Jump to content

Archived

This thread has been closed to further replies because it was not updated for 12 months. If you wish to have this thread reinstated, please contact an administrator.

Gabe.

Christina Aguilera | Stripped.

Recommended Posts

22654.jpg

so, 'stripped', christina aguilera's 2nd studio album, intended to separate christina from the 'pop princess' image she had, making her go for the 'yes, this is real me, i'm no doll' attitude. and, happily for her, it definitely succeeded.

because 'stripped' is one of those albums not many pop artists are able or have the courage to make. if, on her first album, xtina was barely credited for songwriting, 'stripped' has her co-credited on almost every single song. as i said, 'stripped' is a rocket xtina embarqued on. destination: ARTISTRY.

the 1:39 length intro hits you hard. you're able to hear some news reporters, one even hears britney's name. xtina kicks in with, basically, the definition of the album. 'allow me to introduce myself (...) i'd like you to get to know me a little bit better' (...) no hype, no gloss, no pretense, just me... stripped.' then the 'cant hold us down' beat hits in. a quite succesful hit, a feminist anthem to many, xtina liberately speaks her mind. 'this is for my girls all around the world (...) nobody can hold us down.' the song features lil' kim, the most popular female hip-hop artist at that moment.

but the vibe 'cant hold us down' creates FULLY vanishes in just a second for the next song, 'walk away', which i think it's christina's best ballad ever. a quite depressing, long ballad, where the singer songwriter sings her feelings out through her heart. a ballad whose lyrics narate an incredibly beautiful poem. 'ive been licking my wounds, the venom seeped deeper, we both can seduce, but darlin you hold me prisoner'. 'walk away' doesn't sound corny or dull. it's raw.

as we walk away from... 'walk away', xtina leades us to one of her career's highlights, 'fighter', a single appreciated by many, hated by few. lead by a heavy guitar, xtina, once again, narrates her life story. this is one of those 'thanks for making me a fighter' type of song. you get it. a big plus for her vocals, because, even though a first-time listener of the album went through only 4 songs so far, xtina showed she can sing an rnb jam and a rock song with the same passion.

'infatuation' kicks in, a latin-type of track, preceeded by the spoken word interlude, 'primer amor'. 'infatuation' was xtina's initial choice for the first single of the record, but, for some reasons, this never happened. a shame, i'd say because, even though i'm not sure it would've reached 'dirrty's worldwide success, 'infatuation' is a great, catchy song, summer-ish, and xtina once again shines.

'loving me 4 me' is a serious rnb jam, one of those janet-like sexy type of songs. 'loving me 4 me' keeps it real, can get a little corny for some, but the beat, the flow of this song is completely undeniable and i think it's a shame that it often goes overlooked in her catalogue. my favorite part has to be the 'he loves every freckle, every curve, every inch of my skin... he's loving me 4 me'.

'impossible', xtina's collab with alicia keys, which isn't featured but credited, is a piano-led ballad. not a filler i'd say, but once you listen to 'aint no way', by aretha franklin, or if you've listened to 'ain't no way' first, you'll notice some similarities. still, 'impossible' is a both vocal and lyrical masterpiece.

there comes the first filler on a long album, filler in my opinion of course. 'underappreciated' mantains the personal note xtina dictated on the songs before, but something doesn't feel right about 'underappreciated' and i still try to figure what is. maybe it's a little too similar to 'infatuation', melodically? i don't know and i'm not going to investigate it right now.

'don't look at me...'. 'beautiful', christina's signature song is the song for which, ironically, she isn't credited, being a complete linda perry composition. 'beautiful' stands up as a self-acceptance ballad, an iconic song that couldn't be topped and WON'T be topped, no matter how many songs like this are being released, almost a decade after.

'make over' made some noise after people accused christina of ripping off a sugababes song, and the girls from sugababes even got credited for this song as far as i know. 'make over', in my opinion, is a great song because of the, once again, rock-ish style, and xtina's over-the-top vocals on the refrain. i'd say this is the rebellious, noisy version of...

'cruz', the complete masterpiece of the album, among with 'fighter' and 'walk away'. 'cruz' is about letting go, about making a change, about everything a determined person could ever do in life. i personally cannot wait to get a car and blast this song.

'soar' kicks in, and, well, it's not my favorite song, and, just like with 'underappreciated', i can't precisely figure why. it just didn't hit me. a big plus, of course, for christina's vocals.

but 'get mine, get yours' starts and dayummmmm, the beat + the lyrics + the voice = SEX. one of the sexiest songs i've ever listened. complete masterpiece.

'lemme get mine, you get yours'. no implications, just a physical thing.

and there it comessss, the absolute shocker of this record, the lead single, 'dirrty'. 'dirrty', just like 'beautiful', reached an immense level of popularity, for its... dirty video and raunchy lyrics. after 10 years people still jam all over the world on this song, and that's what iconic songs do.

'the voice within', preceeded by another intro, is, in my opinion, an incredibly beautiful ballad, a ballad which probably christina wished someone had written for her earlier during her childhood. one of the most personal songs on the record, christina's vocals shine once again. a big plus goes for the video as well. simple yet really effective.

'im ok' is probably xtina's saddest ballads and everyone i know and listened to it has been moved to tears. christina narates her childhood story in a way few people can do and, may i add, this song is one of the reasons i admire christina so much. because it's honest, because it's what she's been going through during her childhood. the lyrics and the melody, through their sadness, are able to move mountains and make rivers tear. that's how beautiful this song is.

finally, christina closes the album with a long-ass song, 'keep on singin my song', which for some it's tolerable, but most skip. and i'm one of them.

the final conclusions: 'stripped' manages to do what christina wanted through it and that's creating a new image. some, during the era, thought christina was rude. some thought she was a slut. some admired her honesty. some idolatrized her. but a thing is certain, everyone saw her as she really was, no matter the image they had about her.

Can't Hold Us Down: 9/10

Walk Away: 10/10

Fighter: 10/10

Infatuation: 10/10

Loving Me 4 Me: 10/10

Impossible: 9/10

Underappreciated: 8/10

Beautiful: 10/10

Make Over: 9/10

Cruz: 10/10

Soar: 8/10

Get Mine, Get Yours: 10/10

Dirrty: 10/10

The Voice Within: 10/10

I'm OK: 10/10

Keep On Singin' My Song: 8/10.

95/100 for my favorite album ever.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Great review Gabe!

This album is definitely her best. Some songs there are just masterpieces. Walk Away >>>>> Life. Seriously. Stripped is a work of art. The music, the vocals, the lyrics... Everything is just PERFECT. +legend+

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 32
  • Created
  • Last Reply

  • Browsing now   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×