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1) STRIPPED INTRO - This is a lovely introduction to a great album. Here, Christina warns us that this is the REAL her. A great cut. ***91/100***

2) CAN'T HOLD US DOWN - In this song about women empowerment, Christina confronts the double-standards that women face today. A great message. Lil' Kim's rap in this upbeat track complete the song. ***90/100***

3) WALK AWAY - This is my favorite on the album. The haunting music and Christina's stunning voice mesh together beautifully to create a sad, and chilling song. You can definetely feel Christina's pain i this one. ***100/100***

4) FIGHTER - This is the third single from "Stripped". With Dave Navarro on guitar, and Christina's brilliant lyrics and powerhouse voice, this is a rocking tune with a powerful message: Be Strong. ***97/100***

5) PRIMER AMOR INTERLUDE - A nice 51-second interlude with Christina talking in spanish to an acoustic guitar melody. ***87/100***

6) INFATUATION - A latin song that sounds a little bit like Christina's 1999 debut; only much, much better. ***88/100***

7) LOVES EMBRACE INTERLUDE - This is a prelude to track 8 and is beautifully done. I think that she should have included this with track 8. But, nevertheless, its nicely done. ***94/100***

8) LOVING ME 4 ME - A very slow-tempo song with calm, soothing vocals that sound almost virginal (ha! we all know that's a lie! lol!). This is another favorite. ***99/100***

9) IMPOSSIBLE - A nice jazzy track with great lyrics and great music. You can't go wrong with Christina on the mic and Alicia Keys in the producer's chair. ***95/100***

10) UNDERAPPRECIATED - A flawless R&B song with a grooving bassline. Christina belts out nicely in this one. Another favorite of mine. ***97/100***

11) BEAUTIFUL - The second single released from "Stripped", this is another faovrite. Inspirational in so many ways, this song makes me feel great. Whenever you're feeling low, listen to this and within the 3 minutes 58 seconds of the song, you'll be smiling. The lyrics are meaningful and just down-right beautiful. ***98/100***

12) MAKE OVER - No, this song isn't a song about giving makeovers. This is an English-hard rock sounding song with lots of screaming and the word "bulls**t" is thrown around a lot. You get a lot of energy coming from this one. ***92/100***

13) CRUZ - A beautiful ballad about leaving everything behind and just driving down the highway toward a new life. Beautifully done. ***86/100***

14) SOAR - Another excellent inspirational song. The song's message is simple: Be Yourself. ***98/100***

15) GET MINE, GET YOURS - Well, well, well. This song is interesting. The song's subject is casual sex. Even though, some might call Chrisitna trashy for doing a song like this, I think it's a nice step forward. Almost all of Americans have casual sex, so why shouldn't Christina express something that we all do through song? This song just makes you feel sexy. With the sensual lyrics and the cool music, this is a favorite. ***97/100***

16) DIRRTY - The first single from "Stripped", this is my 2nd favorite, aside from "Walk Away". Even though this video (quite raunchy; I like!) was an instant hit on MTV, the song absolutely flopped on radio. It peaked at No. 48 in the US. But it spent three weeks at No. 1 in the UK. Nevertheless, I love this song. Can anyone say "PARTY ANTHEM!"? I dance wildly to this one in my room. ***100/100***

17) STRIPPED PT.2 - A continuation from the introduction (track 1). In this one, Christina informs us that she's not a virgin, nor a slut. Good for you, Christina! ***96/100***

18) THE VOICE WITHIN - This one gives me chills. A somewhat sad song about...well, I'm not quite sure what it's about! But, you can tell that this song means a lot to Christina. ***93/100***

19) I'M OK - This is a scary, thruthfull, chilling song about Christina's abusive childhood. She confronts her father about his abusing her mother. You can hear Chrisitna cry in this song. I shed a couple of tears after my first listen of this song. ***98/100***

20) KEEP ON SINGING MY SONG - A great way to close an astounding album. A great message to all of her fans that says: No matter what, I will "Keep on singing my song." Christina belts out a really long beautiful note in this one and her vocals are just amazing. ***99/100***

All in all, Christina Aguilera's "Stripped" is a 5-star album that shows the ups and downs of her life. I am looking very forward to Christina's next project. You go get 'em, woman!

FAVES SONGS:
Walk Away
Fighter
Loving Me 4 Me
Underappreciated
Beautiful
Soar
Get Mine, Get Yours
Dirrty
Keep on Singing My Song

OVERALL GRADE: 99/100


I hate to admit it...   November 5, 2002
 101 out of 117 found this review helpful

I hate to admit it, but this album is excellent. I am not a fan of this artist, but I heard the album because my niece has it. I was shocked at the vocal talent and quality of the songs used. I can't believe this is the Genie in A Bottle Girl! In comparison, the last Britney Spears album isn't half as good as this one. There are several beautiful ballads that I dare anyone with an open mind to listen to...Beautiful is just that Beautiful. Soar is also an excellent song. Give this one a listen and you will not be disappointed.


Christina is back!   December 14, 2002
 48 out of 56 found this review helpful

So, here she is again. Now, with a seventy-something minute long album. If there's one word that does not describe this cd at all, then that would be "homogenic". The variety of styles and moods of the cd is astonishing.
Despite this, Christina shows she can handle most of it really well.

1- Stripped intro : This is obviously a introduction to the album, where she states that you would meet the real her.
2- Can't hold us down ( featuring Lil' Kim): Kind of a girl-power anthem mainly about how guys can have many girls and get away with it while the girl gets named. It's a hip-hop song, which I really like, though the lyrics do get a bit repetitive. 8.5/10
3- Walk away :Someone is hurting you and still you can't walk away. It's a piano ballad. Christina's voice sounds great. 10/10
4- Fighter : She gets rockier, with an edgier sound. The guitars on it are excellent. It's got a catchy chorus.
Very likely to be a single. 9.5/10
5- Primer amor ( interlude ): Spoken interlude in Spanish. In English it would be something like: " I will tell you a story of how a Puerto Rican stole my heart. Never again I loved in that way, may be I never will. It's the story of my first love. He was handsome, with deep big brown eyes. A dancer. We lost ourselves in the rhythm of love...and that's how it started... "
6- Infatuation: The previous interlude tell us what this song is about. It's a "La isla Bonita" meets "Mi chico latino". It's in English, but with a great Latin feel and Spanish words here and there. 10/10
7- Love embraces me ( interlude): This is so Mariah! . If I wouldn't known this is a Christina album, then I would think this was taken from "Butterfly".
8- Loving me 4 me: This is as well a Carey's clon. The way she sings and lyrics are identical. 8/10
9- Impossible: This is arranged, written and composed by Alicia keys...so guess what it sounds like? Yep, you guessed!. 8.5/10
10- Underappreciated: The big voices in the chorus give it a gospel feel. It's good, just not the strongest track. 7/10
11- Beautiful: This one is excellent. Simple lyrics, beautiful music and great singing. Simply, a beautiful song. 10/10
12- Make over: Ok, here's the bad apple. Starts off with a flamenco beat and then it's higher than high shouting in the chorus. Kind of a rock feel to it, an experiment that didn't go well...at all. 4/10
13- Cruz: This a good song. It's well sung and doesn't sound as any previous track. 8/10
14- Soar: This starts like Pink's "missundaztood". Not much more than positive lyrics. 7/10
15- Dame lo que te doy / Get mine get yours: The song you get depends on where you live. I got the Spanish song, where she sings to a guy telling him she wants his body, not his heart. 9/10
16- Dirrty (featuring Redman): "Wanna get...roudy"...we all know this one. It's a hip-hop cut with a Britney-like video, 9/10
17- Stripped pt.2 : She claims, she ain't a diva or a virgin. Not much more to say about this.
18- The voice within : Beautiful song. Produced by Glen Ballard. Christina shows such a vocal ability. It's a ballad about believing in yourself when you can't rely on anybody else. 10/10
19- I'm ok: This is Christina's song about the things she had to go through as a child when her parents fought. Quite touching.8.5/10
20- Keep on singing my song: Mid-tempo positive track. Gets a bit long. I like the bit where she lets out a twenty-second-long "Sooonnnngg!". 9/10

On the whole, this is a great album. Pretty different and much more mature than her previous releases. Christina's a gifted singer, and she shows she can sing almost anything!. Give this a try, you won't regret it!.


Sign of the Times   October 31, 2002
 38 out of 46 found this review helpful

Every Christina Aguilera record has become an event worth anticipating, if only for the reason that shes one of the few young women in the business at the moment who can actually sing. While 'Stripped' technically is her fifth album (counting her debut 'Christina Aguilera', 'My Kind of Christmas', 'Mi Reflejo', and the unauthorized 'Just be Free'), its clearly the most polished, most slick and decidedly the best solo female record since Madonna's 'Music' a few years ago. However, while that record was criticized for being too short, this one excels in that department. Clocking in at 80 minutes, 'Stripped' is one of the longest single-disc-CDs ever released, and makes its mark by giving us one quality track after another.

Christina's strength has always been her voice and its clear that she respects this talent. The songs all showcase her breathtaking vocals, and save for the single 'Dirrty', this is probably an album you could gift your aunt or grandmother who has a fondness for Aretha Franklin. Yes, its THAT good and that diverse. I'm especially picky about pop music these days and tend to steer clear of 'teen-pop' as the entire genre reeks of Occidental marketing at its' worst, but when a quality product such as 'Stripped' hits the shelves, you can't help but notice.

The range the singer displays on this record is amazing. It bears mentioning that after the release of this album, any comparisons to moppet Spears will prove nonsensical. In places, the songstress reminded my of Gladys Knight and the Pips, and some of the melodies hark back to the era of the Supremes. Like I said earlier, the fact that this is a very varied record gives it that much more credibility. If you liked Alicia Keyes' 'Songs' album, you will undoubtedly fall in love with this one. Its much better that Keyes' effort simply because it bears no signs of confusion or directionlessness. Each track flows into the next with ease, and the result is a sparkling pop masterpiece that is well worth anyone's time.

Lead single 'Dirrty' turns out to be the weak spot on the album. While it is certainly a mediocre tune, it sounds much better on CD that one would image. The track is multilayered with instrumentation that is completely lost in the music video. The album has its fair share of ballads (especially the soaring 'Beautiful', and the poignant 'Walk Away'). There are Pink-tinged tunes such as 'Underappreciated' and 'Make Over' and even a collaboration with L'il Kim that isn't as bad as one would think. While Christina has collaborated with a multitude of performers, at no stage is it a case of 'took many cooks spoil the broth'. And I cannot remember the last time an album had no 'fillers'. At the end of it, I felt I had listened to an ALBUM, which is more than I can say for other new artists such as Avril Lavigne or Jessica Simpson.

'Stripped' could get five stars, but I'm holding out on one star due to the image that Christina has chosen to portray. Granted that a beautiful young woman has every right to flaunt it, but this may serve to alienate listeners who would, for example, also listen to Norah Jones 'Come Away with Me' (my personal favorite of the year so far). If the image wasn't so tarty, 'Stripped' could well been the musical story of the year.

There are a few albums that share the same qualities and vibe that 'Stripped' does : 'Janet' by Janet Jackson, 'Come Away with me' by Norah Jones, 'Misunderstood' by Pink, and 'Eli and the Thirteenth Confession' by Laura Nyro. It also has the same spirit that Courtney Love's band Hole sported on their last album. This is a very urban and contemporary record, yet it has its own classic, almost jazz-like flavor.

If you are looking for one album this year that covers all musical genres and delivers on the vocal front, let it be this one. And in case you were always somewhat interested in what young people these days were listening to, give this one a listen. It may open doors to areas of new musical interest for you.


good, solid pop album   June 6, 2003
 32 out of 41 found this review helpful

When Christina Aguilera came out with her debut album back in 1999, I wasn't very impressed with her at all. I thought she had a good voice but wasted it on annoying, poorly written bubble gum songs. After seeing the video for "Dirrty", I was about to write her off as a singer who was incapable of making good pop songs. Even though I had my doubts, I listened to a little bit of the album online, and I started to slowly change my mind about Ms. Aguilera. I got the CD for Christmas, and I instantly fell in love with it.

The only thing I don't like about this album is that some of the songs are very derivative, which forced me to take one star off my rating. "Fighter" sounds like the love child of Janet Jackson's "Black Cat" and Destiny's Child's "Survivor". "Loving Me 4 Me" sounds like Mariah Carey's "Underneath the Stars". "Make Over" is strongly reminiscent of Sugababe's "Overload" (and oddly enough, Xtina sings "It's overload" at one point in the song). "The Voice Within" sounds like a rewrite of Mariah Carey's "Hero". Even with these faults, I have to admit that the songs are still good.

"I'm OK" is definitely the best song on this CD, and in my opinion, is Christina's best vocal performance ever. Instead of doing vocal gymnastics, she uses subtlety and genuine emotion as she sings about her abusive father. The music is simple (just an acoustic guitar and a few violins) which helps make the song even more real, melancholy, and emotional. I hope in the future that she writes more songs like this.

"Walk Away" is a beautiful R&B/soul-tinged ballad with a great flow. "Infatuation" is a nice Latin-tinged midtempo. "Beautiful" is the second best song after "I'm OK". And I love the video for this song. I'm glad that she applied a universal message to this song, rather than just making a close-minded females-are-the-only-ones-who-deal-with-insecurity song (i.e. TLC's "Unpretty"). "Get Mine, Get Yours" is set to raise some conservative eyebrows as Xtina sings about casual sex. Christina has made sure to cover various types of relationships on this CD. I don't see a problem with that. And just because an artist sings about something doesn't necessarily mean that he or she condones the act.

There are some low points on this CD, however. The Alicia Keys-penned "Impossible" gets boring after awhile. I find most of Alicia's stuff boring, so this is no surprise to me. "Underappreciated" is bland, uninspired filler. And "Dirrty" (even though it was sadly released as the debut song) is the worst song on here, so try not to judge the whole album by this song alone.

Overall, this is a good, solid pop album. Xtina has proved to me that she does have talent, and I now have a good amount of respect for her now.