahahaha"
No, what's funnier is the same person posting under different names with the same IP number. The same person who hates Christina, yet is so fascinated with her that she can't keep away from articles about her. Not only funny, but also sad and pathetic.
Christina lip synchs about 3.5 songs in the total hour and half show. And the rest of the songs that she sings live, she sings full out. She's not the only person with a vocally demanding show that lips a portion of their show to preserve their voices. Celine Dion does it in her Vegas show, and Mariah Carey lipped nearly all of her most recent tour, and has been lip synching notes and performances on television for years.
The only thing wrong is that years ago Christina criticized others at the VMAs for lip synching, when her, Madonna, and Mary J. Blige were singing live.
But seeing as how you're not a fan, don't like her music, and don't like her voice, I fail to see how any of this affects you since you're not shelling out music to go to any of her concerts. Yet still, you waste your time.
18 - Daveyd
I agree, all artist have to lip-sync some of their tracks during concerts, especially if they are continuous the following 2 days etc... Christina does not scream, thats how she projects her voice to the song, this is how she is, hate or love it, i love it!!, and she was given singing lessons from Linda Perry, she showed Christina how to make her voice come out like that too!! Christina had no idea until she did the 'Stripped' album. Does that mean Pink screams too, or is that because she is in the rock catergory? Maybe thats where Christina should go for her next album..lol
19 - Marcus
I don't know why people are talking bad about Christina. She is one of the best female artists there are. She has the voice of an angel and she can sing so well. She moves around on stage a lot and she dosen't scream....she hits the high notes better than probably anybody that sings or is bashing her on this blog
20 - Kris
People, please.. she sings beautifully ... let her develop her own style.. .i lvoe it!!
21 - Don't Be Jealous
Christina Aguilera is my favorite female singer...I'm going to her concert in April,I can hardly wait and by the way she can sing, and for you who say she can't I bet you couldn't do any better...<3
22 - sherwin
fuck you all who said christina screams every song she does! if that's what you think, you dnt know anything about music.. get lost!!!
23 - Monica
Christina screams and she sucks - to top that off, she ugly as a mofo... deal with it!
24 - cheryn baster
christina u are 1 in million.u lot who slate her are soooooo jelous,look wot she has bin through an u r still comparin her.she does not scream her voice is so amazin her music is all i listen 2 ugo girl iluv ya.
25 - Kelly
ok everyone here is sooooo dumb maddona is how old??????? she says i feel better now than i did when i was 20.....bull shit she wants to be 20. I agreee that mariah is a good singer but not better than christina. Christina is the best singer out there. Mariah needs to retire....NOW!!