Re-visiting Xtina's Bionic

Now that the dust has died down, I thought it might be a good time to re-evaluate Christina Aguilera’s ‘Bionic’, in the cold light of day. If Madonna is the queen of re-invention, Xtina is the mistress of the quick change – from her teen pop debut to her retro-inspired third album, touching on R&B, mature ballads and Latin pop en route – Aguilera makes and breaks the rules as she goes along. It is a strategy that has worked until now and given that success, it is no surprise that expectations for her latest offering were high.

The deluxe edition of ‘Bionic’ comes in at a whopping 23 tracks. Admittedly, this includes three interludes but it’s still a hefty collection and more often than not quantity and quality do not equate– an adage which unfortunately holds true in this instance.

The title track is catchy enough but there is nothing new here and the same can be said for the second track and lead single - ‘Not Myself Tonight’ - the highlight of which is Christina’s gutsy lyrics in the chorus. ‘Woohoo’ is a quite frankly embarrassing ode to oral sex and makes Madonna’s attempt at said subject 18 years ago seem like high art. ‘Elastic Love’ is a bit of electro fun, even if the lyric is slightly lacking and ‘Des Nudities’ is the token Spanglish number.

Enter part two of ‘Bionic’, the section which has the most in common with a certain Lady Gaga. That’s not to say that the songs here are bad carbon copies – on the contrary - ‘Glam’ is a pretty slice of electro pop and ‘Prima Donna’ is Aguilera at her tongue-in-cheek best. It’s the ‘Love & Glamour’ interlude, hanging the two tracks together that makes the listener draw comparisons to Gaga. Just as things as are getting good we are back to seXtina. This time ‘Sex for Breakfast’ is more Janet Jackson than Madonna and it’s as if the song has been dropped on the album from another planet (with an obligatory interlude before to try and justify its existence).

It’s the ballads section next. If it wasn't for a third and final interlude, ‘Life Me Up’ and ‘All I Need’ could easily merge into one. ‘I Am’ is a ‘self-therapy’ Aguilera standard and ‘You Lost Me’ is by far the best and most haunting song on the album.

The fourth and final section of the collection feels like it could be a standalone album in its own right. ‘I Hate Boys’ works well with its driving beat, despite the moronic lyrics. ‘My Girls’ mixes electro and disco to positive effect but as before, the two-dimensional lyrics let it down. Aguilera’s back to laughing at herself on ‘Vanity’, and the disco inspired ‘Monday Morning’ features a slightly softer vocal from Xtina. ‘Bobblehead’ has a message. The problem is it’s annoying to listen to so the message is lost. ‘Birds of Prey’ is sublime and probably one of the more mature moments on ‘Bionic’. Finally, ballad ‘Stronger than Ever’ and an acoustic version of ‘I Am’ close the collection on a high.

Critics initial reaction to ‘Bionic’ has been to label it as a Gaga like copy, and whilst there are strong similarities with some of Lady Gaga’s work, the comparison is an unfair one. The truth is that ‘Bionic’ borrows from a number of Christina’s contemporary’s – Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Katy Perry – to name a few. However, her crime here is not one of plagiarism. Instead it is of trying too hard, a fate that befell Kylie Minogue on her 2008 ‘X’ album and with the end result being a collection of almost random songs, selected to try and please everyone. This is understandable given the expectations on Christina for this project, however surprising given her previous tendency to stick two fingers up to what the rest of the world wants.

'Stick or Twist ' - the choice is hers

What next for Kylie? La Minogue was on top form at this years 'Brits'. She looked stunning, glamorous and understated (which is more than can be said for some of the get-ups Will Baker has had her in over recent months - miaow). 2008 was also an interesting year music wise for Kylie. So much so, that she is now at a crossroads in her pop career. A good time then to ponder on what choices may lay ahead:

(1) More of the same

Another album along the lines of 'X' - i.e. a dollop of electro-pop provided by Bloodshy and Avant, a sprinkle of pop from the fair hands of Cathy Dennis, and a smidgen of 'R&B lite' for good measure. Another successful recipe for Kylie? In my mind no.

The problem with 'X' is that it sounded too prescribed. The sleeve notes may have read like a who's who's of the late 00's music industry, but the record itself sounded like a contrived mish-mash of songs, hand chosen no doubt by record company 'suits', and lacking in any really feeling from Kylie herself. The exception being 'No More Rain', which apparently Minogue had to fight tooth and nail for to make the final cut. 'X' has been Kylie's poorest performing album since she moved to Parlaphone, and I honestly believe it's because the collection lacked any direction. Sure, there was the occasional good song ('The One' being the obvious example and don't even get me started on the lack of 'proper' single release in the UK), but there was nothing to tie the whole collection together - no red thread. The public will become bored of more of the same. A new direction is needed.

(2) The 'Showtunes' album

The idea has been mooted on many a fan messageboard and indeed by the great one herself. It would involve parred down versions of standards (a la 'Over the Rainbow from the 'Showgirl' tour), or even acoustic/ballad versions of Kylie's back catalogue (the crowd pleasing swing version of 'Better the Devil', or something in the vein of the ballad versions of 'White Diamond' or 'Made in Heaven' as featured in the 'White Diamond' Documentary).

I for one would love to see such an album, as would probably much of Kylie's core fan base and gay following. However, would anyone else? The women who look up to Kylie and think her songs are catchy, the men that fancy her and secretly have 'Fever' on their iphones ('it's only for when I am at the gym, honest'). It is likely that such a concept would alienate these key demographics. So whilst the idea is a nice one for us fans, its probably not sensible in this important juncture in Kylie's career.

(3) The retro album

By retro, I am not suggesting a return to SAW. Well not completely anyway. I am talking about a good, old fashioned album with ten really cracking songs on it - not ten average, one crap and two good songs (yes I am referring to 'X' again). Production wise, there should be a small core of producers. This would give the album a consistent sound and some kind of theme that the audience gets and relates to.

The CD should be 80's inspired. Pete Hammond did some great work with Alphabeat last year, and whilst his remix of 'Boyfriend' was identical to his mix of Bananaramas 'I Can't Help It', it did sound surprisingly contemporary in context. There could be a starkness to the album. A style that is perhaps akin to Jam and Lewis' work on Janet Jacksons Control album. To bring some warmth into the mix, how about some Freestyle influence, courtesy of production from the Latin Rascals? There is a holy grail of music to be found between the trinity of PWL, Jam & Lewis, and Freestlyle; and right in the middle of these three styles is where Kyies new album could be hiding.