Lotus (Christina Aguilera album): Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

*[[Contemporary R&B|R&B]]<ref name=AMBio>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/christina-aguilera-mn0000780258|Christina Aguilera: AllMusic Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|quote=Through all of these changes, contemporary dance and R&B remains the through-line of her career, as on 2012's Lotus and 2018's Liberation|accessdate=April 9, 2024}}</ref>

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| label = [[RCA Records|RCA]]

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''Lotus'' received generally mixed reviews from music critics. At [[Metacritic]], which assigns a [[standard score|normalized]] rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an [[weighted mean|average]] score of 56, based on 12 reviews.<ref name="MC">{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/lotus/christina-aguilera |title=Lotus Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More |publisher=[[Metacritic]]. [[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=November 18, 2012|archive-date=December 27, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227061756/http://www.metacritic.com/music/lotus/christina-aguilera|url-status=live}}</ref> Sarah Rodman of ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' called it "a good start in the effort to refocus attention on Aguilera's skills", but observed "several tracks that sound mindlessly repetitive as sedentary listening experiences".<ref name="Rodman">{{cite news |last=Rodman |first=Sarah |date=November 13, 2012 |url=http://bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2012/11/13/album-review-christina-aguilera-lotus/sxrXvsFk8uy356lbt5YOBL/story.html |title=Christina Aguilera refocuses on her own voice in 'Lotus' |newspaper=[[Boston Globe]]|access-date=November 17, 2012|archive-date=November 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117022133/http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2012/11/13/album-review-christina-aguilera-lotus/sxrXvsFk8uy356lbt5YOBL/story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' called it "generic" and felt that "nothing really stands out".<ref name="Qmag">{{cite journal |title=Review: Lotus |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |location=London |date=January 2013 |issue=318 |page=101}}</ref> [[Annie Zaleski]] of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' felt that the album "often plays it safe" and accused Aguilera of "dumbing down her voice or lyrics for the sake of lightweight tunes or prevailing trends."<ref name="Zaleski">{{cite news |last=Zaleski |first=Annie |date=November 13, 2012 |url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/christina-aguilera-lotus,88558/ |title=Christina Aguilera: Lotus |newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]] |location=Chicago|access-date=November 17, 2012|archive-date=November 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116010357/http://www.avclub.com/articles/christina-aguilera-lotus,88558/|url-status=live}}</ref> Melissa Maerz of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' found the album's "self-empowerment anthems ... as contradictory as they are unoriginal" and criticized its production for "digitally smother[ing]" Aguilera's vocals and "draining all the emotion".<ref name="Maerz">{{cite magazine |last=Maerz |first=Melissa |date=November 9, 2012 |url=https://ew.com/article/2012/11/16/lotus-review-christina-aguilera/ |title=Lotus – review – Christina Aguilera Review |issue=1232–1233 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |location=New York|access-date=November 17, 2012|archive-date=July 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130721054747/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20643719,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Slant Magazine]]''{{'}}s Sal Cinquemani asserted that because it is "Aguilera's shortest album since her debut, it boasts less filler, but also fewer obvious standouts."<ref name="Cinquemani">{{cite web |last=Cinquemani |first=Sal |date=November 4, 2012 |url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/christina-aguilera-lotus/2912 |title=Christina Aguilera: Lotus |work=[[Slant Magazine]]|access-date=November 17, 2012}}</ref> Jon Caramanica of ''[[The New York Times]]'' felt that the album's conventional direction is "its biggest crime, more than its musical unadventurousness or its emphasis on bland self-help lyrics or its reluctance to lean on [...] Aguilera's voice, the thing that makes her special".<ref name="Caramanica">{{cite news |last1=Caramanica |first1=Jon |last2=Pareles |first2=Jon|author-link2=Jon Pareles |last3=Ratliff |first3=Ben |date=November 13, 2012 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/arts/music/albums-by-christina-aguilera-soundgarden-and-brian-eno.html?_r=0 |title=Albums by Christina Aguilera, Soundgarden and Brian Eno |page=34 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=November 17, 2012|archive-date=May 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506041319/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/arts/music/albums-by-christina-aguilera-soundgarden-and-brian-eno.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref> Jon Dolan of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' dismissed it as a "vitriol-tsunami of a record".<ref name="Dolan">{{cite magazine |last=Dolan |first=Jon |date=November 19, 2012 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/lotus-20121120 |title=Lotus |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |location=New York|access-date=November 20, 2012|archive-date=November 27, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127222402/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/lotus-20121120|url-status=live}}</ref>

In a positive review, [[AllMusic]] editor [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] wrote that Aguilera "feels comfortable in this familiar, slightly freshened territory".<ref name="Erlewine">{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/lotus-mw0002427099 |title=Lotus – Christina Aguilera |publisher=[[AllMusic]]. [[All Media Network]]|access-date=November 17, 2012|archive-date=December 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121215032253/http://www.allmusic.com/album/lotus-mw0002427099|url-status=live~~|quote=Aguilera isn't attempting a robotic future-soul, she's sticking with the belting soul ballads, hard disco, and pop that made her a star.~~}}</ref> [[Simon Price]] of ''[[The Independent]]'' felt that the album's "best moments are its electro-pop numbers".<ref name="Price">{{cite news |last=Price |first=Simon |date=November 11, 2012 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-christina-aguilera-lotus-rca-8303715.html |title=Album: Christina Aguilera, Lotus, RCA |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |location=London|access-date=November 17, 2012|archive-date=December 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214164058/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-christina-aguilera-lotus-rca-8303715.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Kitty Empire]] of ''[[The Observer]]'' characterized its subject matter as "wiffle of the highest order", but wrote that "one of the pleasures of Aguilera is that she can use polysyllables, even when talking the rot that fills women's mags".<ref name="Empire">{{cite news |last=Empire |first=Kitty|author-link=Kitty Empire |date=November 10, 2012 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/nov/11/christina-aguilera-lotus-review |title=Christina Aguilera: Lotus – review |newspaper=[[The Observer]] |location=London |at=The New Review section, p. 29|access-date=November 17, 2012|archive-date=October 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020160930/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/nov/11/christina-aguilera-lotus-review|url-status=live}}</ref> Although she criticized the album's "upbeat pop anthems", Melody Lau of ''[[Exclaim!]]'' found Aguilera to be "reinvigorated" and felt that she "shines most when she's direct, honest and vulnerable".<ref name="Lau">{{cite journal |last=Lau |first=Melody |date=November 27, 2012 |url=http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/PopAndRock/christina_aguilera-lotus |title=Christina Aguilera – Lotus |journal=[[Exclaim!]] |location=Toronto|access-date=December 1, 2012|archive-date=December 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121219032347/http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/PopAndRock/christina_aguilera-lotus|url-status=live}}</ref> Celina Murphy of ''[[Hot Press]]'' felt that ''Lotus'''s "safer" direction and Aguilera's "default mode" makes the album an improvement from ''Bionic''.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Murphy |first=Celina |date=December 5, 2012 |url=http://www.hotpress.com/Christina-Aguilera/music/reviews/albums/Christina-Aguilera-Lotus/9424466.html?new_layout=1 |title=Christina Aguilera: Lotus |journal=[[Hot Press]] |location=Dublin|access-date=December 9, 2012|archive-date=March 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322215450/https://www.hotpress.com/music/christina-aguilera-lotus-9424466|url-status=live}}</ref> At the end of 2012, ''Lotus'' was ranked at number 17 on the list "20 Best Pop Albums of 2012" by ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''.<ref name="spin20">{{cite news |last=Sia |first=Nicole |title=SPIN's 20 Best Pop Albums of 2012 |url=https://www.spin.com/2012/12/best-pop-albums-2012/121213-17-christina-aguilera/|access-date=December 24, 2012 |newspaper=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|archive-date=June 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617170345/http://www.spin.com/2012/12/best-pop-albums-2012/121213-17-christina-aguilera/|url-status=live}}</ref> In contrast, ''Entertainment Weekly'' named it the worst album of 2012.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Anderson |first=Kyle |date=December 28, 2012 |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20657954,00.html |title=The Worst Albums of the Year |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |location=New York|access-date=February 17, 2013|archive-date=October 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006230959/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20657954,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Fuse (TV channel)|Fuse]]'' voted ''Lotus'' as one of the best albums of 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fuse.tv/2012/12/fuse-staff-s-favorite-albums-of-2012#26|title=The 40 Best Albums of 2012: Fuse Staff Picks|work=[[Fuse (TV channel)|Fuse]]|date=December 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128200707/http://www.fuse.tv/2012/12/fuse-staff-s-favorite-albums-of-2012#26|archive-date=January 28, 2013|access-date=March 29, 2023}}</ref>

At the [[2014 World Music Awards]], ''Lotus'' was nominated for the Best Album award.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vote.worldmusicawards.com/selectnomination.asp?cat=2|title=Nominations for World's Best Album|publisher=[[World Music Awards]]|access-date=August 19, 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006084946/http://vote.worldmusicawards.com/selectnomination.asp?cat=2|archive-date=October 6, 2014}}</ref> In a retrospective review ''That Grape Juice'' called the album "criminally underrated", and noted that it was a "wholly enjoyable jukebox of jams" doomed by a "questionable marketing".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/Sm1s1|work=That Grape Juice|publisher=Townsquare Music|title=10 Years of Christina Aguilera’s Underrated ‘Lotus’ Album: TGJ’s Top 5 Songs|date=November 13, 2022|access-date=January 4, 2023}}</ref>