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 Stripped Jan 25, 2010
I've had this cd during the year it came out but I noticed the link for it while browsing and thought to myself "Hey, I have that album, I wanna express how great it is" I love writing reviews.
"Stripped" is Christina's best album to date, And also one of my all-time favorites. She took chances on with this album but didn't go overboard and it's not extreme. She did just enough. It shows how dedicated she was with this album, it's (20) tracks long and each and every song is QUALITY material.
I love how so much is jam-packed into this ONE album, The different influences in most of the songs, The well rounded song writing. There's inspirational songs like "The Voice Within" "Beautiful" & "Fighter". There's attitude in songs like "Can't Hold Us Down" "Dirrty" "Get Mine, Get Yours". There's SOUL on "Underappreciated" "Impossible" & Neo-soul "loving Me 4 Me"
She's worked with (2) favorites of mine (Linda Perry) and (Alicia Keys). Again, all Quality material. One of the tracks composed & produced by 'Perry is "Make Over", Which took me by surprise, the track has that Luscious Jackson-90's-girlrock appeal to it. It's a definite standout. The (Alicia Keys) number is "impossible" another above average song, (Alicia Keys & Linda Perry) have EXACTLY what works for Christina, She should work with them again in the future. All completely talented artist in their own right.
As you can see, Christina can alter the sound of the music she's singing over as many times as she wants, but one thing that doesn't change is the fact that she's SINGING, Which brings this album together in so many ways.
While the entire album is the best, I still have my favorite songs of the bunch. "Cruz" "Soar" "Impossible" "Beautiful" "Loving Me 4 Me" "The Voice Within" & "Underappreciated". the entire album is a something Christina will always look back on and be proud of. I also love the artwork, it reminds me of a 90's GAP ad.
 Sometimes Less is More (4.5 Stars) Dec 31, 2009
For many artists, the pressure surrounding their sophomore album is considerably greater than for their debut. While many have worked on material for their debut for much of their life, the second album tends to be put out rather quickly to capitalize on the success of the first. Or, if the debut was poorly received, a second effort may be released to give an artist a second chance to start their career. Some combination of the two of these is often true of younger artists, like Christina Aguilera, whose debut was well-received, but not reflective of the kind of music the singer wanted. As such, her sophomore album seemed more experimental as Christina gained creative control and had a much bigger hand in crafting the material. The album shocked many fans, as it seemed to be a significant departure from her earlier work, but has come to be widely acknowledged as her best album to date.
"Stripped, Part I" opens the album with a part-spoken, part-sung interlude featuring Christina talking about how the album is about getting to know her better. Unlike most album intros, this one actually serves a purpose by introducing the theme of the album. It doesn't add much to the album necessarily, but is a nice touch. "Can't Hold Us Down" is a definite female anthem, discussing double standards and calling women together to fight them. It's an excellent message and one that definitely needed to be said. The only real problem with the track is the annoying background chanting, which is not that noticeable at first, but hard to ignore once you hear it. "Walk Away" brings about an album highlight very early on, easily showing Christina in top form. It's a slow, melancholy, and very soulful track about being in a bad relationship that one can't leave. The lyrics are some of the strongest Christina has written, and her vocals are emotive and passionate. "Fighter" is another highlight, showcasing an angry Christina actually thanking a man for hurting her. The message here is that by hurting her, he's only made her stronger. This track sounds just as fresh today as it did when the album came out. The bridge is especially stunning. The song as a whole is another anthem, and another that showcases an excellent message.
"Primer Amor Interlude" has Christina speaking in Spanish over a guitar, describing her first love. It's a beautiful interlude, and the Spanish sounds nice, although it's safe to say many fans won't really understand what she's saying. It does, however, transition smoothly into "Infatuation", a Latin-tinged track about Christina's real-life former boyfriend. This is another well-written track, capturing the mood impeccably. Here, she describes being caught between her mother's advice not to rush and her own feelings. "Love's Embrace Interlude" is somewhat evocative of Mariah Carey, with its airy sound. It really did not need to be a separate track, as it is very short and blends right into "Loving Me for Me". This track has Christina sing in a more subdued manner, about how what she loves most about her man is how he loves her for who she is. For many, this song makes a nice change from the way Christina "screams" most tracks, yet the power of her voice is always evident. The bridge once again is a highlight.
"Impossible" is another highlight, featuring Alicia Keys. This song has more of a jazzy sound to it, and contains some of the best lyrics the album has to offer. Christina's voice is showed to full effect here, powerful and passionate, yet never quite falling into the trap of oversinging. "Underappreciated" again explores Christina's relationship that had been mentioned in "Infatuation", this time from the other end of the scale. Christina here describes the problems with the relationship, as the man no longer seems to put in any effort. It's a rather common topic for songs, yet Christina manages to keep it sounding fresh and different. "Beautiful" is another track with an excellent message (although after seven years, the effects of it being overplayed have not quite dissipated). It is one of Christina's most successful songs, and with good reason. The lyrics are rather simple yet evocative, and the vocal delivery is simply stunning, building toward an empowering finale. "Make Over" is one of the few weaker points on the album, largely because it sounds out of place. There was some controversy about this song ripping off a track by the Sugababes, although the resemblance seems marginal at best. Christina's voice is a little too grating on the chorus, although the verses are good.
"Cruz" makes up for it, however, showcasing Christina's voice against a fairly sparse background. This is certainly one of the albums hidden gems, as a track that is generally overlooked until one listens to the album again. However, with that said, it does not quite measure up with the best the album has to offer. "Soar" is a rather inspirational song, with some gospel-sounding elements. Compared to other tracks here, it is a little on the forgettable side. It may be filler, but it is definitely filler at its finest. The bridge especially demonstrates this. It is quite a meaningful track, but gets lost among some of the other material. "Get Mine, Get Yours" on the other hand is a (rather controversial) highlight. This track has Christina singing about casual sex, but doing so in a very engaging way. This track goes along with her theme of female empowerment, showing how women can be confident and assertive about what they want. If we take image out of the equation and look at the song for what it is, it easily stands out as one of the most interesting tracks the album has to offer. "Dirrty" is another track in the same vein, although not quite as strong. The song is famous for launching Christina's new image, as the first single off this album. It's an extremely addictive song, which, like the previous track showcases Christina as a woman in control.
"Stripped Part 2" is another solid interlude, and continuation from the album opener. Here, Christina apologizes, albeit sarcastically, for not being what people expect of her. It is arguably unnecessary, but is a nice addition nonetheless. "The Voice Within" is another inspirational track about trusting oneself. This track shows off Christina's vocals incredibly, both in terms of their power and emotion. Like "Cruz", the instrumentation here is minimal, allowing the vocals and lyrics to shine. The build-up toward the rather climax is also handled nicely. "I'm OK" is easily the most personal track the album has to offer, where Christina recounts the abuse she witnessed and experienced in her childhood. According to interviews, she recorded this track while lying on her back in the studio. The track is quite haunting, with Christina sounding rather lost. This track may be keeping the theme of empowerment, depending on how its interpreted, as Christina sings "every morning when I wake, I look back at yesterday, and I'm OK". However, she sings these lines with such vulnerability that it's evident that she may not be that okay after all. Finally, "Keep On Singing My Song" attempts to bring the album back to a more positive level, with mixed results. While the song is certainly empowering, it is at least a minute too long, causing it to drag. With the abundance of inspirational material already on the album, there were several stronger prospects to close off the album. Nonetheless, it is a solid track and makes for a nice album closer.
Overall Mark: 4.5/5
Although many were shocked with Christina's image during this album's era, it really is not such a far cry from her debut. The lyrics to a handful of tracks on her debut album were a little more racy than other pop singers, so it is not all that surprising that she shed the innocent image. Reputation aside, Christina had grown up in the years between albums, so it makes sense that her sound matured with her. A little too experimental at times, Stripped showed Christina as a woman in control, both in the material and in crafting the album (she was involved in writing and composing all but two songs). The length of the album was both strength and its greatest downfall. Despite there being several outstanding tracks, the runtime also caused the album to drag in places. As such, the frequent changes in song style were welcome more often than not, as it prevented the material from becoming too repetitive. It also helped that production was generally kept to a minimum, allowing Christina plenty of room to shine, and keeping with the idea of being "stripped." Although the vast majority of tracks addressed female empowerment, most did so in different and/or interesting ways, thus keeping attention. With Christina's talent both for singing and for songwriting, it is little wonder that the album came out so well.
xtina BARES her heart n soul Dec 06, 2009
i bought this cd when i was just high school freshman. this is definately the best cd of this decade. it does bring deja vu to janet's the velvet rope with the tat/piercings, depression/abuse, and feeling the need to be sexual and rebellious; and they both came out with happy themes on B2B and all for u. at this time, i did however felt that xtina went overboard with her image and trying to prove to everyone that she's not this little saint. it was definately a dark era for her. i remember she would have these superthin, pencil drawn eyebrows and wearing clothes that leave little to the imagination. even though i didn't like that trashy image she was trying to portray, i still think this is her best album overall. it has great themes about woman empowerment, sexism, abuse, and overcoming low self esteem.
1. Can't Hold Us Down" (featuring Lil' Kim)- a song about how women are not allowed to be sexual as men are. they are labeled as "sluts" and "whores" while the guys are labeled as "heros". she does make really good points here. 5/5
2. "Walk Away"-nice song. 5/5
3. "Fighter"-this is my FAVORITE song!!! instead of being the victim, she would rather be a "fighter". instead of being bitter and resentful to her past lover, she's thanking him for making her a much stronger and wiser person. WELL DONE, Christina!!!! that is the smartest thing anyone could come up with. 5/5
4. "Infatuation"- it's a cute song that talks about being infatuated with a puerto rican boy. i can definately relate to this song. love the latin guitars. 5/5
5. "Loving Me 4 Me"-i love this song, it's very soothing and soulful. it's very laidback. it just makes you want to sit in a bubble bath, lit the candles, and be at eased. 5/5
5. "Impossible" (featuring Alicia Keys)-xtina and alicia sound awesome together. 5/5
6. "Underappreciated"-another one of my favs. she talks about she fully committed to this relationship but never gets a "thank you". 5/5
7. "Beautiful"-this is the best song she has ever written. it's a song for people who has self-esteem issues. the video was excellent. i can relate to this song because it was during that time i had alot of self-esteem issues while i was still in high school. it reminds me of janet's "special" thank you, xtina. 5/5
8. "Make Over"-sounds very pschydelic/60s rock. 4/5
9. "Cruz"-i'm gonna have that last name some day. lol 4/5
10. "Soar"-sounds pretty similar to keep on singin my song. it's gospeful influenced.5/5
11. "Get Mine, Get Yours"-this is the only sexual song on this album. very nice. 5/5
12. "Dirrty" (featuring Redman)-the STANDOUT track from this album. i love, LOVE this song. it's probably her best comeback, transitional song. one of the greatest party songs of this decade. 5/5
13. "The Voice Within"-it reminds me of "Hurt". nice, little ballad. 4.5/5
14. "I'm OK"-it tells a sad, heartbreaking tale of her abusive father. this is her most personal song. 5/5
15. "Keep On Singin' My Song"- see "Soar". 5/5
Fundamental Nov 15, 2009
I say fundamental because if you are growing up, you're undoubtedly facing many of today's peer pressure and negativity that Christina addresses on many tracks on this album. You may not agree with her image, but you cannot deny that several songs on this album such as "Beautiful" and "The Voice Within" are the kinds of messages you WANT your kids to listen to growing up. They possess such a strong message of the power of self-esteem and never letting anyone bring you down.
Thanks Christina.
Stripped down and baring her soul, this pop-princess proves she is so much more... Oct 19, 2009
I don't think many people were ready for `Stripped' when it was released. When you think about where Christina Aguilera came from I can understand why, but even on her teeny-bop pop-princess debut she showed a rare talent for the genre, proving that she had a vocal range unknown to the rest of her pop-mates. Listen to `Blessed' and you'll understand what I'm referring to. So, on `Stripped' she takes that promise and blows it out of the water.
Sadly, there is too much filler here to justify the 5-star rating I wanted to give it.
When Christina hits, she hits marvelously. I'm a little irritated that she felt the need to stuff her sophomore album with 20 tracks. There was no need, for if it had only been shortened by maybe 5 then she would have had a near-perfect album that could go down as one of the best pop albums of all time. In fact, tracks like `Walk Away', `Fighter' and `Beautiful' are some of the best pop songs off all time. But, with all the good there is ample mediocre here.
A little trimming would have really done this album some good.
I'm going to get the interlude tracks out of the way first, since they don't really count. The `Stripped Parts 1 & 2' are decent, although I would have CLOSED the album with `Part 2' and not stuck it in at track number 17. I particularly like the flow of `Part 2'. The interlude for `Infatuation' is leagues better than the actual song, and the interlude for `Loving Me 4 Me' doesn't just sound like it belongs on a Mariah Carey album, it sounds like Mariah Carey sung it.
Speaking of Mariah Carey, best track on the album is BY FAR `Walk Away', which is Christina's `Mariah Moment', where she embodies everything that made `My All' Mariah's greatest moment ever. It is flawless, beautiful, intoxicating, elegant; and that bridge with the escalating "oh" is just all types of mind-blowing awesomeness.
But I really wanted to get the bad out of the way first, so I'm going to start with `Infatuation'. The song is not `bad' in the true sense of the word; it is just merely `ok'. It has nothing special to it. The flow is there, but it is generic pop/dance music with some cool accent work by Aguilera, but she is much more effectively seductive on the interlude. `Cruz' and `Soar' are worse songs in there simplistic (meaning BORING) delivery. There is just nothing to care about with these tracks.
Songs like `Impossible' and `Underappreciated' are not stellar, but they are at least entertaining, even if I won't remember them enough to select them to listen to. Sure, I'll listen when they come on (I refuse to listen to `Cruz' or `Soar') but I won't seek them out. `Can't Hold Us Down' was one of the first singles off the album, and it is an instant hit. It has not aged as well for me, and it has its flaws (it is very cookie-cutter sounding despite the vulgarities) but it is still a good song and a fun one to listen to. Besides, it has Lil' Kim, and I love her. `Make Over' is a really nice change of pace, and despite the fact that she sounds forced in parts, it is a nice stretch for Christina. I like the rock edge she plays with here, although she fares much better on `Fighter'.
And then we have the AMAZING, or as I like to call it, the rest of the album.
At the bottom of the `perfect' list is `Singing My Song', a great track that is overly long and feels it towards the end; but for what it's worth, she sings it impeccably. Next is `Dirrty'. I love this track in all its tacky worthlessness and completely stand by my calling it perfection, because it is SO MUCH FUN. `Get Mine, Get Yours' is also a lot of fun, much more sensually stimulating than `Infatuation' and just all around noteworthy, even if it is pure pop. `Loving Me 4 Me' is simple, beautiful and moving, and `The Voice Within' is a powerhouse if I ever heard one. Talk about spine-tingling vocals. `Beautiful' and `I'm OK' are the two most emotionally absorbed tracks on the album, and `Beautiful' just slightly edges out the other because of its universal impact. Both are beautiful and frightfully sincere, especially `I'm OK', which could be labeled `recorded misery'. `Fighter' was one of those songs that I just didn't like when it was released. Since I've decided to revisit the album though, I've discovered that it is utterly delicious and one of the best pop tracks I've ever heard.
That said, nothing can even come close to the marvelous `Walk Away'.
So there you have it. This is a pretty solid sophomore album that I would have limited to 12 tracks it if were up to me (and those interludes, because they jazz up the album a bit). For those of you with A.D.D. (embrace it, I have), I decided to go ahead and list the tracks in order from favorites to not-so-favorites (including the interludes); for quick reference.
1) Walk Away
2) Fighter
3) Beautiful
4) I'm OK
5) The Voice Within
6) Primer Amor (Infatuation Interlude)
7) Loving Me 4 Me
8) Stripped Part 2 (Interlude)
9) Get Mine, Get Yours
10) Dirrty
11) Stripped Intro (Interlude)
12) Singing My Song
13) Make Over
14) Can't Hold Us Down
15) Loves Embrace (Loving Me 4 Me Interlude)
16) Underappreciated
17) Impossible
18) Infatuation
19) Soar
20) Cruz
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