Back to Basics

One of the great misconceptions about working musicians is the sense of purity. Wynton Marselis can afford it, he's got Lincoln Center Jazz. Most symphony musicians are protected by the traditions of the orchestra. Pop musicians, from Bob Dylan to Christina Aguilera, need to reinvent themselves to remain interesting to the media, the public and the bank. Aguilera's latest, a two CD set called Back To Basics, offers two slightly different versions of her current persona. We glimpsed the vocal and musical precedent for this record when Xtina stepped away from her harlot image into a Harlow mode for Herbie Hancock on his Possibilities record, offering a mature and subtle vocal on Leon Russell's "Song For You." On disc one Aguilera throws down some vaguely retro soul vaccinations, produced by DJ Premier, and laced with irreverent references and R&B samples. On the second disc she digs a little deeper, and gets even hotter. Together the two CDs are a world of good singing.

Early on Christina reminds us that she's "Still Dirrty." Was there any doubt? Just because this CD is amorphously retro and more subtle than Christina Aguilera usually puts out, don't be fooled. She figured out that a little lingerie and champagne can be sexier than all the skin on MTV. "Ain't No Other Man" has all the appeal of vinyl. The hook here is all this is a set up for the '40s/'50s flash of disc two. The age of cigarette haze and martini fog was anything but innocent. Christina Aguilera is more the "still" dirty, she's way less skank and way more swank.

Linda Perry's production on disc two is like the score for an imaginary film noir. "I Got Trouble" conjures up Billie Holiday and Mae West. The Jean Harlow photos and the throaty vocal are a fantasy trip into a then that wasn't. The groove is a slow grind and the mix is clouded like an old 78. This would all be way too cute, if it wasn't so well done. First, imagine the second CD as a B-side for a B-girl. The stage is set with a circus organ and an intro that could have been given by Pal Joey. You're invited to step into the fantasy. There are cuts that could belong to the Pointer Sisters or the Andrews Sisters. On "Candyman," when all three Christinas sing in harmony, "He's a one stop shop/ He makes the panties drop" you realize that this isn't your father's Oldsmobile. She's got the chops to pull this off, and the sex appeal to make it valid. All that breathy charm attached to those beautiful lungs makes a powerful package.

Christina Aguilera has a remarkable voice. On Back To Basics the production for both discs is excellent and clever. The arrangements and production values are less recreations than reinventions. DJ Premier and Linda Perry work wonders, like expert set designers for a subtle play. The context takes us out of the norm and into the world of alternate reality. It's a cool place. It's still unapologetically sexy. Aguilera has a voice, and in this context you'll begin to think she has something to say.

By Dave Morgan