Christina Aguilera - Stripped
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CD Details
Artist: Christina AguileraEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Published)
CD Release Date: 2002-10-29
Music Label: RCA
Soundtracks:
- Stripped Intro
- Can't Hold Us Down (feat. Lil' Kim)
- Walk Away
- Fighter
- Primer Amor Interlude
- Infatuation
- Loves Embrace Interlude
- Loving Me 4 Me
- Impossible
- Underappreciated
- Beautiful
- Make Over
- Cruz
- Soar
- Get Mine Get Yours
- Dirrty
- Stripped Pt.2
- The Voice Within
- I'm OK
- Keep On Singin' My Song
Music reviews of Stripped
Music Review: Some hype and gloss, alot of pretense, but a great album overall
Rating: 5 Stars
In the fall of 2002, the Christina Aguilera the music world thought they knew was gone forever. The sweet, bubbly blonde teen transformed into a sexually charged, aggressive 21 year old. Her views on sex became more liberal, she began calling herself Xtina, and she picked up a faux "ghetto" (for lack of a better word) accent. She also "lost" her clothing and made due with strategically placed pieces of cloth (napkins, really). Her new attire made Mariah Carey's outfits look suitable for church.
Let's get one thing straight though, Christina was never what you'd call "innocent". From jump, she sang about being a Genie in a Bottle who needed to be rubbed the right way. She praised her man for knowing What a Girl Wants. Hell, she even invited her man to Come On Over Baby and put his hands on her. While she was light years away from the raunchiness of Dirrty, she never portrayed herself as naive or virginal. Her fellow pop stars were the innocents singing about "soda pop" and candy. Stripped is where Xtina shed her former image and bared her body and soul. The album cover makes that point crystal clear.
The intro starts out well by reviewing some of the controversy surrounding Christina and others in the music industry. It should have ended after the "Come a little closer/this is the real me" part, but then Christina sings about "breaking the mold". Before this album, she WAS the mold. I could do without the self-importance. Can't Hold Us Down is fun with a bouncy hip-hop beat and a cameo by Lil' Kim (of all people). It calls out the double standards of men being praised for scoring, but girls being criticized for doing the same. I love her jabs at Eminem. "You're just a little boy, think you're so cute so coy, ya must talk so big to make up for smaller things!" *snap*
The dramatic Walk Away finds Christina agonizing over a deceitful lover who seemed too good to be true and showed his true colors once she was in his grasp. Unfortunately, she can't let go. Her delivery is strong and believable and the use of her lower register is brilliant. The music is dark and a complete contrast to her early work. Fighter finds Xtina getting her rock on. She thanks the people who've backstabbed her in the past because those betrayals made her a stronger person. The great thing about it is Christina is able to get her personal feelings out, but still make the song relatable so anyone can identify.
After an interlude spoken in Spanish (I have no clue what she was saying in it), 4:17 of some of the best music I've ever heard begins. Without sounding cheesy or gimmicky, Christina falls for a Latin lover her mother warns will only break her heart in the end. She doesn't care and instead follows her desire. The music is lively and danceable. I heard Infatuation was supposed to be the first single instead of Dirrty. It would have been a much wiser choice imo.
Loves Embrace, an interlude that should've been included with the next track, starts off sweet and mellow with Christina making Mariah Carey inspired adlibs. The neo-soul ballad Loving Me 4 Me, a romantically heartfelt ode to the man in her life who loves everything about her, is one of the best tracks. The music is lush and intoxicating. Like a cross between Mariah's Butterfly days and Jill Scott's He Loves Me. This is the type of song where Christina shines with light, airy, and restrained vocals. "He loves every freckle, every curve, every inch of my skin/Fulfilling me entirely, taking all of me in/He's real, he's honest, and he's loving me 4 me."
You can tell Alicia Keys had a hand in writing Impossible since it sounds like it would fit perfectly on any of her albums, but Christina manages to make it her own. With the atmosphere of a dimly lit jazz club, Chrissy sings about a man who refuses to open up to her about his feelings. Frustrated by the lack of communication, she warns "This is not a circus/Don't you play me for a clown!" and wonders "How long can emotions keep on goin' up and down?" Bluesy with a touch of Aretha. Definitely single worthy and one of my favs.
Although I like Underappreciated, it doesn't fit too well on the album. With a smooth, funk-lite background, Christina sings about a relationship that began hot and heavy, but is now stuck in a rut. Apparently, her man is content sitting in front of the tv these days. Personally I think this track would be more suitable for an older woman and not a 21 year old with not alot of life experience. Of course relationships can become stale at any age, but Christina sounds more like a bored housewife than a young woman looking for excitement.
Now who doesn't know Beautiful? It's a perfect anthem for anybody who's struggled with self-doubt and low self-esteem. No matter what is going on or what people say "you are beautiful in every single way." I read that Linda Perry made Christina lighten up on the vocal dramatics and Mariah-like finger waves and I'm glad she did. Her vocals here are raw and filled with "beautiful mistakes". Alot of people have told me they either hate Make Over or think it's ok. I happen to love it. It does have an experimental grungy/60s go-go vibe that isn't for everybody, but that's it's charm. Christina's vocals are more raspy and rough as she yells about wanting to be herself and refusing to be made over by anybody else. An obvious reference to her Genie past. Christina takes a drive away from all the things that stress her out on the laidback acoustic Cruz. She might go back someday, but for now she's on the move.
Backed by a gospel choir, Miss Aguilera takes us to church on Soar. She's definitely channeling Whitney Houston and Mariah (she does a whistle at the end) here. It's about accepting yourself and sticking to your guns no matter what other people say about you. "Don't be scared to fly alone, find a path that is your own.... What are you waiting for? Spread your wings and soar!" The lyrics are a little cliched, but they still ring true. The slinky, seductive Get Mine, Get Yours about friends with benefits almost sounds classy. Sounding like some good stuff from the 80s, Xtina lets a man know she wants a no strings attached physical relationship. "I want your body, not your heart." You don't even feel dirty after listening! Well, then you do when the next song starts.
We all remember Dirrty. It was chosen as the first single and was our introduction to Xtina (Miss Aguilera if you're nasty). The song isn't too shabby. It's rough, raw, and grimy, but in a fun way. However, it was a horrible choice for a first single. There's nothing else on the record like it and turned alot of people off from wanting to give Stripped a listen. Dirrty + Xtina + Stripped equaled a gratuitous sex album that would make Damita Jo sound like nursery rhymes for pre-schoolers to some people. Of course that wasn't true, but Christina almost shot herself in the foot with this one. The Stripped Intro Part 2 would've fit better at the beginning of the album. There's less "I'm so real" and more "I know what I want." Less ego. The Voice Within, the last single off the album, is an impressive ballad. It does retread Whitney and Mariah's earlier "love will find a way" cliched power ballads, but it's an inspirational piece and a nice tie-in to the next song.
Starting off with a young girl crying "Daddy, please", the haunting, depressing mood for I'm Ok is set. Christina opens up about the domestic violence her father inflicted on her mother. The lyrics are sobering and her delivery more restrained, the music bare and sparse. "Daddy, don't you understand the damage you have done? To you it's just a memory, but for me it still lives on." She recorded this song in just one take while lying on the studio floor. I dare anybody not to be moved after hearing it.
Keep On Singin' My Song is a perfect way to end the album. Floating on an optimistic vibe minus the cliches, Christina lays it down like no other! She's later joined by a choir of young people and ends things on a high note. "I believe they can take anything from me/But they can't succeed in taking my inner peace from me/They can say all they wanna say about me/But I'm gonna carry on/I'm gonna keep on singin' my song!"
While Christina's image was obviously a put-on and she took herself too seriously at times, Stripped is an excellent record. The songs are down to earth and relatable. She does tend to genre hop (pop, neo-soul, indie rock, salsa, gospel, funk), but that's the best thing about it. It's got something for everybody. I wish she'd practiced more restraint on certain songs. Lettin' it rip on Soar and Impossible was appropriate, but she should've toned it down on The Voice Within instead of diving in before the first chorus ended. A small gripe since she was just a 21 year old girl completely taking the reins of her career. Of course it wouldn't be flawless. Looking back as a now 30 year old woman (happy birthday, Christina!), she should be proud.
Description of Stripped
Features guest appearances by Eve, Redman, and Dave Navarro. Track production by Rockwilder, Glen Ballard, Alicia Keys, Scott Storch, Steve Morales, Rob & Heather and Linda Perry.Underneath all Christine Aguilera's coy affectations and vocal gymnastics lurks a rare talent. With her second album, Aguilera allows it to flower by abandoning all pretense at courting the teenage market. Stripped is a seemingly effortless move into weightier adult territory. Using her extraordinary voice as a much subtler instrument, Aguilera sings movingly and with grit and anger about the disintegration of a relationship; she's ultimately stronger for the pain. But that's not her whole agenda. Aguilera also extols the power of women on "Can't Hold Us Down," which features Lil' Kim. Other guests include Dave Navarro, Redman, and Alicia Keys. Aguilera cowrote most of the songs on the disc and produced one cut. She also partnered with former 4 Non Blondes leader and Pink collaborator Linda Perry on four songs, which gives Aguilera a rock edge that she has never before displayed. --Jaan Uhelszki
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