All those suffering from a Christina Aguilera deficiency can rejoice, as new single, Your Body, has debuted in its mastered version! Produced by Max Martin/Savan Kotecha, Your Body is a sexually charged anthem that reveals-in quite explicit detail- a certain diminutive, blond, Diva out on the prowl. "What for?" you ask. "Your Body," of course!
Lyrically Your Body comes hard (no pun intended), leaving nothing to the imagination- "It's true what you heard ,I'ma freak, I'm disturbed...If you don't know where to go, I'll finish up on my own"(!). It's a ballsy set of lyrics that needs a suitably gutsy vocal to attack it convincingly, and Christina doesn't disappoint: full throated, and anything but subtle, throughout. Her midrange on the verses sounds particularly good and the run during the breakdown is stunning and fierce in equal parts. As a whole, it's a vocal that manages to balance Christina's dynamics perfectly: not too loud, not too soft, but juuuust right.
Where the song suffers a little is its production. First of all the tempo sounds too slow. This is a track for the club, but it has a speed that sounds slightly awkward when compared to other popular dance-pop songs. Secondly, apart from the breakdown in the middle and the song's intro, the production is relatively lifeless, repetitive and uninspired; leaving it to the vocal and lyrics to carry much of the song. Luckily they shoulder the added weight exceptionally well
Overall, this is a great comeback for Christina Aguilera and has everything people have come to associate with her: great vocals, saucy lyrics, attitude, and the desire to keep moving forward with her sound. Your Body isn't perfect, but in the midst of a bunch of bad comeback tracks from a number of Divas- Madonna, Mariah Carey, and don't think I've forgotten you, Ciara(!)- its pretty darn good!
Rating: B
I can see that being played a lot on radio. In other words..my thoughts ran from "Meh"...to "getting bored", to "wonder how big a team it took to "write" that ditty" to.."damn, that Patty Griffin is a great songwriter, think I will go listen to Mary". At which point , 0206 in the song exactly, I stopped listening.
ReplyDeleteOff to youtube now. ;)
Of all of the lead singles she has ever released this one is the most... overbearing for me. Christina's new more aggressive way of portraying herself is making her less relate able to in my opinion and not everyone is going to remember that tiny blonde girl singing beautiful when this comes on. Vocally she sounds alright-(still sounds like questionable technique to me) and not the biggest fan of the musical direction she chose with this new record. I was hoping a stripped part 2 like some were saying she was going for. But overall although the music itself is very generic its fun to listen to and Im hoping this won't turn into a second Bionic...
ReplyDelete"not everyone is going to remember that tiny blonde girl singing beautiful when this comes on."
ReplyDeleteVery true Brian! Very hard to remember that during that song.
Running to Dr. Luke and singing about fucking someone's body just screams desperate to me. Sure, she's been singing about sex most of her career, but there's something different. She's obviously success hungry, and that's okay, but people know Xtina is super talented and the overbearing lyrics and the generic production takes away from what we know she's capable of.
ReplyDeleteWon't comment lyrics and music, they just don't suit my taste, but her voice definitely improved - sounds more comfortable and stronger, than her usual low notes.
ReplyDeleteWell, her vocals have improved a lot - I mean - they sound more stable and powerful and less strained. I hoped for a rock album she said she would make one day with Linda Perry, but well... I guess there's no room in mainstream music for that sort of albums. Lyrics are little off-putting (as for me) and have nothing to do with sincere girl that used to sing her heart out on Stripped, Back to Basics and even some songs on Bionic (like Lift Me Up, All I Need or You Lost Me). The track is catchy, though.
ReplyDeleteI love it. Hopefully it will make some chart impact.
ReplyDeleteHaha I see you finally got the review back up Diva. Anyways the track is much better than the lead of Bionic and I truly was hoping for a stripped part two but then again Stripped in itself was full of multigenre'd pop music so who knows what the rest of the album will sound like. As for the Vocals she is finally playing around more so with her comfort zone but the chorus still sounds throaty and strained to me. Im hoping the rest of the labum will be of sound quality as well. c:
ReplyDeleteThere is no question, that this will be a hit single, but I ask myself, what happened if they replaced the syntheziser with a guitar and a piano like rolling in the deep, would have been a classic imo.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying this, she does sounds, lets say, raw on her higher parts but its her thing and she rocks it well, catchy lil number....
ReplyDeleteI like the song, &
ReplyDeleteThe vocals are more restrained, but still keeps weight of her signature sound & I don't think Ciara's comeback is bad at all. But to each his/her own.
i hate the lyrics
ReplyDeletebut i absolutely love her vocals here she sounds powerful throughout the whole song - i just hope the rest of the album is like bionic because that album was sexually charged and this first single goes in the same direction
i hope she pulls out some good ballads too
but this is a good first single its catchy
* is not like bionic
ReplyDeleteAgreed - a weird tempo. She sounds great on it though!
ReplyDeleteKAREN!! NICE TO SEE YOU!!
ReplyDeletethe tempo is really weird, u said everything, the song manages to keep it cool even if with some few difficulties.
ReplyDeletethis single é trash! So same-same old thing. Gaga is loughing right now.
ReplyDeleteoh henrique, how I've missed your salty comments
ReplyDeleteI usually love ciara. But this reminds me too much of Promise; but no where near as good. I'm hoping the uptempo song she releases along side this will be a scorcher.
ReplyDelete[for anyone who hasn't heard promise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcGWy7xUZQE ]
I was genuinely shocked when that other post got taken down, no warning or anything. Was just going to repost it- because blogger had reverted it from "Published" to in "draft"- but it wasn't really a review and ended with the line "will review when the mastered version is released" so that was no help. Doh.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how the saucy lyrics would fit with that kind of arrangement! But I would love Christina to do an album with more acoustic arrangements. I guess she's got plenty of time for that in her career.
ReplyDeleteWho knows what else is on the album. Hearing "Not Myself Tonight" I never would have guessed "Lift Me Up" and "You Lost Me" would come from the same set, but there they were. :)
ReplyDeleteWell that's fine. Just my personal opinion. You can't please everyone all the time, that's why I said to each his/her own.
ReplyDeleteAmen :)
ReplyDeleteWay better than Triumphant.
ReplyDeleteWhich makes me cry a little, since I'm a Mariah stan.
for me it's b- or c
ReplyDeleteHey lovely!!! Mwah x
ReplyDeletedo u guys really not like the tempo/production?
ReplyDeletei actually like the production/tempo and the vocals a lot - the only thing i dont like are the lyrics...
i heard the uptempo remix of the song and i prefer this version
I just hope I'll get to hear songs like those you mentioned! But these lyrics are just too freaky, as for me. Not Myself Tonight wasn't so direct. :/ I would love the song if it weren't for lyrics, it sounds good.
ReplyDeleteI love it, but I want her on a ballad. People tend want to compare her to other singers (pop in general) and on that scale it gets an "I'm gonna jam in the shower" but when you put this woman on a ballad...i need a moment...ok she shines. This song B+. :)
ReplyDeleteBut the Triumphant Vintage throwback remix >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> :3
ReplyDeleteThe vintage remix was everything assddjjhgf.
ReplyDeleteAnd her voice was so full and resonating! I hated the main version of the song until I found the Vintage throwback remix a few weeks ago. :P
ReplyDelete