Christina Aguilera was so desperate to achieve the right sound on her latest album, she mailed out a homemade compilation CD to various producers. Before entering the studio, Aguilera made a double CD containing her favorite jazz, soul and blues songs and sent it to prospective producers - along with a handwritten note outlining her plans for Back To Basics, out next week.

She says, "I sent a note to various producers that I thought might be able to wrap their head around what I was trying to do with this record and the concept. Literally, I wrote each one a letter stating, 'Dear prod...