Brian's Vinyl Records: Vinyl Review: Christina Aguilera

Artist: Christina Aguilera
Title: Liberation
Label: RCA Records 19075-89419-1
Release Date: November 16, 2018
Other: Target Exclusive

As a college student in the late 90s/early 2000s, I got to see the meteoric rise of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera from Disney Club kids to pop icons. While I had no idea who they were pre-Baby One More Time, I certainly had no choice to know them after that hit. Christina's Genie In a Bottle was a smash and set her on a path to superstardom. I started to get interested in her music with the release of Stripped in 2002. Her Back to Basics album ranks high on my list of favorite pop albums. After Back to Basics, I lost track of Christina until her appearances on the hit NBC show, The Voice. With the success of the show, it was only a matter of time before she put out a new album. Well after a long wait, Christina unleashed Liberation on the world on June 15, 2018, via CD and digital/streaming media.

I will admit that I tried to stream the songs a few times and just wasn't really into what I heard, so I put it away for the time being and planned to revisit it down the road. Fast forward to October and I'm walking through my local Target and notice a new section erected in the electronics department housing a few shelves full of beautiful vinyl. Now, most of the selections they offered were the popular releases you can find anywhere. Your greatest hits packages, your represses of old albums, and a few current titles, but nothing screaming buy it from Target. As the days and weeks went on you began to see little red stickers indicating that the album was a Target exclusive.

Exclusives are not new. You can find them all over at places like Barnes and Noble, Urban Outfitters, and Best Buy. Usually what it means is the vinyl is a special color or contains bonus artwork/materials. Once in a while, you get a bonus track or digital download included. It isn't often that vinyl is released to just one vendor though, but this was the case for Christina's comeback album, Liberation. After a little contemplation, I decided that the $19.99 price was worth taking a shot at the album. After all, it's exclusive to Target, and I like Christina as an artist. So let's look at what you get out of the package, shall we?

What's Included?

Flat side one

The first thing you notice with any record is, of course, the artwork and packaging. Liberation comes in a beautiful gatefold cover that features several, sometimes racy, pictures of Christina. Inside the first vinyl sleeve, is a nice flat with another picture of Christina on one side and the lyrics on the other. Also on the lyric side, you will find your download code and instructions to retrieve the album. For some reason, my download code didn't work, but a quick email to support and I was given a link to download the digital copy of the album. Thank you Snipp customer service!

Once you get through the great graphics, it's time to look at the vinyl. This is a Target exclusive, and like many Target exclusive vinyl releases, it comes in a gorgeous translucent red. I really like the look of the translucent vinyl that has been coming out a lot lately. It's eye-catching and fun. The color takes nothing away from the music at all. The press is fantastic. Full bass, distinct instruments, and best of all Christina's amazing voice. Everything shines on this album. The vinyl itself comes in a standard paper sleeve and it's really the only thing one can complain about, but I won't because that's the standard.

Verdict

In all, I give the packaging for the album an A grade. Good graphics, good flat included, and stunning translucent vinyl makes this exclusive release a nice one. As I have found many times now as I rediscover my favorite music on the vinyl format, the vinyl makes the listening experience a whole new one. For some reason, the vinyl captures so much more than the CD versions do and obviously is a much better listening experience than a digital version is. As I listen intently to the album, I really enjoyed it. I went in with low expectations based on my limited streaming experience and a few poor reviews, but I think Christina put out a solid album with Liberation. I am a fan of most of the tracks and find that the replay likelihood is high on this one.

Liberation is currently available on CD and through all digital outlets. The vinyl is exclusive to Target at the time of this publication with no mass release date announced. At $19.99 I can say that I would recommend to anyone who is a Christina fan. I don't think you will be disappointed with the product or the music. As always there are some extra pictures below of the packaging. I'd like to thank you for reading my review. Keep spinning vinyl friends.

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