Liberation

Rating

Album: Liberation
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Liberation	More Info...
2)	Searching For Maria	More Info...
3)	Maria	More Info...
4)	Sick Of Sittin'	More Info...
5)	Dreamers	More Info...
6)	Fall In Line - Christina Aguilera feat. Demi Lovato	More Info...
7)	Right Moves - Christina Aguilera feat. Keida & Shenseea	More Info...
8)	Like I Do - Christina Aguilera feat. GoldLink	More Info...
9)	Deserve	More Info...
10)	Twice	More Info...
11)	I Don't Need It Anymore (Interlude)	More Info...
12)	Accelerate - Christina Aguilera feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 2 Chainz	More Info...
13)	Pipe - Christina Aguilera feat. XNDA	More Info...
14)	Masochist	More Info...
15)	Unless It's With You	More Info...
2)	Searching for Maria	More Info...
3)	Maria	More Info...	0:04
4)	Sick of Sittin'	More Info...	0:04
5)	Dreamers	More Info...
6)	Fall in Line (Feat. Demi Lovato)	More Info...	0:04
7)	Right Moves (Feat. Keida & Shenseea)	More Info...	0:03
8)	Like I Do	More Info...	0:04
9)	Deserve	More Info...	0:04
10)	Twice	More Info...	0:04
11)	I Don't Need It Anymore (Interlude)	More Info...	0:01
12)	Accelerate (Feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 2 Chainz)	More Info...	0:04
13)	Pipe	More Info...	0:04
14)	Masochist	More Info...	0:03
15)	Unless It's With You	More Info...	0:04

Album: Liberation
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Liberation	More Info...
2)	Searching For Maria	More Info...
3)	Maria	More Info...
4)	Sick Of Sittin'	More Info...
5)	Dreamers	More Info...
6)	Fall In Line - Christina Aguilera feat. Demi Lovato	More Info...
7)	Right Moves - Christina Aguilera feat. Keida & Shenseea	More Info...
8)	Like I Do - Christina Aguilera feat. GoldLink	More Info...
9)	Deserve	More Info...
10)	Twice	More Info...
11)	I Don't Need It Anymore (Interlude)	More Info...
12)	Accelerate - Christina Aguilera feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 2 Chainz	More Info...
13)	Pipe - Christina Aguilera feat. XNDA	More Info...
14)	Masochist	More Info...
15)	Unless It's With You	More Info...
2)	Searching for Maria	More Info...
3)	Maria	More Info...	0:04
4)	Sick of Sittin'	More Info...	0:04
5)	Dreamers	More Info...
6)	Fall in Line (Feat. Demi Lovato)	More Info...	0:04
7)	Right Moves (Feat. Keida & Shenseea)	More Info...	0:03
8)	Like I Do	More Info...	0:04
9)	Deserve	More Info...	0:04
10)	Twice	More Info...	0:04
11)	I Don't Need It Anymore (Interlude)	More Info...	0:01
12)	Accelerate (Feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 2 Chainz)	More Info...	0:04
13)	Pipe	More Info...	0:04
14)	Masochist	More Info...	0:03
15)	Unless It's With You	More Info...	0:04

Performer Notes

Personnel: Roget Chahayed (piano); Lauren Evans, Elizabeth Komba (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Manny Marroquin; Dylan Dresdow.
Liberation arrives in 2018, six years after Lotus, by far the longest stretch of time between Christina Aguilera albums. During that hiatus Aguilera wasn't exactly in hibernation but she wasn't prominent, taking a couple of seasons off from the televised singing competition The Voice to raise a child and spending as much time onscreen as she did on-stage when she re-emerged in the middle of the 2010s. Aguilera may have been omnipresent in showbiz but she was largely absent from the pop charts. Save a handful of duets -- "Moves Like Jagger," which appeared in 2011 in the first flush of The Voice's success; "Feel This Moment," a 2013 Pitbull hit; "Say Something," a 2013 Great Big World single featuring Christina on vocals -- Aguilera hadn't reached the American Top Ten since 2008's "Keeps Gettin' Better," fanbait added to her hits collection of the same name.
Lotus was designed to reverse this downward trajectory, but despite having its share of gleaming dance-pop, it didn't generate a pop hit. Liberation seems to be constructed as a response to its failure, as it finds Aguilera abandoning shiny hooks for hip-hop beats and smoldering ballads. Despite the fleeting presence of Kanye West and Anderson .Paak, who are both credited as producers, Liberation isn't a record designed for the clubs. Much of the album is devoted to moody moments of self-reflection and anthems of empowerment, giving the distinct impression that Aguilera is figuring out how to mature within the confines of chart-oriented music. Certainly, Christina spends a fair amount of time singing about lasting love and motherhood, even offering a MeToo anthem in the form of "Fall in Line," a dense, angry duet with Demi Lovato. Such reflection and measured outrage lend Liberation a gravity lacking in other Aguilera records, and its sober perspective carries over to "Sick of Sittin'," an infectious piece of diamond-hard funk that finds Aguilera leaning into a newfound rasp in her voice. Christina's growth as a writer and singer helps balance her lingering sentimental streak, a tendency that can occasionally curdle into the saccharine. This stickiness can be a shade too mawkish, but the greater flaw of Liberation is how its blend of R&B reflection and tense testifying doesn't seem to be an easy fit on any format in 2018. This weakness is also a strength, as it shows that Aguilera didn't take an easy route with Liberation: she instead found a hybrid between the personal and commercial, which makes the record resonate emotionally no matter what success it may or may not have. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone - 4 stars out of 5 -- "On LIBERATION, she gets closer than ever to zeroing in on the right path for her immense skills: her eighth album is a healthy mix of hit-chasing, theatrics and soon-to-be classic power ballads that emphasize her immense skills over half-baked conceptual themes."

Spin - "Aguilera's audacity is a breath of fresh air, even as LIBERATION keeps pace with the times by draping itself in chilled-out beats and downcast minor keys."

NME (Magazine) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[S]he's leaned into hip-hop and R&B and made a record that's cohesive and surprisingly low-key, even when she allows herself to indulge in some vocal showboating."