Music Review: Bionic
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that while this certainly isn't the
dirtiest album out there, many of the songs revolve around sex,
making the album too racy for tweens. Aguilera largely avoids
using profanities (though she does drop the occasional f- or
s-bomb on the explicit version) and extremely graphic language
to describe sex acts, but there's no mistaking her subject
matter here. Plus, some of the songs reference partying and
drinking -- talking about trying to escape who you are by
indulging in these behaviors.
- Families can talk about how long-established artists like Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears can stay relevant in the face of newer talent like Lady GaGa and Ke$ha. What lessons can both older and newer artists learn from each other?
- What similarities and differences to do you see between the themes in Xtina's music and the topics in songs by Lady GaGa and Ke$ha?
The first new album from pop powerhouse Christina Aguilera in four years, BIONIC is a super-sized collection of 20 new songs. Though the musical styles of these songs are all over the map, their lyrics largely revolve around sex. To be sure, Xtina's lyrics -- which once set the bar for raciness among all young female pop stars -- have lately been trumped by those of newer, even edgier artists like Lady GaGa. Still, the sexual descriptions in these songs, plus additional mentions of drinking and partying, are mature enough to have earned the album a Parental Advisory sticker (an edited version is available) and put it out of the league of younger kids.
With the recent emergence of many newer, younger female talents on the pop scene, Aguilera has been faced with a tough task: recording an album that appeals to her die-hard fan base while attracting the younger crowds that are flocking to Ke$ha, Lady GaGa, and others. As a result, she's had to cut a whopping 20 tunes with very different styles from techno-pop to R&B -- making the whole record feel a bit schizophrenic. Taken by themselves, a couple of the songs stand out, including the ballad "You Lost Me," which will be loved by devotees of Xtina's killer vocals, and the title track, with its deep, addictive hook.
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