It was a perfectly serviceable bit of dance-pop, but the risqué music video with Aguilera in bondage gear and pouring black goo on herself suffered from unfair comparisons to Lady Gaga. The album’s first single, “Not Myself Tonight,” didn’t help commercial matters. Her miraculous voice, often compared to those of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, was masked with effects and production. It was an unfamiliar sound to top 40 radio programmers who were used to Aguilera’s gut-busting ballads and pop/R&B anthems. Looking back, and quite simply, “Bionic” was ahead of its time, a forward-thinking assertion of independence like Madonna’s “Erotica” and Janet Jackson’s “The Velvet Rope.” Fans and critics didn’t know what to make of the aggressive electro-pop elements laced throughout the album. As we prepare for her first Houston concert in quite some time it’s worth asking, what went wrong? “Bionic” should have further cemented Aguilera’s superstar status. She was even far ahead of the current Latin wave with 2000’s “Mi Reflejo” album, which included a duet with “Despacito” singer Luis Fonsi. The “Back to Basics” double album further separated her from the pack, echoing old-school divas in its sound and image. Three years later her follow-up “Stripped” shattered the Disney image and established Aguilera as a potent pop hitmaker. Her self-titled debut introduced her in 1999 amid a crew that included Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore. When Christina Aguilera released “Bionic” in 2010, she was coming off a string of albums that placed her atop the pack of former teen pop stars. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images) Christopher Polk, Staff / Getty Images Show More Show Less UNIVERSAL CITY, CA - JUNE 06: Christina Aguilera performs onstage at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards held at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal Studios on Jin Universal City, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images) Christopher Polk, Staff / Getty Images Show More Show Less 4 of4 Christina Aguilera CD cover: "Bionic" Sony Show More Show Less 3 of4
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