| First posted 3/27/2008; updated 11/24/2020. |
Christina Aguilera |
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Released: August 24, 1999 Peak: 11 US, 14 UK, 11 CN, 21 AU Sales (in millions): 8.3 US, -- UK, 16.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: pop |
Tracks: (Click for codes to singles charts.)
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Rating:  3.713 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings)
Quotable: “Out of the deluge of teen-pop albums in 1999, this feels like the best of the lot.” – Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Awards:
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About the Album: Christina Aguilera wasn’t even 18 years old when she made her chart debut with Reflection, a track from the soundtrack to Disney’s animated movie Mulan. While it was her first charting song, it wasn’t her first brush with celebrity. She’d appeared in The New Mickey Mouse Club in the early ‘90s, along with future stars Ryan Gosling, Kerri Russell, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake. Much was made of her being part of that group after Spears and Timberlake both became hugely successful in the music world. Because she was the last of the “alumni to hit the charts…it’s easy for cynical observers to assume that she was the lesser of the…talents…That's not the case at all. If anything, Aguilera is the best…, blessed with a rich voice that’s given the material it deserves.” AMG RCA executive Ron Fair said, “She was put on this earth to sing.” WK The Grammy world agreed, giving her the Best New Artist award over Spears. Aguilera also bested Spears when it came to the chart success of the singles from her debut album. While Spears hit #1 with “Baby One More Time,” Aguilera ascended to the top of the Billboard pop charts three times. The first single, Genie in a Bottle, topped the charts in 21 countries. WK Aguilera almost didn’t record it because a lot of other artists were after the song. WK It has been called her signature track. WK What a Girl Wants was the album’s second #1 single in the U.S. and also topped the charts in Spain and New Zealand. Aguilera insisted on a more upbeat, R&B-edged mix for the single. WK Critics compared her vocals to Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. I Turn to You, was released as the third single and hit #3 in the U.S. The song was a remake of All-4-One’s contribution to the 1996 Space Jam soundtrack. While critics acknowledged how “the track allowed Aguilera’s vocals to soar and shine,” WK they also called it “a cliché ballad.” WK The fourth single, Come on Over Baby, was considered the most sexual song on the album and featured a rap version written by Aguilera. WK It was Aguilera’s third #1 song in the U.S. The song was reworked for the single to give it more hip-hop and dance elements. WK Aguilera’s “eponymous debut remains firmly within the teen-oriented dance-pop genre” AMG although Aguilera wanted a more R&B-oriented album. WK “Unlike Spears’ album, this is done right. The songwriting is strong – the ballads are engaging, the dance numbers are catchy – the production is clean and uncluttered, letting Aguilera’s voice take the foreground. Most impressively, she not only has charisma, she can actually sing, bringing conviction to these love and heartbreak songs.” AMG “So, Christina Aguilera may be lightweight, but it’s lightweight in the best possible sense – breezy, fun, engaging, and enjoyable on each repeated listen.” AMG Sputnikmusic editor Amanda Murray said it was “an album that is highly representative of the better aspects of the teen pop movement of the late 90s.” WK All Music Guide’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine made a similar proclamation, saying that “Out of the deluge of teen-pop albums in 1999, this feels like the best of the lot.” AMG |
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