UNITED KINGDOM: Christina Aguilera performed the first show for her new album Back to Basics at a secret concert in London

Christina Aguilera is back with a new sound and new look for her forthcoming album Back to Basics which she performed for a few privileged guests in London on Thursday (July 20). Fans queued for hours to get a glimpse of the pint-sized pop maiden as various VIPs arrived to watch her play her first UK gig to promote the album. Aguilera said she selected the venue for its technically superior sound which she hoped would be in tune with her latest record. "We chose this place (Koko club) because we could set it up in a sort of jazz/blues club environment, vibe. So that's the basic elements that are going into 'Back to Basics' -- old blues, jazz and soul music." Back to Basics sees the once-raunchy pop princess graduate to a more mature sound and image, no doubt heavily-influenced by her recent marriage to Jordan Bratman. Aguilera strips away the scary starlet look she became famous for to transform into a more polished, lady-like chanteuse without losing her signature sex appeal as seen in the video for the first track off her album Ain't No Other Man, released on RCA records on August 14. The single was co-written and produced by Aguilera herself with the help of DJ Premier giving it a vintage sound which balances the old and new. "With each record I like to change and challenge myself and evolve into a new thing, a different sound, a different look, and for now when I did 'Back to Basics' it's taking elements, what I'm inspired by, that's old elements of jazz, blues and soul music, specifically getting influences from the Twenties, Thirties and Fourties along with that old sound and look and feel so it's a lot of fun," Aguilera said. Her dedicated fans said they liked the new Christina and some said it was about time for a change. "It's changed but it's quite modern, it's different. She's keeping up with the times. Some people stay quite the same all the time so I think she's going alright though," said one fan. "She's a married woman now, she's got to clean up her act. She'll have babies on the way and everything so can't be having that filth around," said another fan. Loyal followers Franco and his friend travelled from Switzerland to watch their platinum blonde heroine take on a London audience. "She's perfect, she's great, the way she performs, everything is fantastic," he said. After Aguilera's temporary disappearance from the spotlight to concentrate on private matters, she returns with a double album. Aguilera reunited with former producer Linda Perry for one disc and called on DJ Premier to help her with the other. Aguilera included a musical backdrop of orchestra, choir, string quartet and jazz horns to offset her distinctive four octave range vocals. The album features Thank You which spliced bits of her number one single Genie In A Bottle with fan voicemail messages; the risque feel to Nasty Naughty Boy looks set to appeal to all her fans with its 1920s burlesque feel. Underneath it all, the singer remains Still Dirrty -- another track from her upcoming album. 2002's critically acclaimed Stripped LP sold two million copies in the UK alone, 12 million worldwide. Aguilera hopes Back to Basics will be another winner for her when it is released on RCA Records on August 14.

ITN Source | July 27, 2006

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