Back To Basics
by Christina Aguilera
  • Record Label: RCA
  • Release Date: Aug 15, 2006
User Score
8.8

Universal acclaim- based on 651 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 584 out of 651
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 651
  3. Negative: 52 out of 651

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  1. thaleslucas
    Sep 26, 2014
    10
    "Back to Basics" is the best album that Christina Aguilera did, that's all!

    I would like to say how this one is amazing, but I cannot explain how I felt when I bought it. All the songs sound biggest and powerful with her beautiful voice. And the lyrics are so awesome! Lots of love for it!!! ♥
  2. ManuelContreras
    Apr 7, 2018
    10
    Una obra maestra por parte de la cantante Aguilera, ademas de que porfin se hizo justicia al tener un promedio de criticas en verde
  3. JeremySpears
    Aug 12, 2020
    10
    "Back to Basics" came out 14 years ago this month. With this album, Christina reinvented herself yet again after the incredible success and artistic liberation that "Stripped" was four years prior. For this album, Christina said goodbye to Xtina and adopted a new alter ego "Baby Jane", which was inspired by classic Hollywood actresses such as Marylin Monroe. The album itself pays tribute"Back to Basics" came out 14 years ago this month. With this album, Christina reinvented herself yet again after the incredible success and artistic liberation that "Stripped" was four years prior. For this album, Christina said goodbye to Xtina and adopted a new alter ego "Baby Jane", which was inspired by classic Hollywood actresses such as Marylin Monroe. The album itself pays tribute to and is inspired by Christina's idols from the 1920's-1950's. Its first half has a more urban sound that is still inspired by that time, while the second half sounds like it's straight from that time. Its lyrics deal with her relationship to her then husband, her love for music and her idols and her difficult childhood. The album kicks off with the Intro that basically explains the concept of the album and celebrates a certain era of music and her idols such as Aretha Franklin, Etta James, James Brown or Otis Redding. Its third track "Back In the Day" is basically the same thing, just longer and more uptempo. It’s a great song. The album's second song "Makes Me Wanna Pray" is already a highlight. A fun, uplifting gospel song that gets you moving and in a good mood every time you listen to it. "Slow Down Baby" is one of the best songs in Xtina's discography. It blends R&B with Hip-Hop and soul and is a powerful, fun, danceable and sassy feminist anthem. "Still Dirrty" is pretty similar and another amazing song. It references her legendary 2002 hit "Dirrty". "Oh Mother" is one of Christina's most personal songs and is just a beautiful and sad ballad. Just like "I'm OK" from "Stripped" it talks about her abusive father but this time focuses more on her mum's story. The album's iconic second single "Hurt" is another extremely sad but beautiful ballad that talks about death I think. One of my favorite songs of hers. The other two singles "Ain't No Other Man" and "Candyman" are iconic bops and I don’t think I need to say more about them. "Here To Stay" is an upbeat empowering anthem. I love Christina's confidence in that track. The interlude "F.U.S.S." is basically a diss track about Scott Storch, who had worked with her on "Stripped". I don’t know what happened between them but I like the interlude. "Thank You" is a thank you to the Fighters, her fans, and even includes messages from some fans. Not the best song on the album but it’s a nice gesture for sure. It closes the first half of the album. The second half of the album opens with "Enter the Circus". An epic interlude and the transition to "Welcome", another epic song, is just perfect. The second half also features two of the iconic singles ("Hurt" & "Candyman"). "Nasty Naughty Boy" is an incredibly sexy song that incorporates elements of jazz and blues. It was later used in her movie "Burlesque" and I totally understand why. "I Got Trouble", while not my favorite song, captures the concept of the album perfectly. It sounds like a very old song from the 1920s and Christina's vocals are just perfect. "Save Me from Myself" is very different from the rest of the album. Xtina doesn’t belt as she usually does and sings in a very nice, soft tone. The song itself is a simple acoustic song. On the album's final song "The Right Man", Xtina expresses that she has found "the right man" for her imagined daughter as she hopes that the child would not have to experience an abusive childhood like her. Sad yet powerful and beautiful.

    "Back to Basics" is Xtina's best album in my opinion. In a time where Hip-Hop and Dance Pop were dominating the charts Christina took a risk and released music inspired by her idols but it still had a modern twist. And even though it sounded so different from anything else on the charts, it was still an extremely successful era. The album is so cohesive, has great themes and even though it has 22 tracks it never seems too long and it never gets boring. Christina is the Princess of reinvention and this album proves how perfectly and authentically she can pull off such a reinvention. "Back to Basics" is a timeless masterpiece and one of my favorite albums ever. Favorites: Hurt, Slow Down Baby, Makes Me Wanna Pray, Oh Mother & Still Dirrty    … Expand
  4. Haandy
    Dec 16, 2020
    10
    O segundo pilar da carreira da Xtina, album q mostra toda sua inspirações em verdadeiras divas do jazz, pisou no Chuca To Chuca da Lady covid.
  5. 0987
    Oct 25, 2022
    10
    Mercy on me is the biggest highlight and the biggest discover on this album.

    I like how the first disc is all bright, mid to upbeat and fun with highlights being Understand, Still Dirrty and her dedication to fams where she even samples her own songs. Also that diss track FUSS was funny to me. And then in the second disc, the album becomes darker and turns from mid to slow tempo (with    Mercy on me is the biggest highlight and the biggest discover on this album.

    I like how the first disc is all bright, mid to upbeat and fun with highlights being Understand, Still Dirrty and her dedication to fams where she even samples her own songs. Also that diss track FUSS was funny to me. And then in the second disc, the album becomes darker and turns from mid to slow tempo (with excemptions being Candyman and Nasty Naughty Boy). Mercy On Me is, as I already said, the biggest highlight from this album. Too bad she neved performed this song live.    … Expand
  6. Lopesito27
    Jan 23, 2021
    8
    Honestly Aguilera came across a sound with lots of potential she can easily pull off with her charisma at full flow... Sadly, some compositions don't impress nearly as much as I feel like they should for such a voice and such a style. It's not until that extra 2nd part of the album that the style is perfectioned, even if it switches to going full vintage instead of building 2000s R&B fromHonestly Aguilera came across a sound with lots of potential she can easily pull off with her charisma at full flow... Sadly, some compositions don't impress nearly as much as I feel like they should for such a voice and such a style. It's not until that extra 2nd part of the album that the style is perfectioned, even if it switches to going full vintage instead of building 2000s R&B from those vintage sounds.… Expand
  7. LipeFireworks
    Feb 13, 2017
    10
    Um dos melhores albuns de todos os tempos, biblia, Mercy On me, Hurt, Candyman, Slow Down Baby Ain No Other Man, sao uma das minhas faixas preferidas, melhor album da Xtina, ele Ă© 1000x melhor que o lixo do bionic
  8. pauldiam
    Jun 19, 2018
    10
    Christina Aguilera is a one in a million artist, through her debut album she crafted a very old-school bubblegum pop mood which i didn't perticularly find interesting enough for me to become a fan, however Stripped was an entirely different album and altogether was a far more deeper and rythemetic album which reflected blues and RnB as her influence which eternally expressed Xtina'sChristina Aguilera is a one in a million artist, through her debut album she crafted a very old-school bubblegum pop mood which i didn't perticularly find interesting enough for me to become a fan, however Stripped was an entirely different album and altogether was a far more deeper and rythemetic album which reflected blues and RnB as her influence which eternally expressed Xtina's creativity with lyrics and balanced some incredibly deep and moving songs.
    Chritina made the right move to pull a new dynamic out of the bag with this stunning album...to go back to her musical roots and establish her fetish for 20's and 30's style music and the result is very exceptional indeed .    … Expand
  9. philosophorse
    Aug 4, 2014
    9
    It's so good because of three main things:
    Christina's immaculate voice and how she screams powerfully even in mellow parts of songs.
    The production, of course.
    The homages, and the skit-like World War II lyrics and intros. It's a comedic work of art.
    It's a bummer because:
    It's divided to two discs when one could had made do.
  10. xtinalol
    Aug 26, 2016
    10
    This is one of the best pop albums I've ever heard from such a young vocalist. She's really a great songwriter and DJ Premier has brought out the best in her. 15 years from now we will have yet another legend among us. Collapse
  11. ewertonmm
    Jun 15, 2019
    10
    This is a masterpiece that only Christina Aguilera could pull off. I can listen to this all day long on repeat without skipping a single track. The only problem of this whole LP is that it ends.
  12. PabloRivie
    May 14, 2020
    9
    1.- INTRO.- Aun no me da el aire que expresa el arte o el tĂ­tulo del album. Me suena mas a una transiciĂłn entre Stripped y este album
    2.- MAKES ME WANNA PRAY.- Me encanta el sonido bastante soul y el aire a coro de iglesia que usa Christina en sus canciones desde Stripped. GRAN VOZ como siempre. Gran pieza de principio a fin. DeberĂ­a ser single. TOP
    3.- BACK IN THE DAY.- El principio    1.- INTRO.- Aun no me da el aire que expresa el arte o el tĂ­tulo del album. Me suena mas a una transiciĂłn entre Stripped y este album
    2.- MAKES ME WANNA PRAY.- Me encanta el sonido bastante soul y el aire a coro de iglesia que usa Christina en sus canciones desde Stripped. GRAN VOZ como siempre. Gran pieza de principio a fin. DeberĂ­a ser single. TOP
    3.- BACK IN THE DAY.- El principio suena batante intersante, al llegar al coro se vuelve un poco mas decepcionante sin embargo nunca puedes aburrirte del todo con la voz de Christina. Yo habrĂ­a puesto a esta cancion como introducciĂłn del disco. No es mala pero no la escucharĂ­a de nuevo
    4.- AIN'T NO OTHER MAN.- Excelente primer single, una propuesta muy creativa para introducir la temática del disco al mercado. La mezcla perfecta de Jazz y Pop para el 2006. TOP
    5.- UNDERSTAND.- Una mezcla entre balada y Soul, muy bien ejecutada, no es muy profunda ni recordable pero logra cautivar. Tal ves la ejecuciĂłn del bridge intermedio me sabe un poco raro pero en general una buena canciĂłn.
    6.- SLOW DOWN BABY.- Muy buen aporte al album, mezcla de pop y soul muy bien ejecutada. Tiene potencial para single. TOP
    7.- OH MOTHER.- De las canciones mas personales de Christina. SĂłnicamente sale un poco del sonido soul/ jazz sin embargo no desentona. La letra me gusta mucho sin embargo la melodĂ­a pienso que pudo haber sido mejor trabajada. No es de mi favoritas.
    8.- F.U.S.S..- Excelente melodía, letra, lo más RnB del album, un sonido bastante a lo Stripped sin embargo no muy recordable
    9.- ON OUR WAY.- Excelente producciĂłn musical, sigue la linea RnB del anterior track. No es una mala canciĂłn pero tampoco es de mis favoritas.
    10.- WITHOUT YOU.- Continua la linea RnB. No es mala pero definitivamente no es de mis favoritas. NEXT
    11.- STILL DIRRTY.- Retorna al sonido Soul antiguo. Para mi esta es la mezcla perfecta entre Stripped y B2B, volviendo a tocar el tema de la sexualidad pero con un sonido mas soul. PodrĂ­a haber sido un interesante single. No es para nada mala pero no la pondrĂ­a en mi Playlist
    12.- HERE TO STAY.- La pista suena bastante oldie. Buena mezcla entre pop y Soul/Jazz. Como canción no es mala pero escuchándola fuera del disco no sobresaldría.
    13.- THANK YOU.- Al principio suena un poco a un Genie In A Bottle parte 2. Como dedicatoria a los fans me parece bastante creativa en cuanto a producción. Como canción me deja bastante que desear. Definitivamente algo que los fans apreciarían mucho más que una persona regular. Talves podriía haber sido un poco mas corta.
    14.- ENTER THE CIRCUS.- Excelentemente ejecutada como introducción pero me da aire a una Sub- temática dentro de otra temática. Podría haber sido un album por separado o una parte dos pero separada y no así un doble disco. TOP
    15.- WELCOME.- Me gusta mucho. Deja un poco el sonido Jazz y nos trae un track muy Pop Soul. Excelente transiciĂłn con la introducciĂłn
    16.- CANDYMAN.- ME ENCANTA. Vuelve al Jazz de la manera más divertida posible. Fresco, divertido, mezcla perfecta de un 40s y un 2006. OBRA MAESTRA. Mi favorita del album hasta ahora. TOP
    17.- NASTY NAUGHTY BOY.- Excelente sonido de cabaret. Muy Showgirl. Le da un giro al album pero sin salirse para nada de la linea musical. De nuevo me suena a la mezcla perfecta de Stripped y B2B. De mis favoritas del album. TOP
    18.- I GOT TROUBLE.- Lo más soul puro del album. El toque perfecto que necesitaba. No la pondría en mi PL pero dentro del álbum suena genial
    19.- HURT.- De las mejores baladas que tiene Aguilera. Gran voz, producción, letra. Excelente 2do single. Definitivamente de mis favoritas del álbum. TOP
    20.- MERCY ON ME.- Para mĂ­ las mejores fĂłrmulas que tiene Christina es la mezcla de Soul con coros de iglesia y Pop. Esta no es la excepciĂłn. De nuevo suena un poco a mezcla entre Stripped y B2B pero no es para nada malo. De hecho es de mis favoritas del disco. TOP
    21.- SAVE ME FROM MYSELF.- Una balada acĂşstica perfecta. Todo lo que necesitaba esta 2da parte para ser PERFECTA.ME ENCANTA. TOP
    22.- THE RIGHT MAN.- Suena bastante similar a Hurt pero eso no es para nada negativo. Sale un poco del sonido jazz/soul pero vale totalmente la pena. EXCELENTE BALADA. TOP

    EN GENERAL: Si bien hay un sonido bastante comun entre ambos lados del disco el segundo en mi opiniĂłn introduce como una pequeña sub temática que podrĂ­a haber sido mejor utilizada siendo lanzada por separado o como una parte 2 de B2B. En general el sonido es bastante cohesivo, trae bastante sustancia de Stripped pero lo mimetiza perfectamente a este nuevo sonido. En general me encanta el sonido y el concepto del album. Algunas canciones pudieron ser deshechadas pero como esta tampoco me molestan. EXCELENTE TRABAJO. De hecho me molesta un poco que no sacara mas singles.    … Expand
  13. KingdomHeart
    Dec 4, 2013
    10
    This is the album that Beyoncé always wanted to do, sophisticated, well crafted and extremely tasteful, Back to Basics itself as a masterpiece of Christina Aguilera.
  14. vini1904
    Jul 12, 2012
    8
    In this album she captures the essence of the 'soul' and is the definitive proof that she is the heir of the old divas of soul music. Highlights for 'Ain't No Other Man', 'Without You' and 'Slow Down Baby' the first album and 'Welcome', 'Candyman' and 'Hurt' on the second cd.
  15. evildevil17
    Jul 3, 2018
    10
    An ambitious throwback to old Hollywood glam, Back to Basics won the hearts of music lovers around the world, and not without a reason. The album is funky, yet soulful; catchy as hell but not commercialized. On "Save Me from Myself" and "Mercy on Me" Aguilera proves - quite effortlessly, actually - that she's the best singer of her generation.
  16. idroJ2-2
    Mar 18, 2022
    10
    An album that combines perfectly retro sounds with contemporary ones like Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black".
  17. lordemusic
    Dec 1, 2016
    10
    This is one of the best pop albums I've ever heard from such a young vocalist. She's really a great songwriter and DJ Premier has brought out the best in her. 15 years from now we will have yet another legend among us. Collapse
  18. Rodkrieg
    Apr 3, 2020
    10
    What the? C’mon people, it’s her best album, powerful vocals, fresh style, and what a great production, sounds very 50’s, not like female singers nowadays.
  19. diofelicciano
    Dec 17, 2014
    8
    This is the only coherent and solid album that Christina Aguilera had released yet. The musical and visual influences used in this album are spot on. Xtina's voice and this jazzy/soul pop are match made in heaven.
  20. amir_manraj
    Jun 13, 2011
    10
    Whoa. This is pop perfection! "Hurt" is an unforgettable ballad, "Candyman" is a jazzy '40s-style swing tune, and "Ain't No Other Man" channels '60s funk. There are many more great, classy songs as well. Christina has had one of the best voices of any Hollywood diva since she started singing. She deserves praise for bringing old-fashioned vocal pop in the style of '20s, '30s, and '40sWhoa. This is pop perfection! "Hurt" is an unforgettable ballad, "Candyman" is a jazzy '40s-style swing tune, and "Ain't No Other Man" channels '60s funk. There are many more great, classy songs as well. Christina has had one of the best voices of any Hollywood diva since she started singing. She deserves praise for bringing old-fashioned vocal pop in the style of '20s, '30s, and '40s songs to mainstream pop music.… Expand
  21. MarcoAC
    Mar 22, 2012
    10
    Without doubt the best Christina Aguilera, and also one of the riskiest album of the 21st century. What artist in the full year 2006 would have the courage to release an album of Blues and Soul? No one. But Christina did, got the deserved success, and as always, the quality put into it and feeling the tracks. Highlight tracks Hurt Oh Mother, Is not No Other Man, Slow Down Baby, Candyman,Without doubt the best Christina Aguilera, and also one of the riskiest album of the 21st century. What artist in the full year 2006 would have the courage to release an album of Blues and Soul? No one. But Christina did, got the deserved success, and as always, the quality put into it and feeling the tracks. Highlight tracks Hurt Oh Mother, Is not No Other Man, Slow Down Baby, Candyman, Save Me From Myself and Mercy On Me.… Expand
  22. Recordmania
    Oct 4, 2013
    10
    Now, that's is what they call music. It's an amazing pop album flavored with 40's, 50's, 60's Jazz and Blues materials. The lyrics are amazing same th the beats and the vocal performance. A true masterpiece.
  23. LispectorLTX
    May 4, 2018
    8
    It's strange that it took 7 years to Christina Aguilera find herself on music. "Stripped" and "Christina Aguilera" are both good and classic albums, but "Back To Basics" shows that she is mature enough to be herself without being that sweet girl or even that sexy woman. When you start listening to this LP, you can presume how this album will be with this incredible and iconic introduction.
  24. TheAxl
    Aug 28, 2020
    10
    Omg, a great album! The good vocalist who is cristina with this genre suits her very well !, all the songs are beautiful, Hurt a beautiful ballad, and Candyman !! omG !, everyone to dance!
  25. ClaudooSSia
    Jul 17, 2013
    10
    Christina takes us "Back In The Day" in her oldschool R&B oriented, fully grown up, amazing, breathtaking, best album in her career. First disc mainly contains of joyfull, full of life songs like "Makes Me Wanna Prey", "Ain't No Other Man", "Back In The Day", "Slow Down Baby" and "Still Dirrty" and light but not shallow ballads like "Oh Mother" and "Without You" with every one of themChristina takes us "Back In The Day" in her oldschool R&B oriented, fully grown up, amazing, breathtaking, best album in her career. First disc mainly contains of joyfull, full of life songs like "Makes Me Wanna Prey", "Ain't No Other Man", "Back In The Day", "Slow Down Baby" and "Still Dirrty" and light but not shallow ballads like "Oh Mother" and "Without You" with every one of them sampling one of Xtina's favouite songs. Second disc partially foreshadows what will happen in 2010 on "Burlesque" soundtrack. Even if "Enter The Circus" is a mess the rest of the CD is flawless. It conatins both sexy songs like "Candyman", "Nasty Naughty Boy" and "I Got Trouble" vulnerable, beauiful ballads like "Welcome", "Save Me From Myself", "The Right Man" and finally Christina's best song ever done "Hurt.

    10 out of 10    … Expand
  26. beingryanjude
    Dec 29, 2014
    7
    A unique take on the sounds of yester-year, Christina Aguilera proves her versatility in any genre and sound. She's much more than a pop singer - rather more of a sensation. Don't miss the joys of 'Ain't No Other Man.'
  27. Panboy1995
    Nov 11, 2021
    10
    Una obra maestra, un viaje en el tiempo, la voz de Christina se adapta muy bien a este género musical. Uno de mis discos favoritos de todos los tiempos. Mis fav son slow down baby, hurt, mercy on me.
  28. viniciusmiguel
    Dec 10, 2013
    8
    great album, incredible voice and amazing ballads. xtina knows how to make a really good music, she can be everything: pop singer, hip hop singer, jazz singer, soul singer...... this album can show us that she doesn't care about what's playing on the radio
  29. Mikecael
    Jun 16, 2018
    10
    magnificent album , so soul and jazz . Baby Jane rich of glamour . Xoxo X-tina
  30. LegendR
    Aug 31, 2017
    10
    Her best album to date and my favorite album ever. It's just a masterpiece. It totally deserved its Grammy nomination (it should've won tough). "Back In The Day" is one of my favorite songs on the album.
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Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Most Discussed Album of 2006
8
#8 Most Shared Album of 2006

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. The Guardian
    40
    Beyond the retro instrumentation, however, it's unclear what Aguilera has really learned from her idols.
    Read full review
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    Aguilera doesn't have the gravitas of her heroes, and her forays into bluesy torch singing and '40s-style swing are stiff and mannered. But she needn't genuflect before the past -- she can make her own glorious kind of 21st-century noise.
    Read full review
  3. musicOMH.com
    40
    This rather bloated record should be regarded as a disappointment - an interesting one, but a disappointment none the less.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »