10 Years of Christina Aguilera’s Underrated ‘Lotus’ Album: TGJ’s Top 5 Songs

Published: Sunday 13th Nov 2022 by Sam

Alongside pouring out the latest in Pop culture, here at That Grape Juice we’ve long championed the unchampioned and celebrate the uncelebrated.

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Hence, with this week bringing with it the 10th anniversary of Christina Aguilera‘s ‘Lotus’ album, we feel it pertinent to toast the criminally underrated project.

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Released on November 13, 2012, the LP admittedly arrived sans a distinguished, overarching theme. A first (in a long while) for an Xtina LP at the time. It lacked the deeply personal skew of a ‘Stripped,’ the soulful nod to eras past that both ‘Back 2 Basics’ and ‘Burlesque’ brought us, and it largely did away with the experimental buoyance of ‘Bionic.’

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Still, from our vantage point, it was a wholly enjoyable jukebox of jams, with its sole sins being questionable marketing and arriving in a climate that was dominated by other Pop divas.

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Standalone, it houses some of Aguilera’s strongest tracks in years – a number of which would be well-placed in her ever-and-always setlist of essentials.

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Join us after the jump where we revisit some of our favorites…

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Your Body 

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Rightfully serviced as the album’s lead single, this blaring ball of brilliance is Christina at her melismatic best. From the infectious hook to the unbridled power of her belting, she alleviated any fan worry about teaming with Pop’s mass-used and ever-dependable hitmaker Max Martin.

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For, she paired his almost scientific approach to crafting an undeniable radio hit with her Aguilera sauce – and the results were both delicious and uniquely “her” in a way others can’t replicate. Still.

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Note: We, the people, are owed (yes, owed) a proper live performance of this classic. No remixes, sped-up, or tampered versions. No. A back-to-front live take on this absolute bop!

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Sing For Me

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Somewhat of a polarizer, we’ve long loved ‘Sing For Me.’

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Select critics bemoaned the track for being sonically indulgent and arguably overcooked. However, for us, that’s its exact appeal. After all, it’s all in the name.

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Rather than being another lovelorn ballad, Xtina sings for Xtina and empowers herself in a wholly compelling way.

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Just A Fool

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Oftentimes when artists drop albums that fuse various sounds, there runs the risk of songs standing out for the wrong reasons or the project presenting as a collection of random cuts thrown together.

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In other instances, flirtations with “other” genres result in unexpected gems.

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Case in point Country-kissed cut ‘Just A Fool.’

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A collaboration with Blake Shelton, the track sees the stars (who, at the time, were both coaches on The Voice) trade verses on the emotive anthem.

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At the time of its release, it was growing into a burgeoning hit. And we’re not quite over the plug being pulled prematurely.

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Blank Page 

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Is it really a “Christina” album without a soaring, emotionally-wrought ballad?

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‘Blank Page’ fulfills this requirement and then some.

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Rousing, resonant, and lyrically astute, this has etched itself onto the list of Xtina’s most moving musical moments.

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Let There Be Love

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Perhaps the most timestamped track on the LP, given its unashamed embrace of the “in” sound at the time (see: EDM-Pop), ‘Let There Be Love’ still manages to pack a potent punch to this day.

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Though a touch generic, the track compensates with vocal pyrotechnics that marvel in earnest as well as a melody that defines infectious.

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In the decade since its release, Xtina has integrated the Max Martin x Shellback number as a firm fixture in her live shows. Rightfully so. We’re just hoping that more from ‘Lotus’ follows suit.

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What’s your take on ‘Lotus’  a decade on? Do you agree with our picks? Let us know…

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Your thoughts?

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Comments 11

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  1. Detruth November 13, 2022

    Never listened to the album but I enjoyed this article 😊

  2. Jackx November 13, 2022

    Empty words is my favorite from this album

    • AJ November 13, 2022

      Agreed. Songs like “Empty Words” are often overlooked for their simplicity and sentiment but it really is beautiful.

  3. #TruthHurts November 13, 2022

    Enticing read.

  4. marilyn monh-O-E ® 👠(#1 DIVA) November 13, 2022

    Light up the sky and cease fire are gold as well💅🏾That was her most laziest era. Only one music video! Messsssssss

  5. Paulo November 13, 2022

    Lol are you serious? Lotus is the worst in her discography and yes I’m counting Liberation… Your Body is a bop but these ballads witn her deep fried vocals are not it. Circles and Make The World Move and Around The World now these are really the stand out tracks

    • The Original Ughhhhhhh November 13, 2022

      You are right If you don’t count her Christmas album and Spanish debut 💅🏾

  6. Alex November 13, 2022

    Lotus is definitely not bad, it might be not as good as her other albums (in terms of production and Xtina dedication) but it’s definitely not worse than the average pop album of the last decade. The problem here is clearly the production in some songs, Xtina’s vocals weren’t the best and above all Christina’s laziness or maybe self-sabotage for whatever reason (did she fight with RCA?). She promised a tour, we got nada. They announced Just a Fool as the next single, pushed it with 2 live performances, it sold well and was well received by the general public (100M views for the unofficial video)…. then RCA pulled the plug and Xtina moved on, not even a music video.

    Sing for Me was the worst track of the album.

    My highlights:

    1. Your Body
    2. Blank Page
    3. Red Hot Kinda Love
    4. Let There Be Love
    5. Empty Words

    I love CIrcles and Shut Up because they are unapologetically troll songs but i don’t take them seriously.

    Light Up the Sky is another song i love but the lazy production makes it difficult to listen to.

    I think this album had potential, I really wanna know what happened and they pulled the plug even though Christina had The Voice to promote as a platform. Plus, Your Body never got a live performance (she even preferred to perform Lotus Intro, Army of Me and a little bit of Let There be Love on AMAs which was a disaster).

    *plays Lotus on Spotify*

  7. XTINA November 13, 2022

    After this album the GP was over Xtina and her antics. Fans supported her SO MUCH even as she NEVER PERFORMED THE FIRST SINGLE, DROPPED THE BALL ON THE SECOND SINGLE AND PAID DUST TO THE BEST SONG ON THE ALBUM!!!

    She will never gain that popularity back in the same way until she respects her hardcore fans again with a proper era. We haven’t had a full fledged 4 video era since Stripped and don’t get me started on those Spanish EPs!!! 😡😡😡

  8. BRITNEY November 14, 2022

    Flop

  9. Proud Gay Furry UwU November 14, 2022

    army of me is top 5 for sure and lotus intro

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