Christina Aguilera, now known more for her career as a judge on The Voice rather than the huge pop star she used to be, released her new album Lotus this week. After the commercial flop that Bionic was (although I loved the album), Christina had a lot to prove with this album. Sadly, she did not deliver. As I'm sitting here writing this I'm listening to the album for the third time and it's definitely grown on me, but it has too many faults. I still find Bionic superior to this album. The major problem with this album (other than it not having a clear vision) is that Christina feels she has to prove to everyone that she has an incredible voice and has the power to stay relevant. Because of this, on almost every track she screams and neither is it pleasant nor does it fit the dance/pop sound she was going for. Xtina needs to go back to her early days where she experimented more with R&B, and then she needs to ease off the screeching. If she were to use it sparingly and in the right songs she could have a masterpiece on her hands, but sadly she tried to sell-out and she failed. Sorry Christina, I was really rooting for you.

1. Lotus Intro - 7/10

The intro to the album is a full three minute song which is unusual for just an intro. However, it really sets a great tone for what one can expect to hear in the coming moments. The track has a lot of chanting with a really great R&B beat. Christina sings that "this is the beginning" and she embraces "the woman she's become" who has been set free. Sadly, this is one of the better tracks on the album.

2. Army of Me - 9/10

The first half of the album mainly contains the better tracks on the album. 'Army of Me' is by far one of the best. It is a huge uptempo tune with a pounding beat, and there's an urgency and ferocity present in Christina's voice. She sings "And we're gonna rise up / For every time you broke me / Well you're gonna face an army / An army of me." It's the strong independent woman track that everyone loves, and Christina pulls it off brilliantly.

3. Red Hot Kinda Love - 4/10

The track should be called 'Red Hot Mess' to be quite honest. I can't even begin to understand how Christina thought this would be a good song to record, let alone put on her album. It sounds atrocious and the lyrics are annoying. It's one of those song you skip over because you just can't stand it.

4. Make the World Move (feat. Cee-Lo Green) - 7/10

This is the first of two duets on the album with Xtina's fellow The Voice judges. This is a cool throwback tune with an updated sound, but it's a bit weak. Lyrically, it's annoying and not very clever. With Cee-Lo helping out I thought it would be much better. Actually, I didn't even realize Cee-Lo was singing until the very end of the song. The song isn't memorable.

5. Your Body - 10/10

Honestly, this track has no flaws. As the first single off the album it gave me hope because I thought if the rest of the album would be like this then Xtina could finally reassert her dominance in the game. Sadly, my hopes were let down. This song is by far the best on the album. To get a more in-depth review check out my original post HERE.

6. Let There Be Love - 10/10

This is another one of the highlights of the album. This is where Christina shows that she can master the dance genre, so why did it fail on most of the other songs? I really don't have an answer to that. However, the song has a great chorus where Xtina belts out the notes amid a huge synth beat that actually gave me chills a few times. This could be a huge club hit if she were to release it. Her vocals are flawless on this song, and she actually complements the sound well. If she had stuck to more of this I would be writing a very different review of this album right now.

7. Sing for Me - 6/10

This is the first time Christina slows things down a bit. It's a really nice mid-tempo until the chorus kicks in. She unleashes her voice like it can't be tamed, and it completely ruins the song. It could have been beautiful, but then she ruins it with her overpowering voice. I can't even understand what she says because all the words run together because she's struggling to push the notes out. It's unpleasant and sad because of how great this could have been.

8. Blank Page - 9/10

This is the only true ballad on the album, and while it was said to be the next 'Beautiful' I beg to differ. It's a very beautiful song and Xtina actually uses her voice in the right way on this way. This is one of those songs where she would stand on the stage in a spotlight and just sing. And then the whole audience would get chills and tear up. I hope this happens one day because it would be nice for people to see that she actually still has a great voice. She sings "I am a blank page, waiting for you to bring me to life / Paint me your heart let me be your art / I am a blank page, waiting for life to start."

9. Cease Fire - 8/10

After two slower songs we ratchet up the tempo once again. This one I actually really like because it has a very epic feel to it. The beginning makes it feel like this song would take place in a huge battle scene in a movie with the anticipation drumming up and bringing you to an ultimate high. It's complete with tribal drums in the background, and I love the rhythm of the verses. It's unique and takes the song to another level. The song has a lot of potential, and I hope it doesn't go to waste.

10. Around the World - 7/10

Again, this is one of the songs that could have been a huge hit. I actually think out of all the songs this one has the most potential. It's got a great beat, and of course the double entendre lyrics don't hurt it at all. I absolutely LOVE the chorus (except how she pronounces Milan), but the song falls flat. There's something missing. And then the bridge goes into this Rihanna-esque tribal chanting that doesn't fit Xtina at all. It had the potential to be great, but was lacking.

11. Circles - 4/10

This is the kind of song I would expect someone like Cher Lloyd or P!nk to sing (not to diss them at all). It doesn't fit Christina's style at all. It's too childish, and at the same time it's a huge diss track that just doesn't work. It's a P!nk-wannabe song that is atrocious. Also, I hate how she sings the song. It's so annoying and makes it unbearable to listen to.

12. Best of Me - 2/10

This is a mid-tempo that is so boring and lackluster that I can't for the life of me remember it after I've listened to it. It's got a cool drum-line in the background and has a good message with Christina singing "you won't get the best of me." However, it's simply just too boring. It tries to reach for the stars like fun.'s 'We Are Young' but fails miserably. It's a total waste of space on the album.

13. Just a Fool (with Blake Shelton) - 9/10

Finally a redeeming song! Who ever thought a country tune with The Voice judge Blake Shelton would be one of the highlights of Xtina's career? The song is very very good (despite Christina pushing her vocals just a smidge too far), and is one that fans are not likely to soon forget. Blake's voice melds very well with Christina's, and it actually pulled at my heartstrings a bit. Fortunately, the song was just chosen to be the second single which I think is a great choice. I doubt it'll be a huge success, but at least it'll show off a different side of Christina and maybe gain her a few more fans.

Bonus Tracks:

14. Light Up the Sky - 7/10

This is a really cool mid-tempo, and could have easily replaced one of the many atrocious tracks that made it onto the final cut. It's your traditional sappy empowerment song, but despite that it has a beautiful piano line that accents Christina's voice. And fortunately she restrains herself enough not to ruin the song.

15. Empty Words - 6/10

This is another mid-tempo that is actually decent in many respects. Why this is only a bonus track I have no idea. Fortunately, she doesn't overexert her voice. It's beautiful lyrically, "Your voice was like a knife / It used to make me cry / You tried to cut my pride / Not this time." I wish she could put this passion and attention to detail into the other songs because we all know she's talented, but half of Lotus seems like it was done in a couple of days, and just thrown together.

16. Shut Up - 3/10

Oh my god, what is this atrocity?! It's as bad as 'Red Hot Kinda Love', but at least the chorus is somewhat catchy. This song make my ears bleed listening to it. It's so immature and childish, and it uses too many outdated and stupid effects. And I'm sorry Xtina, but you can't pull off saying "You can suck my dick." It just doesn't work. And then for good measure she throws in a huge wail which comes out of nowhere and makes absolutely no musical sense. I can't even with this one.

Tracks to Check Out: 'Army of Love', 'Let There Be Love', 'Blank Page', 'Cease Fire', 'Just a Fool'

Overall Rating: 6/10

Even though she's getting so many negative reviews of the album, at least she is maintaining a positive attitude about all of this...