Stripped...Stripped! (Stripped - Christina Aguilera)

Member Name: Lowsy

Product:	Stripped - Christina Aguilera
Date:	10/04/03 (547 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A lot of songs on the CD, Christina's voice is really well suited to a lot of the songs

Disadvantages: a few songs that should of been missed out

There are a lot of opinions around of Christina Aguilera, not least ones, which arose to her recent release of Dirrty. How long ago was it that Christina was often compared to Miss Spears. Pops number 2 princess. Well this album shows Christina in new light, taking her away from past stereotyping.

A friend recommended this album to me. I listened to it and here are a few of my personal thoughts.

Like with a lot of artists at the moment, Christina has taken on a kind of R&B feel in her sound. This actually suits her vocals really well and does her a lot of justice.

Stripped Intro (1.59)
Almost immediately the first introduction to Christina is done by herself, about herself. It makes a few statements in which she says that she is going to present the truth about herself in the songs of the album. It has a real personal touch, which sets the album off superbly.

Can't Hold Us Down (4.15)
This song sees Christina team up with Lil' Kim as she did in the modernised version of Moulin Rouge. This song is a really powerful opener as it takes on a really strong backing. The song possesses a very 'in your face' message about double standards between men and women. It has that 'Girl Power' message we see a lot, but this song gets away with it really well due to the styling of the song. Lil' Kim's rap giving a real edge to the song.

Walk Away (5.47)
In this song we come across the more slow, R&B feel, ballad. It's a really good song in the sense that it allows Christina's very strong and broad voice range to be explored. This song combines Christina's strength and power, with a more soft and slow approach that is very dramatic. Compared to the first song this is much less 'in your face' and is really easy to listen to.

Fighter (4.05)
This song is almost an extension of the previous. Without copying the style of the previous song it combines brilliantly. The
song is much more powerful and takes on a more 'ro
ck' vibe. It takes Christina's more 'rough' voice and has you tapping along in no time.

Primer Amour Interlude (0.53)
This interlude between songs shows off Christina's language skills. To be quite honest I have no idea what she's talking about, but it sounds nice!! I'm taking a guess when I say it's Spanish, but its Latino feel takes your thoughts away from that of the previous song and prepares you brilliantly for the next one. The positioning of this song here in the album is perfect.

Infatuation (4.17)
Using the Spanish feel of a classic guitar and mixing it with the more R&B drum beat backing we get this song about rushing into love and effects of infatuations (hence probably the title). The song works well with Christinas voice again, and lets her voice range to be expressed. This song is the first of two ('I'm OK') that makes you wonder about Christina's childhood and her relationship with her father.

Loves Embrace Interlude (0.46)
This is a really short ballad, which could probably be missed out. I say this because it is exactly like the following song and could easily have been integrated into it. It uses the same type of music, and includes the same lyrics to some extent. The two songs also combine so smoothly that you don't notice the transition between the two.

Loving Me 4 Me (4.36)
As in the previous interlude, this song is a feel good ballad about love. It talks about how people in love don't need to dress themselves up for one another, because they love the realities that come with the other person. It's a nice song that fits in really well with the album's title 'Stripped'. It also contains a spoken poem where Christina talks about the point I made above. This song is another, which sees a lot of Christina's voice and makes a point of the range that she has. However,
although its nice and really easy to listen to it is one of a few which are quite easy to forget on the album, as they sound so similar.

Impossible (4.14)
This song is written and composed by Alicia Keys. It features Alicia's piano playing. I really like this song as it has a nice backing track and uses some interesting musical tones, including key changes. Again, it shows of Christina's voice range, but in a slightly different way to that of some of the previous songs. One point I should make is, as it is written and composed by Alicia Keys, it has a familiar sound, associated with her.

Underappreciated (4.00)
This song has a bit more speed to it than the previous three. It's a really easy to listen to song. It has a different sound to it too. It takes on a trumpet brass sound in the backing. This instrumental choice gives the song a really big sound and fits in really well with Christina's vocals.

Beautiful (3.58)
There's not a lot I can say about this song that you probably don't already know! The recently released song sits really well in the centre of the order. It actually supplies a bit of a difference among the similar sounding previous tracks. This song is much more pop, but it has one of those 'nice' messages that people love, and it's impossible to deny Christina sounds good, the message in the lyrics means Christina sings it with a fair amount of passion.
A chart hit-Its hard to say anything else!

Make Over (4.12)
Straight away this song sounds familiar. I worked it out; Christina takes on the vocal and musical stylings heard more popularly in the Sugar Babes. This song has the familiar sound of the Sugar Babes first hit 'Overload'. However, it contains a Latin feel backing using that guitar again and adding the maracas. This song doesn't suit Christina's voice. It is also my least favourite on the CD. This one should really have been left out.


Cruz (3.49)
Back to the slower stuff. This one is a really nice one and uses a lot of language that describes movement. It gives me the idea that it might be one you could
enjoy on a girlie road trip! Christina sounds lots better than in the previous track. We see a more pop style backing, again, and a feel similar to that of 'Beautiful'. I could see this one making the Charts.

Soar (4.45)
I really liked this one. It has a different sound to a lot of the others. It has less of the slow R&B ballad touch. It's a little bit more up-tempo, but is nowhere near cheesy pop/dance. Christina's voice takes on a kind of gospel sound, which is increased with the use of a gospel-backing choir. In the middle of this song there is a really unusual bridge that leads to this big crescendo of music, vocals and backings. It's a good touch. This is another big song that puts emphasis on Christina's range.

Get Mine, Get Yours (3.44)
This song is completely different to 'Soar' for one its content is based on casual sex. The song contains a much more up-beat sound. Another big voice song. Its placed well in the album as the song leads up to 'Dirrty'. It uses a simple backing which means Christina does the work! Its one I can see being re-mixed and played in clubs.

Dirrty, featuring Redman (4.58)
What can I say? Up-beat, big voice, Party, Chart hit, song of the moment. Probably one of the most played songs. It fits in the CD well here.

Stripped part 2 (0.45)
Like in the opening intro of the CD Christina uses this to mention things about herself. She includes personal detail, with which she leaves no room for critism. It's really cleverly done. She also makes a little message for those she describes as her 'underdogs'. It uses a simple backing which allows what she wants to say to be heard!

The Voice Within (5.04)
This is the innocent pop song of the album.
However, this one is actually well worked as it allows her to explore her voice range really well, going from low to high etc. This one takes on a different style to a lot of the others, but probably compares most closely with 'Beautiful' because it contains one of those similar messages a
bout trusting yourself, but still manages to remain quite different. This song is probably the one that takes Christina closest back to the pop days, which the rest of the album leaves behind. It has this middle section that sees the return of that choir, that allows for the ending of the song to see a really powerful vocal contribution.

I'm Ok (5.18)
This song is one that really makes you wonder about Christina's childhood and relationship with her father. The lyrics are really actually quite intense. The song opens with the sound of a sobbing child, which is really effective. The song has this really simple guitar baseline and backing throughout which is never overdone at any point and allows for the emotion in Christina's voice and lyrics to come through. In a way her voice takes on a sense of innocence. This song is actually quite touching. However, it reminds me of Pink's recent family potrait song, alot.

Keep on Singin' My Song (6.29)
Back to typical Christina Aguilera style vocals. This song uses the choir again and leaves room for Christina's range by never overdoing the instrumental backing. It carries a simple baseline letting Christina?s voice take the weight of the song. Later a drumbeat comes in that increases the songs tempo slightly. This is not an outstanding song, and is a shame really that it finishes of the album. Though you could take it that Christina is saying, although I've been hurt everything's ok now!

Overall, If you?re a fan of Christina Aguilera, then this album is a must buy. You get everything you want from the woman herself. Big Voice, big songs and plenty of music for yo
ur money.

If your not a fan I would suggest you give it a chance because she does have a sensational voice and the music is really easy listening. There are just one or two songs that let the album down, but my argument is, it's the same for any album.

In conclusion, gone has Christina Aguilera, the girl compared so closely to Britney. This album takes Christina a long way away from that type of music that herself and Britney were so closely related to, and to me, its for the better. This style really suits Christina and I believe that she will go a long way with it. Christina Aguilera is going to be around for a while, because she's already proved her style can change as the market changes...so good luck to her.

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