Just one week after bungling the national anthem at the Super Bowl, Christina Aguilera blew the doors off the Staples Center at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, giving a stunningly strong performance during the show's opening tribute to Aretha Franklin. But while Aguilera didn't stumble vocally, she did nearly fall down as the medley wrapped up, acknowledging her literal slip on-air when she returned to the stage moments later with a sarcastic, "And that was a real sexy ending!"Aguilera took the stage with Jennifer Hudson, Florence Welch, Yolanda Adams, and Martina McBride. After all five ladies teamed up on Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," Aguilera masterfully took the lead on "Ain't No Way," adding plenty of her signature vocal runs but never missing a note -- or a lyric. She stood in the center of the pack gripping a microphone stand wrapped with a bright red ribbon that matched her lipstick. She belted the song so strongly that even her fellow performers seemed impressed by her sheer power.
McBride gave "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" a country flavor, Welch delivered the hit "Think," Hudson doled out "Respect," and Adams revived "Spirit in the Dark" before the five singers came together once again for "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves." The performance, which kicked off the Grammys, was a love letter to Franklin, who's been suffering from an undisclosed illness for the past several months.
"Aretha Franklin is and always will be the Queen of Soul," LL Cool J said as he introduced the performance. "Tonight she's the queen of our hearts, too, and the queen of the Grammys -- eighteen Grammys so far. She's at home tonight in Detroit, getting better." Franklin's health has been the subject of rumors the past few months after the singer underwent a mysterious surgery at a Detroit hospital late last year. Franklin was quick to shoot down reports that she was suffering from pancreatic cancer, instead reiterating that following the surgery, she's been "superb." She even made an appearance at the Detroit Pistons game Friday night, and she certainly looked healthy during her Grammy cameo.
"Thank you ladies, I love you all. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be with you this evening," Franklin said in a video following the performance. "I especially want to thank all of you who took the time to send me 'Get well' cards and flowers, beautiful flowers. And most importantly, your prayers during my time of hospitalization. I wish I could be with you tonight, but since I couldn't ... Next year, OK?"
"It's all about Aretha. When we heard she wasn't feeling well, we thought how do we lift her spirits?" Grammy president Neil Portnow said on the red carpet. "We thought, you know what, let's send her a Valentine's Day card musically on the Grammy Awards the day before the holiday."
Hudson, who shined during the tribute with a rendition of "Respect," told Ryan Seacrest before the show, "I grew up listening to Aretha and singing her songs, and even my whole family. I come from a family of singers, and she's like our idol."
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