An Album With A Deeper Meaning (Stripped - Christina Aguilera)

Member Name: topsyturvy

Product:	Stripped - Christina Aguilera
Date:	16/02/03 (1389 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: a change, mature, great

Disadvantages: voice annoys sometimes, a few weak songs

The second album from Christina Aguilera, the young singer who for ages was compared to Britney which was annoying. She is talented and definitely proves this with Stripped. Now she can finally prove she isn't Britney but herself, she can't please everyone and can't be someone she isn't. We find out about her childhood, her feelings and much more through 20 different stages and by the end you have a different view of her. She has put a lot of work into this to show how much she has changed and has proved herself.

I think she will have more success from this album and will do well in the future and I think she will stand the test of time and be the one who stays singing for longer than any other young blonde singers about today.

1.STRIPPED PT 1-Rhis is an introduction to the album but also with such good music this is even a good mini song. I think it is a little song but to introduce herself and explain what the album is about which is a good idea. This starts very strangely with a sound of music leading into something a sort of echo and then we hear all of these news headlines and reports from news about Christina talking and screams then the song begins with her speaking and the music beat beginning. She basically talks about this album telling you that you will get to know her and get closer to her. Then she starts to say sorry....... about things she can't be and then talks about how this album isn't fake it's her stripped. An introduction which definitely makes you want to listen more to the album, maybe for the songs or to hear what she has to say and to know more about Christina.

2.CAN'T HOLD US DOWN-Lil Kim features in this song. It begins with a medium paced rhythm which goes on for a bit then she starts to sign. It's a very relaxed song and the music is quite strong through the singing but it doesn't drown out her voice because Christina has a very loud singing voice. This song is about w
om
en everywhere to get known and not be told what to do by men and that women should not be held down by men and they should stand up for themselves and do what they want. The vocals are really good Christina seems to feel strongly about this song which you can tell with the singing, very powerful not a note struggled at all. Sometimes her voice is a bit annoying through this when she says shout out loud and can't hold us down because it goes right through your ears when she says it so loudly. Lil Kim has a different style from Christina a much deeper voice and more of a talking style but her voice fits too. The music from the beginning goes through the whole song but the rhtyhm fits perfectly and a good song. She mixes the music near the end to a quicker pace to end off the song.

3.WALK AWAY-This begins with a piano introduction, very nicely and slowly but in a lovely tune. Her voice is very suited to ballads and so there can never be too many on her albums. A very slow pace and faintly the drums play in the background. More of a rhythm and blues sounds. Her voice gets louder as the music builds up to such high notes. This song sounds great and I really like it. This is about her being hurt and having been used for a joke she decides she is upset but gets nothing back when she has done nothing for this so she doesn't go back and she needs to walk away. The words in this song definitely tell a story so this is not just another ballad it's a song telling us that she has been hurt and been trapped and she needs to get out. A nice choice of music and this could be a future single. Near the end her voice is very loud but not shouting still in tune with the music and singing, she definitely has a great voice and through her voice you can hear all of the emotion she puts into her singing. The piano plays through the full song staying the same because it works best this way and then with Christina's singing and the piano slowly the song fade
s to an
end.

4.FIGHTER-A very immediate beginning with a big sound and instantly you know this is going to be a loud and powerful song. A different type of song for Christina to sing because usually she doesn't have music like this with her voice but it's good to experiment with music and it works. When I first listened to this album this definitely stuck in my mind as being one of the best songs I really like it and hope this is released as a single in the future. A great beat and her singing is not too strong here because it doesn't need to be this is a song where the music takes over. Once having a fight and a lot of arguments she has decided to finish a relationship, I'm guessing and she thanks them for making her stronger, a harder worker and a fighter. This tells us that all bad experiences in her past have done something to make her a stronger person and to cope better with things than she would normally have done when she started to grow up. I love the music, I am sure it's a guitar and the loud noise is really great, the singing is good and the whole song shows that the song is mighty and that is the way she has become through life. A definite song for a party to dance to because of the loud music and fast rhythm, a brilliant song.

5.INFATUATION (INTERLUDE)-This is just small introduction to the song Infatuation, that's why it is an interlude. Sometimes I think this is a nice way to begin a song and she seems to do this a lot which is a new thing for her. Firstly it begins Spanish and she is talking spanish but I don't know what she says but it sounds nice. The guitar is playing slowly in the background and faintly there is a sound of people talking.

6.INFATUATION-This begins louder with the guitar in the background music more of a Spanish song. This is a nice sounding song going to her roots with this song, not all being chart music more different too. The singing is great loud and again her voi
ce really fi
ts with the Spanish sounding music. This song is basically about her being infatuated by a Latin male. She talks about him coming from a foreign place and them dancing and then the chorus says how her mum warned her about Latin lovers because she fell in love too soon and that's how she became Christina's mother which I think is quite a clever song telling you about her family. Some of this song is mixed in Spanish and English that I won't understand everything said. Throughout the song you can always get a clear picture of the man with the descriptions and this song has some nice words and if you listen you hear the words and the story about what her mum has told her. This song really does show that she is infatuated because she has so much to say about him. This song has been well written with good adjectives and a lot of nice writing. I am sure Christina wrote this whole album too so she has done really well.

7.LOVING ME FOR ME (INTERLUDE)-This begins very peacefully like a rainforest sound with the birds whistling and the water running also the animals calling to each other, very soothing and Christina sings softly through it making it really calm and nice. Like a relaxation tape a very nice introduction to the following song again another interlude joing to the song.

8.LOVING ME FOR ME-This begins very slowly continuing from the interlude, a very slow rhythm and a delaying drum beat. Her vocals are nice in this song very relaxed and not too much effort in the singing. I think her singing style is really different in this song but perfect for the music, quite gently and no high notes. She sings in an uneven tune when she sings at different notes giving this song a strange sound which makes this song different. This song is about her being loved for her, she is loved for everything about her and has given in easily with strong feelings and never thought it was possible before. Again another song with nice lyrics pr
obably a song fem
ales would appreciate more than men because it's too slow. This is a nice ballad and very chilled which is a good change and it isn't a favourite of mine because I think it has a weird sound which doesn't instantly make me love it but it might grow on me later, if I listen to it more perhaps. I think the line where she says "Stripped of all make up, no need for fancy clothes No cover ups, push ups" is clever because she then sings "I don't have to put on a show" which shows that she must feel so comfortable to be seen naturally with this person and feels with everyone else she has to be someone she is not so it again lets us know another thing about her. Slowly this album uncovers more of her secrets and reveals to us her true feelings, I like its style.

9.IMPOSSIBLE-This song features Alicia Keys another great singer who has worked with Christina on this album. It begins with a soft piece of music playing on the piano and Alicia talking to Christina then the piano breaks into song and the drum beat kicks in. I like this song it's another song which is good for her voice and shows off her vocals at their best. Another rhythm and blues style song with the music faint in the background and Christina's singing, overpowering to the music. Alicia Keys wrote this song for Christina I think which is a compliment from someone so talented wanting to write you a song. This is about the person she likes changing their feelings all of the time, trying to know what she is thinking and not opening up enough to her so she feels she can't give all of her true feelings to him without him letting her in more. This is a very mature sounding song and with songs this good it shows a huge step in her life and a complete change from her first album. The subjects of the songs are definitely improved and more personal. A great song and good collaberation, nice to see some other songs writen by artists for Christ
ina to mix their music
types into a new sound.

10.UNDERAPPRECIATED-This begins with a sound like an electric guitar and the base is in the background, quite fast rhythm and not completely slow. This doesn't really make me think excellent song right away but it isn't a really bad song. I think by this point in the album you want to hear more of the quicker songs or something like 'Fighter'. Her singing is potent in this song although I can tell she isn't trying to make it too loud here and she doesn't force it in this song. This is like a song about a married couple, not sure if it's about her but she is saying how now the person she has been wth always watches TV and never pays attention to her when she has given up things for him. She gives more than she gets after a lot of commitment, she has made a lot of sacrifices but in the end she gets nothing out of it so she feels 'underappreciated'. A different story for a song but it is a good song, upbeat and not too slow. She does all of her shouting at the end and likes to force her vocals there. It can be too much sometimes and spoil the song. It ends with the music fading off silently slowing it down.

11.BEAUTIFUL-The next single from the album which I thought was a strange choice and didn't even like the song but like most bad songs, one they are singles you grow to like them and they aren't that bad. The same sort of theme as TLC's Unpretty about believeing in your looks and believeing you are pretty, to think positively and not let anyone make you feel under valued. The music is a slow rhtyhm and just a drum beat with the piano in the background. The singing is the main focus in this song with a lot of feeling about this subject. I like this song though and think it's a reaaly good theme even someone like Christina is sending out a good message to her younger fans about thinking good things about yourselves. Her stronger notes really sou
nd good in this song and th
is might do well in the charts, I think it will. In the video she is dressed casually and we see many people, like an anorexic girl, people with braces etc who may not think they look perfect but they are beautiful even if they don't think it because everyone is. A nice song and the singing is also beautiful.

12.MAKE OVER-This begins very rock'n' roll but then turns into a sort of spanish mix. A strange mixture of music, it is a drums, guitars and castinets from what it sounds so it is the music I thought. I think the chorus is terrible when she shouts and it doesn't sound in tune. This is too much of a noise sometimes and not a great song. She says how she hates everyone always talking about her looks and trying to criticise her when she just wants to liver way, simple. She doesn't want anyone making her over because if she wants to change then it's only her that can do it. This song can even be described as an Indian theme but it isn't suited to her voice and she should have left this out of it. In some points she is mixing, rock, spanish sounding, and Indian music in the one song with angry rock music in her vocals and it sounds terrible like one big disaster if this is ever released then God help her because it will fail. Sometimes I feel she has put too many songs on this album and could have left a few out instead of trying to go for the more songs on the album, worth the money thing. This song has to be the worst yet so listen once then skip. I won't be too harsh it is ok and I quite like it until she shouts so I won't say it's terrible.

13.CRUZ-This instantly begins with her singing with no music to back her up and then a faint piano helps her out. Then a drum roll starts and the beat also joins the music. The singing is ok in this song quite good very loud and good notes. I think this is about her being on the road because she is leaving, packing her bags, being on t
he road and going to new places
living in her dream doing what she wants to, being a singer. When all the music backs her it sounds a lot better because sometimes her voice alone isn't the best unless the music suits her voice. She forces her voice in the notes through the song and the music builds up more all of the time. Then once the music has done all of the building up it goes silent and bare then once again it builds again being very confusing. A song all about her life though moving all of the time but the song is upbeat near the end and it is sort of like the excitement of her job the music being so loud. Quite a different song but it's quite good and it's good to have a song about the job she is doing and what she thinks about it.

14.SOAR-Another piano introduction but a happier one not so sad sounding. Begins quickly with a faster rhythm and the singing as usual good and at the chorus it gets louder. By this time I feel the album is getting too repetitve with the music being ballads a lot and I wish that her songs wouldn't sound too similar. She should have cut out some of the songs because they are the usual piano, mid pace with her singing which doesn't work too well on these songs. I think this song is about being independent and to do things on your own and not forget you have all of the answers inside yourself if you soar. When there are bad time you look inside yourselves for better things and forget. A good theme yet again for the song but very loud near the end and I hate how loud her voice gets and doesn't stay in tune because it is just screaming, sometimes she sound like Mariah Carey but more annoying. She is ok in Beautiful but here her vocals are not naturally coming out and it's not singing. She has backing singers at the end to back her up and this song is ok but too much at the end.

15.GET MINE, GET YOURS-Now finally a song I actually like which is decent, I think this is the best on the
album. A great sound and I can't
give enough praise for it. More her sound with great music a great rhythm good beat. The singing is not loud just a good note and loud where it needs to be. This song is about her getting what she wants she can get the man she wants for what she wants because there is no commitment she just gets what she wants and he gets what he wants. Some raunchy lyrics in this with 'so, come on and freak my body we can get nasty naughty' also when she tells him' I want your body not your heart'. A great song for a dance and definitely has to be a future single, the music is fantastic. Her singing gets louder and it fits perfectly, she talks a lot through out the end and I love the way the song fades to and end and the rhythm stops then the noise takes over and it sounds like a violin because it fades off the whole song. These are the type of songs there should be more of on this album, now Christina fans will definitely love this because it's what she's best at and her voice makes these songs sound good.

16.DIRRTY-The first song released from this album which got to number 1 and shocked everyone with her new sexy image. This song proved Christina had grown up and the video was dirty too, short skirts, chaps revelaing pants with dirty on the back. Not a fashion statement really and trashy, I hated the clothes in this video, it was all for the men and I felt she was trying to cross into the r'n'b type of music and completely ripping them off and stealing the r'n'b music. She was ripping off redman and mainly hip hop and using their kind of moves and trying to make them her own when that is not her usual style. Now I am not trying to cause any arguments but these are my personal thoughts. This song is all about being outrageous and dancing at clubs wearing whatever you want, having fun being a bit naughty just having a girls night out and having a bit of a laugh. The video just showed her be
ing a slut really but some men might disag
ree. This is not a good example for her younger audience really and the song is good and it got high for the reason the music is good not for what she was wearing. Lately she has been looking ridiculous and she says it is the real her and she doesn't dress like that at home, so why show us what we don't want to see? Good song, bad video.

17.STRIPPED PT 2-This is the follow on from the album intro and the continuing part of it. Now she is saying sorry again that she is what she is but she doesn't want anyone to tell her what to do. She doesn't care but she knows what she wants to do. I love the music to this and think it's great. She puts on a voice the way she talks in this though she is trying to sound tougher than she usually does in interviews.

18.A VOICE WITHIN-Another piano intro, she has soft vocals in this and it sound really nice because she is putting a lot feeling into it. This is a cover of a song which I can't rememeber who originally sang it. Her voice fits it well and makes a good cover for it, her voice isn't too loud it is soft and sounds good. When it is necessary she sings louder but it sounds excellent and she seems so talented. This is a very nice song about a young girl who should look inside herself to find the voice within, trust it and also when she is lost she will be guided by the voice within. I am so sure this song is from a film because it seems familiar. This then turns into a quicker pace and a build up with more music and backing singers to make a great finale which happens. Near the end it goes back to normal and her voice is still stronger and this is agreat song with such good words and a great song to get anyone through anything they need help with. A lovely version of the song. I hope this is a cover or I will sound stupid saying that if it isn't but I am almost 100% sure it is. This ends with the volins fading and her voice slowly
drifting away.

19.I'M OK-This is
a very personal song and it begins with a noise hearing people talking and a noise of someone crying. A guitar then begins to play softly. This is a very meaningful song about her life. She is singing about herself when she was younger, how she lived in a war in her house with her parents arguing and her dad hitting her mum which must have been an upsetting thing for her to see, her mum being hurt. "Bruises fade father but the pain remains the same" this shows how much it affected her, she seems really upset while singing this a lot of her feelings come through in her voice. It tells us how she was scared to come home, in fear of what she might see when she got there. She shouted to tell him to stop but even though it's in the past it will never be forgotten in her mind and still live there. This song really does tell us a lot about her life and how horrible it was for a child to see this kind of thing at home at sucha young age. She has remained strong through all of this and some people won't know this about her but know they do and see a different side to her. Her singing is great in this song and while listening to the story and words the music is not important just there to make it a song so she can tell everyone her pain.

20.SINGING MY SONG-This begins with a slow rhythm and a beat and soft singing again great singing. Her voice gets better as she goes on. A cheerful note to end the album on about her smiling and not letting anything upset her that day. She says how they, I don't know who but can take this joy away from here and she thanks God for everything but she knows that she is going to carry on singing her song. She is going to let all of the bad things in her life go and get on with life because so many good things are happening now and now that she is stronger then she needs to let the pain go and realise what is going on now. She sings about never giving up and whe
n she tried to be what people wanted it wasn't h
er so now it is. A nice way to end the album positively with her talking about how she will keep going on and how she can't please everyone but now this is her and whoever likes it, like it. There isn't much music to this but it is faint in the background a good song. She has definitely changed and grown up and this song ends the album well.

An album which is really good and definitely fantastic for a second album. From beginning to end we slowy get more pieces from the puzzle of her life and now I feel there is more to the songs than all about love like your usual teen singers. A great album which has real meaning and although there are some weak songs in the middle definite future singles, she is much stronger and has proved a lot to everyone with this album. Worth the long wait to get this album and even if you are not a fan of Christina you might like this becaus it is not like her old music it is more mature and has a story.

For sound clips and more information go to http://www.christina-a.com

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