In 1999 Christina Aguilera released her self-entitled debut album, which may not have created quite the same splash as her pop peers like Britney Spears and 'N Sync, but established her as a force to be reckoned with and showed the world she wasn't just a product of good recycled marketing, but a real singer with a powerful voice. She even ended up edging out rival Britney Spears, and singers Macy Gray and Kid Rock for Best New Artist in 2001, which shocked both the world and Christina herself.

But it wasn't until her eclectic, very personal sophomore album Stripped that Aguilera showed not only the ferocity and elasticity of her vocal chops, but her power to provoke, inspire, and innovate. Mistaken as a representation of her newfound in-your-face sexuality, the title Stripped actually was indicative of the very personal, emotional lyrics found throughout the LP. She picked up another Grammy for her critically acclaimed Linda Perry-penned hit "Beautiful", the video for which garnered her an award from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation for her positive images of gay people.

Inspired by jazz and blues artists like Etta James and B.B. King (videos can be found of Christina belting out these artists' tunes as a child), Christina decided to make a concept album based upon her love for the music, fused with the beats and melodies of today — in her own words, "'20s, '30s, '40s, with a modern day twist." The album, Back to Basics, was released in 2006 to favorable reviews (her best to date), and opened to her biggest first week sales ever. Entertainment Weekly, which gave the album a B+, said, "Few singers would dare attempt a song like the rock-tinged 'Hurt,' whose self-help bromides Aguilera delivers with melodrama that would make Barbra Streisand shudder; fewer still could make it so compelling." The New York Times praised her as well, saying “[DJ Premier's] production include 'Ain’t No Other Man',” the album’s glorious, mile-a-minute hit single, which proves once again that no one can roar like Ms. Aguilera. Unfortunately poor single choices and lack of promotion on her part due to her unexpected pregnancy led to the decline of the album quickly after her third single, and Back to Basics only managed to sell about 4.5 million copies worldwide.

Article Author: Chris Evans

Chris Evans is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College, with a B.A. in Communications. He is working on several screenplays and hunting for a media job in this hot mess of an economy.

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