Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Intro (Back to Basics)
2. Makes Me Wanna Pray featuring Steve Winwood
3. Back In The Day
4. Ain't No Other Man
5. Understand
6. Slow Down Baby
7. Oh Mother
8. F.U.S.S.
9. On Our Way
10. Without You
11. Still Dirrty
12. Here to Stay
13. Thank You (Dedication to Fans...)

Disc 2:

1. Enter the Circus
2. Welcome
3. Candyman
4. Nasty Naughty Boy
5. I Got Trouble
6. Hurt
7. Mercy on Me
8. Save Me from Myself
9. The Right Man
10. Back to Basics (Bonus Video)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2826 in Music
• Released on: 2006-08-14
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Enhanced
• Dimensions: .7 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Back to Basics, Christina Aguilera's first disc in four years, refines and clarifies the--let's call it "sexy"--aura surrounding this platinum firebrand. Here, the best belter in a class that counts Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears on its roll call has turned her attention to love songs: the supercharged and ubiquitous first single "Ain't No Other Man," for one, and the hushed stunner "Save Me from Myself" for another. That doesn't mean she's foresworn being nasty, though. Dive deep into this set, past the gorgeous crackle that frames the old-school jazz-, blues-, and soul-inspired tracks on the first disc, and you'll reach a playful and familiar raunch; "Candyman" celebrates a "one-stop shop" who "makes the panties drop" to a boogie-woogie beat, and "Nasty Naughty Boy" sends out a heated, big-beated invitation to "sip on my champagne/Cause I'm gonna give you a little taste/Of the sugar below my waist." Thoughtful listeners should snap out of their fascination with Xtina's undiminished yet newly un-tramp-like sexuality, though, because what they'll really want to focus on throughout these 22 tracks is the honest-to-God artistry. While the rock producer Linda Perry helps disc two pop in interesting and unexpected ways (check the muffled blues number "I Got Trouble" and "Mercy on Me," an obvious nod to Fiona Apple), DJ Premier, a mainstay on Jay-Z and Nas projects, pipes a batch of aural high-fives into the nostalgia-bitten first disc (the deep-down funk of "Back in the Day," the strut-strut early hip-hop sound of "Still Dirrty"). Their nudges aside, though, Back to Basics is all Aguilera's baby--she executive-produced, and she's found herself artistically. Nobody would argue, in fact, if she swiveled around the chorus to "Ain't No Other Man," written for her husband, and aimed it at herself: "You got soul, you got class/You got style, you're bada--." --Tammy La Gorce

CD Description
'Back To Basics' is Christina Aguilera's fifth album through RCA. Features the single 'Ain't No Other Man', and a soundinspired by early 20th Century jazz and blues. The second part of this double album features collaborations with Linda Perry, exclusively.

Customer Reviews

A Tale Of Two Disks Connected By Pure Quality!
Disk One:

01:Intro (Back To Basics) - Nice little intro, nothing special but I assume she'll keep the into's coming with every album: (6/10)
02:Makes Me Wanna Pray - Love the gospel vibe, the vocals are amazing although OTT but I like: (7/10)
03:Back In The Day - One of my favourates from disk one, fresh with a great vibe - it doesn't get much better: (9/10)
04:Ain't No Other Man - I've over-exposed myself to this track now, but a great comeback: (8/10)
05:Understand - I simply love it, such a great r&b ballad a true highlight: (9/10)
06:Slow Down Baby - The most urban track and it took me a while to get into but good enough to keep on listening: (7/10)
07:Oh Mother - heartfelt and moving, prehaps my favourate from disk 1: (10/10)
08:F.U.S.S (Interlude) - Um, lyrically hillarious and loving her attitude but why is it here!? Not necessary: (4/10)
09:On Our Way - Nice vibe but kinda average for her, I can still listen too it with ease though: (6/10)
10:Without You - Loving how different it is to the rest of the disk, has that mellowness I love: (8/10)
11:Still Dirrty - has one of the most addictive beats on the album, a good carry on from a classic pop song: (8/10)
12:Here To Stay - I hope she is! Although a weaker moment, its undoubtedly Aguilera with the empowering lyrics: (6/10)
13:Thank You(Dedication To Fans...) - well I like the beginning and the parts where she sings...: (2/10)

Disk Two:

01:Enter The Circus - Just Genius: (10/10)
02:Welcome - love the lyrics, gives us a true taster of what her life is like as an entertainer: (8/10)
03:Candyman - fun, different and sexy. what more do you want from a record? Huge vocals and no doubt a future single: (9/10)
04:Nasty Naughty Boy - Oh my oh my, one of the best and most daring on the album. love it: (9/10)
05:I Got Trouble - such a great vibe, lyrically good and vocally different. thumbs up: (7/10)
06:Hurt - Christina's new masterpeice, touching and moving - ballads don't get much better lyrically or vocally: (10/10)
07:Mercy On Me - Such a good pleading for forgiveness song, something different from her which I like: (8/10)
08:Save Me From Myself - My vocal highpoint, so restrained something we aren't use to from her but it gives her a fragile edge and is just beautiful: (10/10)
09:The Right Man - Nothing wrong with this track, but I don't feel it as much as the others: (6/10)

-- Bonus Video --

A nice little extra, her relationship with her produces seem so fab hopefully we can expect more from the interesting combination of Christina, DJ Premier and Linda Perry!

Final Word:

A great effort in my opinion, the lyrics on the album are superior to most coming from artists of her generation and vocally she's on top form - superb production from DJ Premier and Linda Perry makes a varity which I love! You can tell that Christina's taken her time and worked hard to get everything as good as she could, yes a couple of duds are thrown in but the whole package is just excellent. The glossy booklet with the lyrics and great artwork makes it an album to buy rather then download!

Best Tracks: Back In The Day, Understand, Oh Mother, Candyman, Hurt & Save Me From Myself.

Worst Tracks: F.U.S.S & Thank You

A huge departure but Man can this girl sing!!!!
This album is such a huge departure from her what we normally hear from Christina that I was intrigued to see if she would be able to pull off going `Back to Basics'. My opinion.....not only did she pull it off she nailed it to the wall!!!

There's several different themes going on in this album which you wouldn't think would work but they just do. `Makes me wanna pray' makes me picture Christina leading the church choir. Listening to jazz inspired numbers such as `Back in the Day', `Welcome', `Nasty Naughty Boy' and `I got trouble' you can almost imagine her sitting in a smoky jazz club in a slinky dress. Dancy jazzy number such as `Ain't no other man' and `Candyman' will keep your foot tapping and bopping around your living room. And then to confuse you even more `Oh Mother', `Hurt', `Save me from myself' and `The Right Man' are ballads.....but ballads like you've never heard them before......there's such feeling in them that you can picture the story playing out as you listen.

This album reminds me a lot of Pink's `I'm not dead' where she mixed several styles and showed off her amazing talent. Christina does the same in `Back to Basics'. Her vocal range is tested in every direction and she just nailed every song to perfection. If there's one Christina Aguilera album you should buy this year it should be this one. It's amazing to say the least.

Stripped was Great! This is even better!
I am a Christina Fanatic! So, i'm easily pleased and love everything she does.
I loved stripped when it came out and still do, but some songs tend to have a unpolished feel to them and she likes to warble and trill all over them. But, not so much on this album. I can tell she's thought out carefully what she's singing. some songs she does go mad on, but some she holds back completely! giving them a timeless quality.

I must say I personally prefer the second disc. The songs a far stronger and can be listened to over and over and over.

The first disc has a lot of up tempo songs on, which are great, but with a concept album of 20's, 30's and 40's, you can't go in drastic new directions from the previous track.

Best songs...
disc 1
'still dirrty'
'Makes me wanna pray'
'without you'

disc 2
all of them!

BUY IT!!!!