Aguilera reinvents old hits on new collection

By Mariel Concepcion

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Whether she's exposing her erotic side on the 2002 "Stripped" album or emulating pinup dolls in videos like "Candy Man" and "Ain't No Other Man" from "Back to Basics" in 2006, Christina Aguilera has continually reinvented herself.

With the November 11 release of "Keeps Getting Better: A Decade of Hits," the 27-year-old singer is reinventing old hits.

The album, which will be sold exclusively in Target, includes new versions of "Genie in a Bottle" and "Beautiful," titled "Genie 2.0" and "You Are What You Are (Beautiful)," respectively, plus the new songs "Keeps Getting Better" and "Dynamite." Staples such as "Dirty," "Come On Over" and "Hurt" also appear.

Produced by longtime collaborator Linda Perry, the new and remixed tracks all feature "futuristic sounds with beats driven more toward dance music," Aguilera says. "This time around, I'm playing with this superhero element based on the fact that fans have grown up with me since I was 17 and have continually supported my changes throughout the years."

"Keeps Getting Better" is already selling well online. It sold 144,000 copies in its debut frame the week of October 5; its four-week sales total is 331,000. A Peter Berg-directed video premiered October 27 on iLike and the music social networking site's Facebook application, making Aguilera the first major artist to use iLike for a video premiere.

The album -- which follows recent Target exclusives with John Legend, Carrie Underwood and the Jonas Brothers -- will be available in standard and deluxe editions, the latter including a DVD of videos for all the tracks on the album.

"I can't even believe what I was able to call it -- time really flies," Aguilera says. "I constantly change my image. I'm a very visual artist and am constantly trying something new. Luckily, from what I can tell from reading letters and conversing with them when on tour, my fans love and are always open to my love for change. It's a really gratifying moment for me and such an opportunity to be free and let go."

Beyond marking Aguilera's first decade in the business, "Keeps Getting Better" serves as a sneak preview for her next studio album, which she says will arrive in summer 2009 and will be produced mostly by Perry.

"With my last album, I had music that was very '20s, '30s and '40s, and was very detailed and part of a very specific genre and sound," Aguilera says.

"But with this new album, I wanted to go in a completely opposite direction -- a very futuristic, robotic sound and computer-sounding vocals. I'm experimenting with my voice in ways I've never done before, almost like a technical, computer-generated sound, which is different for me because I'm the type of vocalist that just belts. I'm always inspired by new things because I get bored."

Reuters/Billboard