Mi Reflejo

by

Christina Aguilera

Edit

It took me a few weeks and a lot of research to finally figue it out, but I've got the translations and meanings to all the beautiful, touching songs in my hand right now. I just want to say that all the songs do sound rather similar at first. That's exactly why, no matter how hard it may seem, you have to make it all the way through the songs. You get a better appreciation of the sound if you get to hear the entire song. The songs (Uh, and their translations) are as follows:

1. Genio Atrapado(Trapped Genie) Everyone knows this song in English as being "Genie In a Bottle" but it takes on a new, cleaner meaning here. Same tune, though.

2. Falsas Esperanzas (False Hopes) My favorite song on the album. Christina tells an admirer to back off and stop giving her false hopefulness. She's not a doll or a puppet on a string, so he might as well just quit while he's ahead.

3. El Beso Del Final (The Final Kiss) Chris knows somethin' is up here. Her boy's kissing her differently and acting distant, vague and strange. It's slower and mellow, but loaded with emotion in her rich voice.

4. Pero Me Acuerdo De Ti (Then I Remember You) Christina's life is perfect, then she starts to think about that previous lover and falls right back into self pity and a feeling of misery. It will honestly move you to tears.

5. Ven Conmigo (Solamente Tu) (Come With Me {Only You}) The Spanish version of "Come On Over (All I Wanna Do)" Note: This is the original version en espanol, it is not the video/radio version.

6. Si No Te Hubiera Conocido (If I Hadn't Met You) An emotional duet with Luis Fonsi. They bat touching things back and forth like how Luis brought light to Chris's dark world and how Christina made everything warm and fuzzy for Luis. The chorus is particularly poignant:(Roughly) "Nothing would have made sense if I hadn't met you." 7. Contigo En La Distancia (With You In The Distance) Christina soulfully expresses that she can't be separated from her love, that she must be with him forever. I think the title should have been "You're a part of my soul" instead of "With You In The Distance" but, regardless, it's still very beautiful.

8. Cuando No Es Contigo (When I'm Not With You) This is one heck of a long tune! It seems to play forever, but it's still enjoyable. Christina simply says that she feels dead without her man and that he is her treasure, stuff like that. She just repeats it over and over and over and over and, well, you get the idea. Possibly the worst song here.

9. Por Siempre Tu (Forever You) This is a version of "I Turn To You" it has the same meaning and tune, but very pleasant to listen to, overall.

10. Una Mujer (A Woman) "What a Girl Wants" isn't easily translated to Spanish and this perhaps has the most confusing meanings, but overall still fun to sing and dance to. There's this incredible high note in the climax of the song unlike anything you've ever heard. It totally makes up for the poor translation.

11. Mi Reflejo "Reflection" same meaning, still powerful, still a favorite.

As you can see, this CD is an absolute must. I suggest that if you have some free time one weekend, try translating the songs yourself. It gets a little hairy at times, but with a Spanish/ English dictionary, a notebook, and nerves of steel, you can make it! You'll have a much greater appreciation of the songs if you do this. I hope I helped with your decision to BUY THIS GREAT CD!!!

I think Christina has a terrific voice, I mean, she sounds better than Mariah Carey did when she was good. This is not a bad CD, and it's not a great CD. It's difficult to explain. The way I feel about it is this: I don't feel that Christina 'feels' what she is singing when she sings in Spanish. Anyone can enunciate Spanish. It's not a difficult language, and yes, Christina's voice is technically great, but it's nothing for her to sing some Spanish lyrics. I just don't feel any emotion in it as she sings. She clearly doesn't understand what she's singing. She can just pronounce the words and sing it beautifully, but there's nothing behind it. Selena was a singer who didn't know Spanish, but you felt the emotion in her words when she sang in Spanish. And not to mention that glorious voice. I guess it comes with time or experience, or something. I don't know what it was that Selena had, but Christina doesn't have that emotion in her voice to make me feel the beauty of the Spanish.

I do love the song Mi Reflejo (Reflection). It's a terrific song in any language. Christina's voice is divine, but once again, I'd much rather hear her sing it in English because the words are powerful and I feel that she sings it with emotion, not just because she has a great voice and can sing Spanish lyrics.

Anyway, I'm not bashing Christina. I'm more than happy to give her credit - yes, girl, you can sing, but the whole idea of a Spanish album by her is kind of irksome. It also annoyed me to see all of the credits and linear notes in Spanish. Now we all know Christina didn't write that. She just had someone translate it for her. I just don't understand what the purpose of this album was. To prove that she wants to acknowledge her Spanish roots? So what your father is Ecuadorian? My mother is Panamanian...your point? If she wants to prove that she's not a pop princess, then come out with an album that proves otherwise but not a whole Spanish album, because it seems phony, and show-offy to me.