Christina Aguilera hasn't felt this way in a decade. The singer is reflecting on the eventful two years leading up to the release of her fifth studio album, "Lotus," from her home in Los Angeles -- a period that heralded the commercial disappointment of her album "Bionic"; a divorce from husband Jordan Bratman; the release of her first movie, "Burlesque," and its accompanying soundtrack; her highly successful stint as a coach on NBC's "The Voice" and accompanying appearance on Maroon 5's mega-hit "Moves Like Jagger."
The last time she felt so inspired, the result was 2002's Stripped-a creative breakthrough that helped distance Aguilera from her teen-pop peers and produced memorable hits like "Beautiful," "Dirrty" and "Fighter."
Due Nov. 13 on RCA, "Lotus" refers to the "rebirth" Aguilera underwent both personally and professionally, opting not to work with longtime songwriting partners like Linda Perry in favor of such newer collaborators as Alex Da Kid, Sia, Candice Pillay and even pop maestro Max Martin, on first single "Your Body," which hit radio and iTunes last week and bows at No. 33 on Billboard's Mainstream Top 40 chart this week.
Like on Stripped, Aguilera dips into many genres-from dance-pop on "Your Body" and "Make the World Move" (a duet with fellow "Voice" coach Cee Lo Green), piano-driven power ballads ("Sing for Me," Sia collaboration "Blank Page") and rock-tinged empowerment anthems ("Army of Me," "Cease Fire"). The album even opens with a quick sample of M83's "Midnight City" on the title track, an experimental table-setter where Aguilera resolves to "leave the past behind/Say goodbye to the scared child inside."
Alex Da Kid, who first teamed with Aguilera for 2010's "Castle Walls" on T.I.'s No Mercy, worked with Aguilera on several Lotus cuts with songwriter Pillay, many of which were recorded at her home studio. "I've worked with big and smaller people, and the more established people can get stuck in their ways and say they're not open to critique," Alex Da Kid says. "She definitely had a strong opinion, but she'll go with the best idea in the room. That's really rare for someone that's had so much success."
