Music from 1999 is very different from today's music. Obviously, right? Some of that year's hit songs include "Mambo No. 5", "No Scrubs", and "I Want It That Way". Music videos were arguably at the height of their popularity, with shows like Total Request Live and Rap City - and eventually 106 & Park - feeding us the newest jams daily. There was also The Box, which I'm sure everyone watching videos in 1999 remembers fondly.
Much like what we listened to, things that we did in 1999 would seem like farce to anyone born that year or after. It was a time when we bought random CD/cassette singles to get that one unreleased song, because downloading even one track could have your phone line tied up for hours. On Today, in 1999, music fans bought albums from the likes of Puff Daddy, Lou Bega, and even LFO. Unfortunately, for those guys, only one artist debuted at #1 and that's Christina Aguilera.
Much like what we listened to, things that we did in 1999 would seem like farce to anyone born that year or after. It was a time when we bought random CD/cassette singles to get that one unreleased song, because downloading even one track could have your phone line tied up for hours. On Today, in 1999, music fans bought albums from the likes of Puff Daddy, Lou Bega, and even LFO. Unfortunately, for those guys, only one artist debuted at #1 and that's Christina Aguilera.
If you're like me, you remember Christina Aguilera's first hit as a song you heard in a mall, or a video you saw on a TV in Circuit City. "Genie in a Bottle" was soon played up and down pop music programming, both radio and video. All of a sudden it was everywhere. Aguilera was clearly a great singer, and she had a slightly different, more natural sound than a certain other former Mouseketeer that debuted earlier in the year. What many didn't realize is that they'd probably already heard Christina sing before...
The year before, a little Disney movie entitled Mulan was released and featured a song called "Reflection". She didn't record the version in the movie, but she was chosen to record the radio version of the song. If you've never heard it, that's not exactly a surprise. It's officially her first single, though, and garnered Aguilera a record deal with RCA. They quickly went to work on her very first album, the Grammy-winning Christina Aguilera.
"Genie in a Bottle" still stands as one of her most popular songs, but the album showed impressive vocal range. "I Turn to You" - a song originally recorded by All-4-One for the legendary Space Jam soundtrack - is a ballad for which Aguilera's voice was praised. "What a Girl Wants" is somewhere in between those two; it's light and poppy and allows Aguilera room to show off vocally. I remember the video for having a large DBZ picture in the background, so there's that.
Her first album also featured a slightly more mature song called "When You Put Your Hands on Me", written by unknown-at-the-time Robin Thicke. Sounds like something he'd write, am I right? There was also a very R&B-sounding track called "So Emotional", which evokes memories of early Brandy. It was meant to be a single, but was swapped out for something more catchy.
One of my favorite songs (yes, I have favorite Christina Aguilera songs) was her last single from the album, the very upbeat "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)". It reminds me of Whitney's "How Will I Know", or Mariah's "Emotions". It's dance-able as hell and Christina is still able to really sing on it. The lyrics were a little more racy than other singles, but I think this may be what made the song palatable for a wider audience. The Spanish version is pretty popular, too!
Christina Aguilera was as good of a debut album as she could hope for. Christina beat out Britney Spears for Best New Artist because of it. She's released seven studio albums since then. Music has since evolved to focus more on themes and melodies. If you compare this album to, let's say, Katy Perry's Witness, the difference in actual vocal ability is apparent. Because of that, I think Aguilera's first album (released 18 years ago, mind you) holds up against pop music of today.
The year before, a little Disney movie entitled Mulan was released and featured a song called "Reflection". She didn't record the version in the movie, but she was chosen to record the radio version of the song. If you've never heard it, that's not exactly a surprise. It's officially her first single, though, and garnered Aguilera a record deal with RCA. They quickly went to work on her very first album, the Grammy-winning Christina Aguilera.
"Genie in a Bottle" still stands as one of her most popular songs, but the album showed impressive vocal range. "I Turn to You" - a song originally recorded by All-4-One for the legendary Space Jam soundtrack - is a ballad for which Aguilera's voice was praised. "What a Girl Wants" is somewhere in between those two; it's light and poppy and allows Aguilera room to show off vocally. I remember the video for having a large DBZ picture in the background, so there's that.
Her first album also featured a slightly more mature song called "When You Put Your Hands on Me", written by unknown-at-the-time Robin Thicke. Sounds like something he'd write, am I right? There was also a very R&B-sounding track called "So Emotional", which evokes memories of early Brandy. It was meant to be a single, but was swapped out for something more catchy.
One of my favorite songs (yes, I have favorite Christina Aguilera songs) was her last single from the album, the very upbeat "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)". It reminds me of Whitney's "How Will I Know", or Mariah's "Emotions". It's dance-able as hell and Christina is still able to really sing on it. The lyrics were a little more racy than other singles, but I think this may be what made the song palatable for a wider audience. The Spanish version is pretty popular, too!
Christina Aguilera was as good of a debut album as she could hope for. Christina beat out Britney Spears for Best New Artist because of it. She's released seven studio albums since then. Music has since evolved to focus more on themes and melodies. If you compare this album to, let's say, Katy Perry's Witness, the difference in actual vocal ability is apparent. Because of that, I think Aguilera's first album (released 18 years ago, mind you) holds up against pop music of today.