Christina Aguilera rises up on new album

Christina Aguilera has never been a weak person. From early hits like "Fighter" and "Come On Over (All I Want Is You)," Aguilera has always had a certain attitude about her. Her songs are both sassy and sexual. They exude strength yet show vulnerability at the same time. Lotus, Aguilera's first album since her divorce, packs in the breakup anthems.
While her last album, the underrated Bionic, was released at the very end of her marriage, on Lotus she is truly writing about it. The first two songs, "Lotus Intro" and "Army of Me" which are also the best songs on the record, are about strength. "Rise up, lotus rise/ This is the beginning," Aguilera sings on the intro to the album. On the dance-rock "Army of Me" Aguilera tears her ex-husband a new one. She goes to show that she isn't going to be walked on.
The next few songs are positive and sexy. From "Red Hot Kinda Love" to "Make the World Move" which is a duet with her fellow The Voice judge Cee-Lo Green. Aguilera mixes dance and soul into a killer duet. Another album highlight is "Let There Be Love," a thumping trance song about Aguilera finding love with her new boyfriend. These positive songs show that Aguilera isn't going to let heartbreak ruin her life.
The album then goes into two gorgeous ballads. "Sing for Me" and "Blank Page" are all about struggle and overcoming it. Aguilera proves that she can still pull off a sad, gentile ballad. After a few songs that aren't memorable Aguilera brings the attitude again on the rocking "Circles." "Spin around in circles on my middle finger," Aguilera tells the haters during the chorus of the song. The song is so bad that it's fantastic.
The album closes off with another highlight. A duet with Blake Sheldon, "Just a Fool." Aguilera gets her country on with this song. The duet is a ballad about moving on after love gone wrong. The deluxe edition of the album has two good songs. "Light Up the Sky," which is a gorgeous piano-rock song. Better than most of the songs on the album, this is a highlight. Another song that will surely get fans talking is the heavily edited "Shut Up." The song features Aguilera telling the haters to "shut the bleep up." The song would be stronger if it weren't edited. The album does feature a parental advisory sticker so it should not be edited. Even with this flaw, the song is catchy and sassy.
On Lotus, Aguilera shows that she isn't going anywhere. Sadly if she doesn't pick better singles, the album won't be a hit.