00:00 [Music]
00:06 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at Christina Aguilera songs that show us why she is one of the greatest vocalists of her generation.
00:15 And we aren't.
00:16 [Music]
00:21 Number 10, Lady Marmalade, Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Maya, and Pink.
00:27 [Music]
00:34 Christina gets a little help on this track from a few other talented singers.
00:38 And while trying to keep up with Maya and Pink isn't easy either, Aguilera makes her entrance following Lil' Kim's rap verse and goes hard right from the start.
00:45 [Music]
00:53 She gets warmed up with a few high notes that will scare off half the people trying to match her.
00:57 And then kicks it into overdrive with her verse that brings her power and attitude to the forefront.
01:02 If someone ever asks you "Voulez-vous sing Lady Marmalade avec moi ce soir?"
01:06 It's probably best to just say "No merci."
01:09 [Music]
01:15 Number 9, Ain't No Other Man.
01:17 [Music]
01:24 Aguilera won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Performance for the song.
01:27 And it ain't hard to see or shall we say hear why.
01:31 Again she comes in hot, kicking off the song with a vocal run that hits notes most of us could only dream of reaching.
01:37 Then once the song gets going, not only does she reach some rather impressive notes, but she does it with a little speed.
01:43 [Music]
01:49 The song as they put it in Entertainment Weekly at the time,
01:52 "Whizzes past at such a furious pace."
01:55 Your breath work has got to be on point just to get through this one.
01:58 [Music]
02:02 Number 8, Fall In Line.
02:04 Christina Aguilera featuring Demi Lovato.
02:06 [Music]
02:11 This 2018 feminist anthem features Aguilera and fellow Disney Channel alum Demi Lovato.
02:17 And while Lovato has a very good voice as well, her part seems almost attainable after hearing Aguilera's opening verses.
02:23 [Music]
02:30 Xtina goes from beautiful soft sounds to an attitude-fueled declaration that she has a mind to show my strength.
02:36 And I got a right to speak my mind.
02:38 Then there's the final third of the song that has them dueting high notes and vocal runs.
02:43 If you hadn't already decided this one was too much for you, you will at that point.
02:47 [Music]
02:53 Number 7, You Lost Me.
02:55 [Music]
03:02 You Lost Me is a slow-paced ballad about an unfaithful man.
03:06 And given the emotion of the topic, one has to bring those feelings to the vocals.
03:10 While that isn't easy for everyone to do, Aguilera manages it beautifully.
03:15 [Music]
03:19 One reviewer used words like painful and catharsis to describe her vocals.
03:23 And the review in the New York Times said she was on the verge of crying.
03:27 Can you emote like that while also hitting some crazy high notes and doing it with a minimal instrumental backing?
03:34 Giving your voice nowhere to hide.
03:36 [Music]
03:43 Number 6, Reflection.
03:45 [Music]
03:52 Whether you're thinking about the 1998 version from the original animated Mulan movie,
03:56 or the 2020 version from the live-action remake,
03:59 it doesn't make a difference because they are both equally hard to sing.
04:02 [Music]
04:07 As with all classic Disney ballads, this one is slow and emotional,
04:11 and puts the singer's vocals front and center.
04:13 And yes, it's true that in the movie it isn't Aguilera singing the song.
04:17 But in the 1998 version, the voice behind the song is Lea Salonga,
04:21 an internationally renowned musical actress.
04:24 So just because she can do it sure does not mean any of us can also.
04:28 [Music]
04:37 Number 5, Fighter.
04:39 If you thought rock and roll Christina Aguilera would be easier to handle, think again.
04:43 [Music]
04:48 First off, do you have enough attitude to pull this one off?
04:51 Okay, let's assume you do.
04:53 Now you have to pull off the attitude and do it while maintaining enough control of your breathing and voice
04:58 to hit the high notes that Aguilera can hit in her sleep.
05:01 [Music]
05:07 We appreciate the fighting anthem and the never-give-up attitude.
05:10 But when it comes to singing this song,
05:12 there's no shame in recognizing one's vocal limitations and throwing in the towel, so to speak.
05:17 [Music]
05:22 Number 4, I Turn To You.
05:24 [Music]
05:30 Originally recorded by the 90s boy band All For One,
05:33 I Turn To You didn't become a big hit until Christina Aguilera decided to cover it on her debut album.
05:38 Aguilera's version would reach as high as number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
05:42 And while the quality of the song is debatable,
05:44 there's no debating how hard it is to sing it the way Aguilera does.
05:48 [Music]
05:55 It starts off pretty simple, as many 90s pop ballads did.
05:58 But it grows from there.
06:00 And by the end, Christina is belting out some massive high notes and vocal runs that put so many others to shame,
06:06 including us.
06:07 [Music]
06:13 Number 3, The Voice Within.
06:15 [Music]
06:22 If only it was The Voice Within us that could sing these songs,
06:25 then maybe we'd have a chance at doing them justice.
06:28 But instead, it's The Voice outside of us, the one everyone can hear that has that job.
06:32 And that's the problem on all these tracks, including 2003's The Voice Within.
06:37 [Music]
06:43 What we have here is another ballad that starts off slow and calm,
06:46 and builds to a powerful emotional crescendo.
06:49 And while the beginnings might feel more doable,
06:51 notice how Aguilera only has piano backing her, putting The Voice front and center.
06:56 Not a problem for Aguilera, but for many of us, it might be.
07:00 [Music]
07:06 Number 2, Beautiful.
07:08 [Music]
07:13 Beautiful is a powerful song about self-love and inner beauty.
07:17 And we here at Ms. Mojo love the song and its message of empowerment and acceptance.
07:21 However, we also have to accept that being able to sing this song like Aguilera is probably not in the cards for most of us.
07:28 [Music]
07:37 Just sticking to the basic melody is a challenge, but to give this song the emotional resonance it deserves,
07:42 Aguilera shows off her vocal skills with runs and notes that can be quite intimidating.
07:47 But just remember that you're beautiful in every single way,
07:50 even if your vocal talents aren't up for this one.
07:52 [Music]
07:59 Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
08:03 Save Me From Myself.
08:05 She doesn't even have to go hard to sound amazing.
08:07 [Music]
08:13 Something's Gotta Hold On Me.
08:15 Sometimes we get a feeling we can't sing this song.
08:18 [Music]
08:25 But I Am A Good Girl.
08:27 She might be a good girl, but she's an amazing singer.
08:30 [Music]
08:37 Pero Me Acuerdo De Ti.
08:39 Even in Spanish, she blows us away.
08:41 [Music]
08:50 Candyman.
08:51 That long note at the end is reason enough to list it here.
08:54 [Music]
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09:15 [Music]
09:17 Number 1. Hurt.
09:18 Billboard magazine wrote that the song Hurt put front and center, quote,
09:22 "Aguilera's stupefying gifts as an emotive, mature powerhouse singer."
09:26 Do you have stupefying gifts as a singer?
09:29 Don't worry, neither do we.
09:30 [Music]
09:38 Unlike some of her other songs on the list, Hurt doesn't take much time getting to the hard stuff.
09:42 With the second verse, Aguilera goes hard, showing off her range and emotive powers.
09:47 [Music]
09:54 From that point on, she hits numerous high notes throughout the song and masterfully rocks a number of vocal runs,
10:00 some quite complicated.
10:02 This one will take some work and practice to even try and do it justice.
10:06 [Music]
10:15 Which Xtina track do you wish you could sing as well as she does?
10:18 Let us know in the comments.
10:19 [Music]
10:24 Do you agree with our picks?
10:25 Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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10:32 [Music]
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