Last Friday I, along with several hundred other excited fans, trooped down to the Fort Open Field in Taguig to watch the sexy soul siren Christina Aguilera perform live for her “Back to Basics Asia Tour” here in Manila. I’d already been anticipating the concert several weeks before. As soon as I got the tickets, actually, as I was really excited to see her share her incredible vocal style live as I had always been blown away by her albums.
I’ve always been an admirer of Christina Aguilera and I’m not ashamed to admit it. True, I didn’t quite like her entire “Stripped Dirrty” look but I respected that to dress or act that way was really her choice and I even respected the fact that she didn’t care what other people thought and was always swimming against the river of conformity. And while I may not have been a fan of the see-through leather chaps or the dark makeup and face studs, I have to admit, I still liked the music. The music actually is what has always been constant with Christina. Unlike her teenage contemporaries, she was not a victim of extreme ups and downs in quality; she never made mediocre music. Though others might say her biggest competition at the time, Britney Spears, was a better performer (hey, that chick can dance), Christina has, and in my opinion always will be, a better singer.
And I think that, in the end, I respect that even more. Even when she appeared wild and crazy, I don’t think Christina ever went into an extreme downward spiral. She certainly didn’t involve herself in DUIs and continuous trips to rehab or eating disorders or 24-hour marriages. Of all those girl singers, actually, I think she was the one who just pushed for being her best, doing what she wanted without regrets and apologies, and when you think about it, that’s truly admirable. As she mentions in her famous old song Can’t Hold Us Down, “Women should not accept any double standards. Stand up for what you want and don’t be ashamed to be who you are.”
And she’s paid her musical dues. When “Stripped” came out, she mentioned that the album was closer to her than other recordings. She had more musical say and more input in the album’s production. And that was a bold move, as she had previously released the candy-pop “Genie in a Bottle” and sacrificed her own musical freedom — and growth — with bubblegum tunes like Come On Over and What A Girl Wants. She even paid her dues to television and loaned her voice to the Disney soundtrack of Mulan, belting out a rendition of Reflection that everyone still loves to this day. So I felt that she deserved the freedom she earned on “Stripped” — and a lot of the songs were more poignant, not just crazy crap. Beautiful still makes people stand up taller or feel proud to be who they are. I Turn To You has a beautiful melody made even more so by the touching music video of a girl turning to her parents. And The Voice Within reminds people to listen to themselves before listening to others. All in all, a very memorable album.
Which brings me to “Back to Basics,” her most recent offering. I love this album! I thought the concept was incredible and I really liked her throwback to ‘40s and ‘50s poster-girl glam — the platinum blonde curly hair, the shining blue eyes, the fire engine red lipstick — all very glamorous and sexy without a hint of sleaze. Not to mention the look suits her perfectly. And I’ve always loved big brass songs, so her sophisticated renditions, backed by a horn section, were fantastic. Who doesn’t love Ain’t No Other Man or Candy Man or even Slow Down, Baby? All of the tracks on her new album are catchy and original and suit the entire album’s theme perfectly.
And as for the concert? It was awesome. Save for starting an hour late (who doesn’t expect that, though?) she was amazing! Belting out songs and sounding exactly like the CD, she once more made me marvel at how such a big voice can come out of such a tiny body. It was wonderful and she had people standing up and shouting. Costume changes and a strong group of backup singers and dancers added to the milieu and the fantastic set changes truly made you appreciate the album’s theme. Not to mention, I love her look now — the pinup glam look really works for her!