Stripped

The one thing that I hate seeing through the reviews is when someone shows obvious bias (shown with some people's great disdain for pop, hip hop/rap, 80s, etc.) They'll say "I despise hip-hop", "all 80s music sounds the same" and never give the material a fair chance when majority of the time the music is strong. This website gives you an album a day to listen to and helps expose us to music that we otherwise would've never listened to, so we need to put out biases aside. Everyone's entitled to have their opinion, but every album's entitled to have a fair chance and just be judged it on source value only. That being said, this is an extremely solid pop album. The latin, jazz, and R&B influences on this album are strong, and Aguilera's vocals are stellar throughout. Each song is poignant, and while they're all not perfect, they send an important message. Some of these songs will be getting a relisten, and helps show that pop music could and should be enjoyed by those of all ages. (On the sour side, this album is a little too long.)

Yesterday it was Britney Spears, today its Christina Aguilera. Dammit 1,001 this is not what I signed up for.

Early 00s Christina Aguilera appeals to my male lizard brain. I remember she had a sweet lil' Disney pop princess type hit sometime in the late 90s, and that was cute, but then when I was about 18 her unapologetically basic slut phase happened. I hated the music then and I think it actually sucks even more now. It's bog "producer written" pop, her voice isn't very good and over an hour of it is a total punish... but the way she so overtly and consciously lowered the bar, then got as nude as MTV would allow, started rubbing herself all over rappers like a cat in heat and pretended it was all in the name of female empowerment? hahaha, fuck yeah. 3/5 you disgustingly hot, morally bankrupt, awesome skank.

I’m too old to pretend I give a shit about pop music.

My wife told me that if I didn't give this 5 stars she would leave me. But I think I would have given it 5 anyway. Even as someone who didn't think they were an Xtina fan, and didn't know any of her songs, this album is full of iconic songs that were ubiquitous in the early 2000s. Her voice is undeniable, and she toes the line of R&B without being too grating on the ears like some R&B artists on this list. Soooo I think I would have given it 5 anyway. But we'll never know.

Yeh straight 5 for me. Yes, I know Beautiful and Dirrty (or whatever), great pop songs, but the whole album was full of great music. Popped it on before a run, no it didn't inspire me to great speeds, but I didn't want to stick my running playlist on. Gonna go listen to Beautiful again now.

Already listened to the album, it's perfect no skips.

I’ve had this album since it came out (21 years ago, oh god why did I do the math) and I’ve always liked it. Before today, I hadn’t listened to it from start to finish in many years (maybe since 2003). It is excessively long and should have been made into two albums, but I do enjoy the vast majority of the album. I suspect many reviewers won’t give this a fair chance since Christina was a pop princess back in the day, but this is a solid, heartfelt album with varied influences and honest lyrics.

At the turn of the 21st century, “Stripped” became one of the seminal feminist self-empowerment pop albums. Heralded by the likes of Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande as a major influence on their work, we have this album to thank for many a starlet navigating a thorny post-Disney Channel career. It’s a simple enough premise: keen to reclaim her identity after being marketed as a squeaky clean teen-pop star, Christina Aguilera becomes a self-empowered, confident and sexual 22 year old (still written by mostly male songwriters and producers, to the delight of the male gaze… but your feelings on that come down to which wave of feminism you subscribe to.) The opening, “Stripped Intro”, expresses the concept reasonably well through a collage of news headlines and celebrity gossip, before Aguilera delivers a nutshell-fitting diatribe against her critics. It serves as a springboard for a whopping 78 minutes that just about hold together, though don’t feel hugely cohesive as an artistic statement. Concept aside, the album’s defining feature is Aguilera’s voice: melismatic, soaring, dramatic. Her vocals are rarely toned down and vulnerable, and won’t be to everyone’s taste, but it’s hard to argue that she isn’t a quintessential 2000’s diva after hearing this. She’s at her best in the big ballads: “Beautiful” and “The Voice Within” are both magnificent songs and she fills every corner of them with passion and precision. “Cruz” is an unexpected highlight, being a musical-theatre style rock ballad. Every note of it is a corn-beef-hash-full of corniness, but she sells it to the last. There are a lot of other tracks I enjoyed here: “Underappreciated” is a gritty and tight funk jam; “Fighter” is fierce, uncompromising and even boasts a guitar solo; it’s nice to hear the less belty, more subtle tones of Aguilera’s voice in the hyper-sensual “Loving Me 4 Me”, which floats by like a barely recalled dream. There are some nice segues and satisfying gapless sequencing, which bring more cohesion than perhaps is actually there. But with such a lengthy running time, and Aguilera’s determination to show off her musical and vocal range, there are plenty of missteps. “Make Over” has a completely flat production with an abrasive, irritating refrain (stolen from the Sugababes… a bit of a low bar if you ask me). “Walk Away” and “Impossible” are forgettable piano-driven jazz ballads, and “I’m OK” and “Keep on Singing My Song” at the end feel tacked on and inconsequential: two ballads too many, “The Voice Within” being a much more appropriate ending. Most crucial of all to Aguilera’s aesthetic reinvention are the “WAP”s of their day, “Dirrty” and “Get Mine, Get Yours”. These are decent celebrations of casual sex and expressions of sexuality, but feel remarkably tame by today’s standards. They’re not showstoppers, but I tend to find these kind of songs rarely are: instead they’re a litmus test for our society’s squeamishness, like dropping a naked pebble into a puddle of prudes to count the ripples of shock value. With that, she certainly succeeded, and “Stripped” remains potent twenty years later: something worth commending.

This takes me back

One of the better pop albums I've ever listened to. Versatile and bold. Some ballads, some stronger beats. You really can't ask for much more in this genre.

I'm a hater of modern pop as much as the next guy, but this is some seriously great material. Stripped showcases an array of musically diverse, tonally diverse (importantly!), and complex songs in a sort of R&B-riffing style. The album goes back and forth between catchy and heartfelt – sometimes even both at the same time – and it makes for a good album experience overall. I enjoy the use of electric guitars (and human-played instruments in general) that tend to be absent from 90s and 00s hip-hop/R&B. There's a lot of piano, so a plus there. I wouldn't say there are any huge standouts, but certainly Aguilera picked her singles wisely. The anthem-like songs Fighter and Beautiful are my two favourite tracks here – barely edging out groovier tracks like Make Over and smooth lilting hits like Impossible and Keep on Singin' My Song. But perhaps the biggest factor pushing this above the rest of the pop-R&B pack is that the vocals (including the melodies) are fantastic. This gal has some chops. One thing Aguilera fails to shake from the R&B meta, though, is the interludes. There are four songs in here that the album could do without. And it's not like they were added to pad runtime (since they cumulatively only make up 4 minutes of the 77-minute-long record). Missy Chrissy could have removed these empty and relatively pointless tracks without any loss in engagement. (Well, at least they're pretty good as far as interludes go. The acoustic guitar picking in Primer Amor is nice and a cool transition into Infatuation.) I also disapprove of an album being this long unless there's a running theme/concept. But all in all, Aguilera exceeded my expectations. 4/5 Key tracks: Fighter, Impossible, Beautiful, Keep on Singin' My Song

I’m not the target audience for this type of music but I listened and it’s actually pretty good. Slow numbers, upbeat stuff, actual poignant lyrics (at times, lol)…….. Probably won’t listen again and I’m not going to look up any more of her stuff but I was pleasantly surprised.

Is that her poosy?!?!?! Oh...

Christina Aguilera has an incredible voice. I've been a fan of hers since she first dropped Genie In A Bottle. I like her self titled album better, but Stripped is still great. Can't Hold Us Down, Fighter, Beautiful, Dirty I've always loved. I hadn't heard the whole album before, there were some nice surprises. Especially the slower jams, like Walk Away, Infatuation, Cruise, and Soar. Absolute banger of an album, love it! Best song: Beautiful

I have quite a bit to say about this one. First of all, I'm not a huge fan of pop music, but, as well as some other genres on this site, I think that it falls victim to negative bias. In this album, Christiana demonstrates an undeniably great singing voice. "Can’t Hold Us Down", "Fighter" and "Dirrty" are really good songs, among others. The album incorporates a great mix of influences from different genres and the songs tackle some interesting themes in a meaningful way. I think the only thing holding it back from being a 5 star album is its runtime, which could be shorter.

Pleasantly surprised by this solid album. Thoroughly enjoyed it musically and lyrically.

Stripped is the fourth album by American singer Christina Aguilera. The pop/R&B album has elements of soul, rock. hip hop and Latin music, with themes on self-respect, sex, and feminism. Christina produced this album as a transition from her teen pop style to a grown up attitude. At release, Stripped received mixed critical reviews - many about the album's lack of focus - but commercially the album performed amazingly. It almost topped the charts in most countries worldwide, is certified 5x platinum in the US, 6x platinum in the UK, triple platinum in all of Europe, was nominated for many and won a single Grammy, and is considered one of the most influential pop albums of all time. Despite the "lack of focus" and large amount of freedom that allowed Christina to record so many different types of songs - which critics took issue with - this album is extremely popular. It was a great album IMO and I loved hearing some of Christina Aguilera's older music that I haven't heard in a long time. She really did make a statement with Stripped that she wasn't going to be a cute, cookie-cutter pop icon, but instead try to make entertaining music with a broad vocal range. It's an important album for women, but appreciated by all types of people to this day. This is my favorite album of hers so far.

i would literally marry her.

An hour and a quarter of empowering soul and pop ballads with the occasional latin and rock flavour, belted out by Christina Aguilera's increadible voice. There are five monster singles on here, but it's the album tracks which are more interesting and give the album it's character. The lead single, Dirrty, sounds massively out of place both musically and thematically, and should have been left off the album. Despite that, this is still a surpringly mature and enjoyable record. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Beautiful Date listened: 13/03/23

Better than I feared. Would have been better if it was half hour shorter

Christina, Mariah, it’s all the same wibbly-wobbly whiny vocal gymnastics garbage. Yeah she’s talented but this kind of music grinds my gears.

I really hate 2000's pop (not as much as I hate 2010's pop though), so going into this I thought I was going to give it a 1, but honestly it isn't that bad. I definitely have some problems but it isn't as unlistenable and annoying as I thought it would be. Pros: - She has a good voice - The songs are written well (especially for pop music) - She tries a bunch of different ideas / styles of music so the album doesn't get stale Cons: - The production feels a little cheap in some areas (the strings feel really artificial) - I hate how the introduction of the CD made everyone think they needed to add as much music as they could. The track length really hurts this album. - The guitar tone in Fighter is god awful - This album was a victim of the loudness war - The 2nd half of this album drags and could have been trimmed A lot of people are really over reacting with this one, it has problems but it isn't that bad. I probably would have given this a low 3 if it was 1/2 the length Mid 2.

I was ready to bitch about this album, but for the genre it's in, it really is not bad at all. The reason she wasn't taken seriously definitely had to do with the transformation from Micky Mouse Club Girl to her slutty image around this time. Which fully felt forced and fake. Even the title of 'stripped' did her no favours. And that's too bad, because she's an amazing vocalist with a voice that can do R&B as easy as soul, pop and even rocky. The album itself, with its 77 minutes, has some great songs on it, and some terrible filler. It could've done with some major cutting and demoting about 5 to 6 songs to B-sides. And like her voice, this album is all over the place, from jazzy funk ballads, to poppy piano ballads, to soulful powersongs, to rocky bangers. It feels very disjointed. All in all, I didn't mind it, but also won't listen to it again.

Middle of the road pop-R&B. There’s better about. If she wasn’t a great singer this album wouldn’t be on this list. Great voice though. Sot Fighter Infatuation 2/5

I remember Dirrty being considered "shocking" at it's time, for being overly sexual. I guess the times have changed... what didn't change is that I didn't care for the music as a kid and I don't care for it now. While I admit the songs show a wider musical variety with Aguilera staying true to her voice - she manages to make every song sound bland, soulless and mass-produced in every style she uses and her voice sounds trained but without personality, regardless of style. The music is never so terrible that it's painful, but I did start skipping parts on the second half. It's simply not interesting in any way and goes on for way too long. I do like the lyrical themes from what I've heard. So kudos on some of the messages. Now, if only the music were interesting...

Twisted and evil album. A true glimpse into the wicked mind of Christina Aguilera, best known for being one of the voice actors in the 2017 hit classic "The Emoji Movie". Shit's fucked. No way to unfuck it.

It's the most basic pop I've ever heard.

Why is it that any time a woman expresses her sexuality she's a slut or a skank? I don't know, but maybe one of the guys here can provide an answer after they're done watching their 30 minute videos on how to be an alpha male. But anyway, as someone who never listens to Pop music or the radio, this album exceeded my expectations. There are some really great tracks here and the vocals are top notch. It runs a little long but I grew up with vinyl and I think 36-44 minutes is the perfect all killer no filler zone. As is this is outstanding, but make your own playlist with 12 to 14 tracks and this album becomes stellar. Xtina is rockin' those pants. It takes me back to the days of lo-rise jeans with a thong peaking out and lower back tattoos. Heck yeah that look was delicious. 5 stars for the music and 5 stars for the album cover.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you Christina, you and your ugly pants managed to shine a light through the super bleak and boring tunnel of shitty albums I've been forced to listen to for I don't even remember how long. Truly, expecting the worst is sometimes the best you can do.

I’ve honestly never really listened to her, so glad just to have a pop album on this list

The VOICE on this woman. This album was the soundtrack to my teenage years, and got me through some of the worst times of my life. Dirty? The voice within?? INFATUATION?? It’s a 10/10 for me.

I really liked it! Not as much as "Back to Basics", but there are classics in here. Great variety and instrumentals, and of course vocals were on point. 'The Voice Within' takes my fave.

"Stripped" has many meanings in Christina's career. His second album was a big step in the transition between adolescence and adulthood. That sweet girl from the first album no longer existed. She gave way to a strong, empowered woman who was not afraid to show her feelings. Stripped brought many anthems, the singles were clearly well chosen, this was a well-crafted era. From powerful ballads like "Beautiful" and "The Voice Within" to stronger moments like "Fighter" and the controversial (at least at the time) "Dirrty". Christina was well aware that the album could generate controversy but she was not afraid to be bold, one of her greatest qualities, without a doubt. Many people today complain about the number of tracks on the album, but we need to understand that at that time albums of this type were quite common as there were no streaming platforms to make us sick. At that time, big albums like Christina's were better appreciated and the album received its due recognition. The big fact is that Stripped was necessary and came at a great time for both Christina and the pop music market. Aguilera broke barriers that at the time were considered difficult to break. Stripped is and will always be an influence on anyone who wants to break barriers, whether they are musicians or even a teenager who wants to be seen as an adult.

Enjoyed it from start to finish, deserves more than only one listening. Gets old like fine wine

Every third song got radio play, and deserved it. So full of hard hitting power ballads. This one does not miss.

A lot of really good tracks that showcase just how great her voice is.

Surprisingly refreshing

genau wie ich christina aguilera kenne: fetzige r&b-beats gemixt mit rap und gesang, abgelöst von schmalzigen balladen. einzigartige stimme und gesang, tolle musik sowohl zum relaxen als auch zum unterwegs hören. mir gefällt‘s!!!!

Love her

A great pop album.

I knew I’d bought this ages ago, but when my library contains only “Beautiful” and “Dirrty”; I’d dumped the rest during a late-noughties iPod memory shortage. Ominous. As I’ve written elsewhere, Aguilera’s voice has this narcotic effect on me, an effect that seems so arbitrary - why not Whitney Houston or Celine Dion? - that it must be a decision that I’m unaware I ever took, a binding one. Even more weirdly, after spending a little time on her Wikipedia page followed by an algorithmic slug of recent news articles, I’ve concluded that I don’t understand what she looks like, what age she is on any given record over any given playthrough, and thus another layer of abstraction is added - she’s a disembodied voice with a collection of spectral associations that grip me from behind, familiar but unknowable: in short, lost time from my early to mid-20s when this album would’ve stalked me from store playlists and radios I passed, a three-year or so near-complete blank apart from one road trip across the Deep South in 2003 when “Beautiful” was on my mixtape and Simon sang to me, you are beautiful no matter what they say. And this is one of my few firm memories of the first four years of that decade, along with the contemporaneous deployment of the worst accent I’ve ever heard by our friend Howard on asking a couple of Louisiana fishermen where to find the Bayou alligator tour we’d booked, and out came Christopher Walken doing an impression of Stephen Hawking guest-starring in “The Dukes of Hazzard”, “so do Y’AWWWL know WHERE BOB’S swamp boat tour IS?” The music’s compellingly all over the place. Aguilera’s like one of those mischievous spirits from a horror movie that come at you from different forms she’s possessed, both incongruous and scarily recognisable, and perhaps it’s from the best I managed only a single listen today, as otherwise she’d have my throat.

"Beautiful" is a pop tune of rare quality, so good it redeems this hollow artifact from a vapid, self-obsessed era. So fucking long, with so many unnecessary syllables and eponymous references, but Linda Perry's songwriting and Xtina's tuneful warbling make it almost bearable.

Going to give this three stars. Not for me, but no denying the talent. A couple of gems in there. Overall annoying to me. More runs than a taco bell bathroom.....

Oh my god we get it - you’re a feminist and a victim of your own talent. What else do you have to sing about?

pretty good vocal performance, average production, and cringily simplistic lyrics 5/10

2002 in radio charts: boring white chicks singing about getting their pussy worked over on top of an R&B beat. While that's plenty to get nostalgic about, and while I'd be lying if I said I found nothing to like or respect here (one of these stars is just for Beautiful), this is mostly a lot of oversexed pop filler (is that a fucking thong sewn into your jeans, Christina?!)

There's a 3 star 25 minutes album in here.

The hits are great. The album is too long and the rest of the album is too uneven.

Fucking, seriously!?

I just can't get into this. The first track was alright but it just all blurred into nothing. It's that because she was influential and a lot of people afterwards sounded like this, or is that because she's the same as so many others?

Christina can sing for sure but I don't care for the songs that she's singing at all. Way too long as well.

Don't love it, songs are quite long and repetitive. I don't really like how Christina sings. Her singing is best on Beautiful, I am glad that song exists. Dirrty is also fun, but she already did it better in Genie in a Bottle. 2/2.5.

It would have been more fun if the album was indeed somewhat stripped. At 77 minutes it is a lot of material and a lot of it is not that good. Generic pop album.

1.5 stars. This was rough. Like dollar store Destiny's Child and then at times trying to bring in rock? elements with whiny guitars. "Beautiful" being a decent pop song only thing that saves it from 1 star.

2.5/5. The music is not bad, but 1hr 17 minutes is very long for this type of music. I don't think there are bad songs on here, but this album being this long makes it kind of enjoyable to listen to.

Boring. Talented singer but this is way too long and many of the songs sound the same.

I heard the singles from Stripped when the album came out. I've never been interested in Christina Aguilera's music. Portions of the album were okay, separated by tracks that I did not like. I'm not the audience that this music was intended for. After listening to a full album I'm not even sure I am any more able to recognize Aguilera, if I were to hear something new (or something from this album that I just listened to). I'm guessing that I will forget this soon enough. When "okay" is stretched out thin over such a long album, I will have to confess that I did not like the album.

There’s art, like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, made by someone with incredible technical skill, but also inspired by a vision they are compelled to bring into reality with little thought to its commercial appeal. And then there’s craft, like a dude putting up wallpaper. The dude putting up wallpaper doesn’t care what’s on the wallpaper. Could be rocket ships, could be pineapples, could be anything. He doesn’t care. He just has to put it up so he can get paid. And everything is somewhere along that spectrum. The skilled artist that makes something utterly uncommercial because it is an uncompromising reflection of her artistic vision and only 5 people enjoy it because it’s so weird. The artist who is inspired but lacks the skills to bring his ideas to life and so few are willing to engage with his ham-handed works no matter how great his ideas are. The craftsperson who is just working for a paycheck but who is so skilled at their craft that what they make is worth appreciating as a piece of art even though it was intended to be a purely commercial object. And the stoned teenager heating a frozen patty and putting it between two buns to make 1,000 McDonald’s hamburgers in an afternoon without any skill or inspiration. This album, like 90% of pop music, is a McDonald’s hamburger. The only inspiration for this album was “I want to make more money and become more famous”. That is enough inspiration to achieve greatness in the hands of someone with exceptional skill or talent, but this is a Christina Aguilera album. This was disposable pop that was meant to sell a bunch of records and then be utterly forgotten for all time. To listen to this record 22 years later as if it were something other than that is a perversion of intent and taste and good sense. This album has no place on this list and I’m embarrassed for everyone involved to be listening to it.

After two masterpieces, the "Surrealistic Pillow" and "Physical Graffiti", I had to listen to this. My ears were bleeding throughout. I guess not every list is complete, there will always be mistakes. This is one of the mistakes. Utter s..t from an untalented "artist".

Stripped is a case in point for a book I might write in one incarnation or another. The subject would be “what happened to pop music over the years”, and it will discuss how the mighty have fallen: how the likes of The Beatles music deteriorated into commodities such as this here album.

Wow, well I had a sneaking suspicion I might quite like this but it completely blew me away. Fair play, a bold and fabulous album from start to finish. It probably spawned a million dud and/or fake imitators unfortunately, but hardly her fault. And what a wonderful voice. Beautiful is just the most beautiful and uplifting song, written I note with great joy by Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes.

Several bangers, no lowlights, great vocals and great tracks behind it. FS: Beautiful

The birth of Xtina, one of the greatest vocalists to ever do it. There are a few fillers in the middle here but even those are top drawer honestly. Jam packed with hits that changed pop. Each of Can't hold us down, Fighter, Beautiful, Dirrty and especially the Voice Within are all timers, no notes.

First off, at first I thought using Jay Z's Public Service Announcement to kick off the album was a cool idea with some cultural context that I don't understand, but doing some research I see no online discussions of the PSA sample, so I guess that's lost to history. Regardless, her voice is out of this world. Also the transition from Walk Away and Fighter is flawless. The album in general dragged on a little too long for me, so it's a 3.5 instead of a 4, and it gets the round up since this was better than a lot of other albums we've had. 4/5

Очень разносторонний альбом, разные стили, безумно нравится.

A perfect encapsulation of early 00s pop

9 / 10 Una mezcla de nostalgia y de calidad real. Este disco para mí en su momento fue un pelotazo de pop. Hoy en día no es la música que me atrae, pero no dejo de ver lo buenísimo que me pareció en su momento.

klasyka popu, hit za hitem, nikomu nie trzeba przedstawiac

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

talented vocalist

Pretty damn good. Not really my jam but she has an amazing voice. 5 stars.

4.5/5 Pop Abum almost perfect!!!! The only song that didnt fit was drrty. Xtina's voice carries and she shows a really great range here :)

Stripped Intro - okay get it. 5/5 Can't Hold Us Down - this era of clap-back albums is kinda sad. like i think most femme fronted groups or artists, all got the same criticism that Nikki and Cardi and Cupcakke got today. nothing changed for hip hop :/ (4/5 good not my vibe) Walk Away - (all you gotta do is Walk AwAaaAayyeyey vine) this is the RnB version of Before He Cheats. (4/5 okay good album pacing) Fighter - jesus she has a lot to say okay go off sis 5/5 i didn't know i knew this song. Infatuation - this is that early 00s sound i grew up on. (3/5@me i didn't get into this kind of music and i wish i had had better taste) Loving Me 4 Me - AUGH yes we love numbers gimme that y2k baby. this is a good breather (4/5 it fucks i'm sorry) Impossible - mmm we're in the slow RnB again. i feel like i've heard this song before (2/5 she is talented though) Underappreciated - i feel so bad, i feel like i've heard this on a Sims radio station before (4/5 in my head it sounds like Simlish i really don't know why) Beautiful - oh my god this song (i don't know what to give this because it is one of many songs ruined for me from service jobs) Make Over - okay damn go off (5/5) Cruz - it's giving a country song (3/5 eh) Soar - this is a movie song for sure (3/5 not a great movie but a cult classic type) Get Mine, Get Yours - oh 90s funk hip hop. (4/5 it fucks but it's not quite there yet) Dirrty - okay this is the kind of party jams i remember (5/5 this fucks) The Voice Within - this is just a slow song. it's just a ballad (2/5 a little boring for me) I'm OK - this is a very sad song. (5/5 ouch) Keep On Singin' My Song - a good pick-me-up song for the end of this album. (4/5 it works but a little long for me) overall this album was very good. i enjoyed listening to this more than i thought i would. so i think i have to give it a 5/5. even the interludes flowed.

Amazing, love this

Very good

ok

What has always exhausted me about Xtina was her incessant use of vocal runs, and her general oversinging. I had expected to hear all of that with this record, but instead I got layers. She exhibits control over her voice - only belting when she needs to and when it's most impactful. On the upbeat tracks she's energetic and feisty, on her slower songs she's subtle but dynamic. Her voice aside, these are great pop songs. They're radio-friendly but not bubblegum; the influences from R&B, latin pop, soul, and rock are obvious, and they elevate the album. This is a showcase of what pop music can be when it's trendy but not overly manufactured. And the themes she sings about are important for the general public to hear, aren't they? Simplistic maybe, but still relevant nonetheless. I legit remember hearing Beautiful at the tiny age of 8 and being awoken to the value of self-respect! Lastly, what a perfect source of nostalgia. Nearly everything about this is so reminiscent of my childhood music in the early '00s, from the sudden shift to sexual pop music to the inclusion of Spanish phrases in any song's chorus or bridge. The only problem is that it's long. Albums rarely need to be over an hour long. But fine, that's forgivable in this case. Standout tracks (besides the very familiar singles) are Walk Away, Loving Me 4 Me, Impossible, and Get Mine, Get Yours.

Fantastic album

Holding up a mirror to the world and screaming "SUCK MY DICK, HITLER", Aguilera manages to squeeze her smoky orange skin into some questionable chaps and remind us all who we really are. A timeless classic that stands the test of time.

There are so many bangers perfectly dispersed throughout this album that even though I initially shuddered at the 1hr 17min run time I ended up having a outrageously great time with it. Fighter, Beautiful, Dirrty (with two R's thank you very much) all fucking top top shelf pop songs. Beautiful in particular is an amazing song, would be a great Karaoke song if you can actually sing. Impossible is an excellent demonstration of her range too, big Amy Winehouse vibes.

She's got it all - amazing voice, meaningful lyrics, instruments.

DAMN I WANTED THIS AS MY NEXT ONE SGAHIQOQLAKSNSHGTSGTS I have obviously heard the songs 'Dirrty' and 'Beautiful' before. I have the CD! I like the montage of 'celebrity gossip' (for want of a better term) in the intro. It definitely sets a tone and a scene for the rest of the album. The continuation of the intro later in the album is also an interesting technique I've never seen before. The second track instantly cements it as pop. I was not alive when Christina Aguilera was very famous, so I don't know whether this is really a 'new direction' as she claimed. I doubt it, to be frank. However, just because it's pop doesn't mean it's bad. I didn't think this album would really be amazing enough to be included in this guide, but it seems pretty good. Nice message of feminism in 'Can't Hold Us Down'. I can understand why people didn't (and don't) like this. But it's honestly very, very good! She has a great voice, and it's not just meaningless, producer-written, bubblegum drivel. I hear influence from Latin music. All very danceable -- not necessarily a bad thing! There is a time and a place for art rock, and a time and place for Christina Aguilera. 'Infatuation', 'Underappreciated' and 'Dirrty' all remind me of each other. Rina Sawayama definitely heard 'Loving Me 4 [sic] Me' before recording 'Love Me 4 [sic] Me'. Not only are the titles (obviously) very similar but the songs sound rather like each other. I LOVE 'BEAUTIFUL'. I like the violins that recur throughout. I presume they're synthesisers, however. :( 'Dirrty' does not belong on this album -- it sounds very different. I know she wanted to shed her image, but she could have done that and then left this overly sexualised song off the album... However, I suppose it signified that her old image had now been 'stripped'. I think 9/10. Nevertheless, it deserves 5/5, because I'll be listening again. I did debate giving it a 4, but that's not happening after listening through fully, mainly because ARGHHHH I LOVE 'BEAUTIFUL' SO MUCH. Not for the first time, I wish this website operated using a scale of 10, not 5.

love pop, obviously. christina's vocals are out of this world. faves: fighter (the guitars!!), impossible, beautiful

So many standouts! I like the musical tension and overall mood of everything

The rockier cuts on this are not great but i get she's attempting to be like "i can do all sides of pop music" and this was still the numetal/pop punk era so i get it but they're just rough. The rnb/pop stuff tho, goddamn some of this stuff is wonderful

yes okay now wheres shakira

I found this album surprisingly enjoyable. I listened to it on Monday morning going to work and it was raining. Beautiful, is a song I used to listen to a lot growing up on those So Fresh CDs, and it still holds up. To me she sounds like at this point in her life she had taken everyones criticism very personally and to heart, this album is her way of saying fu*k you this is me, take it or leave it, I don't care what you think anymore. Dad, I don't think you will like this album, Kieran you are a maybe, I really don't know what you would think of this album haha.

I was really surprised by the amount of nostalgia that came from listening to this album. I’ve never particularly been a Christina fan, but my parents must have played this a lot when it was released as I found myself recognising every song. The songs here are catchy, but it’s definitely the vocals that are the standout feature here. I usually don’t enjoy overly complicated vocal runs, as are often found in pop albums like this, but I guess the nostalgia made this easier to listen to.

Apparently I like Dire Straits. Great mellow listen front to back. sultans of Swing indeed.

Favorite Track: Walk Away

Christina Aguilera's *Stripped* (2002) is widely regarded as a landmark album in pop music, marking a bold departure from her teen pop beginnings into a more mature, personal, and experimental sound. The album explores themes of self-empowerment, vulnerability, feminism, and sexuality while incorporating diverse musical styles. Below is an in-depth analysis of the album's lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, along with its strengths and weaknesses. --- ## **Lyrics** The lyrical content of *Stripped* is one of its defining features. Aguilera delves deeply into personal experiences, tackling issues such as self-respect, heartbreak, empowerment, and trauma: - **Empowerment and Feminism**: Tracks like "Can't Hold Us Down" (featuring Lil' Kim) challenge gender double standards and advocate for women's voices in a patriarchal society. However, some critics have noted that the song's approach to feminism could feel combative or flawed in its messaging[3][4]. - **Vulnerability**: "Beautiful," the album's most iconic track, delivers a universal message of self-acceptance and resilience. Similarly, "I'm OK" is a harrowing recount of Aguilera's experience with domestic abuse during her childhood, showcasing raw emotional depth[1][3]. - **Sexuality**: Songs such as "Dirrty" and "Get Mine Get Yours" embrace Aguilera's sexual agency. While celebrated for breaking taboos around female sexuality in pop music, these tracks were controversial at the time for their explicitness[4][5]. - **Self-Reflection**: Tracks like "The Voice Within" encourage listeners to trust their inner strength and intuition. Other songs like "Walk Away" explore toxic relationships with poetic vulnerability[1][3]. Aguilera's lyrics are deeply personal yet universal, resonating with listeners on multiple levels. However, some critics argue that the album's thematic repetition—centered heavily on empowerment—can feel redundant over its lengthy runtime[3][5]. --- ## **Music** Musically, *Stripped* is eclectic, blending pop and R&B with elements of rock, soul, hip-hop, gospel, and Latin music: - **Diverse Genres**: The album moves seamlessly between different styles. For example: - "Fighter" incorporates rock influences with aggressive guitar riffs. - "Infatuation" blends Latin rhythms with pop sensibilities. - "Cruz" channels 1970s soul-rock balladry[3][5]. - **Vocal Performance**: Aguilera showcases her vocal prowess throughout the album but exercises restraint on tracks like "Walk Away," allowing emotions to take precedence over vocal gymnastics[3]. - **Production**: Producers like Linda Perry ("Beautiful"), Scott Storch ("Fighter"), and Alicia Keys ("Impossible") bring distinct sonic textures to the album. Perry’s raw production style complements Aguilera’s emotional delivery[5]. Despite its strengths, critics have pointed out that the album occasionally lacks cohesion due to its genre-hopping nature. Some tracks feel overproduced or repetitive in tone[3][5]. --- ## **Production** Aguilera took significant creative control over *Stripped*, serving as an executive producer alongside collaborators like Linda Perry and Scott Storch: - **Rawness and Authenticity**: The production emphasizes imperfections to enhance emotional authenticity. For instance, Perry encouraged Aguilera to retain vocal imperfections in "Beautiful," which added to its sincerity[5]. - **Lengthy Runtime**: At 77 minutes with 20 tracks (including interludes), *Stripped* has been criticized for being overly long. Critics suggest that trimming filler tracks like "Soar" or interludes could have improved the album's focus[3][5]. The production reflects Aguilera’s artistic ambition but occasionally falters under its own weight. --- ## **Themes** Thematically, *Stripped* is a deeply personal exploration of identity and liberation: 1. **Self-Empowerment**: Songs like "Fighter" and "The Voice Within" encourage resilience and inner strength. 2. **Sexual Liberation**: Tracks such as "Dirrty" challenge societal norms about female sexuality. 3. **Emotional Vulnerability**: Songs like "I'm OK" confront painful memories with unflinching honesty. 4. **Feminism**: The album critiques gender inequalities while celebrating female solidarity in tracks like "Can't Hold Us Down"[1][2][4]. These themes resonated strongly with listeners at the time of release and continue to influence contemporary artists. --- ## **Influence** *Stripped* has had a lasting impact on pop music: - It paved the way for artists like Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus to explore personal themes and embrace their sexuality unapologetically[1]. - The album's bold visuals—such as the provocative video for "Dirrty"—set new standards for artistic expression in pop culture[2]. - Tracks like "Beautiful" remain timeless anthems of self-love and acceptance. While initially polarizing due to its provocative content and Aguilera’s image reinvention as “Xtina,” *Stripped* has since been recognized as a groundbreaking work that redefined pop music for the 21st century[1][5]. --- ## **Pros** 1. **Emotional Depth**: The lyrics are raw and deeply personal, offering listeners a glimpse into Aguilera’s life experiences. 2. **Vocal Prowess**: Aguilera’s voice shines throughout the album, showcasing versatility across genres. 3. **Diverse Musical Styles**: The blend of pop, R&B, rock, soul, gospel, and Latin influences makes for an adventurous listening experience. 4. **Empowering Themes**: The messages of self-respect, resilience, and empowerment resonate universally. 5. **Cultural Impact**: The album influenced a generation of artists and opened conversations about female empowerment and sexuality in mainstream music. --- ## **Cons** 1. **Lack of Cohesion**: The genre-hopping nature of the album can feel disjointed at times. 2. **Overly Long Runtime**: At 20 tracks (including interludes), the album could have benefited from tighter editing. 3. **Controversial Lead Single**: The choice of “Dirrty” as the lead single overshadowed the album’s deeper themes due to its provocative imagery. 4. **Repetitive Themes**: While empowering overall, some tracks reiterate similar messages without adding much new insight. 5. **Polarizing Reception**: Upon release, critics were divided on whether Aguilera’s bold reinvention felt authentic or contrived. --- ## Conclusion *Stripped* is a bold artistic statement that redefined Christina Aguilera’s career while influencing pop music for years to come. Its strengths lie in its emotional depth, vocal brilliance, thematic ambition, and cultural impact. However, it suffers from issues related to cohesion and length. Despite its flaws, *Stripped* remains an enduring testament to Aguilera’s artistic evolution—a fearless declaration of independence that resonates as strongly today as it did over two decades ago.

I remember back when the single Dirrty came out and not thinking much of it, considering it done just for shock value. I liked the singles Fighter and Beautiful, but never listened to the rest so I'm curious to dive into this one. This is a good pop album, although a little bloated. Christina has a great voice and shows it off in a multitude of ways. I feel if some of the weaker songs had been cut that this would be an easy 5 star album.

lots of bops

Feminist themes, something about Fred Durst? Latin infused hip hop/neo soul pop Bit of gospel too Funky elements on Underappreciated Source of Fighter, which is a banger! A bit warbly at times.. Best track (previous unknown) - Cant Hold Us Down

I'm not a huge fan of the talking at the beginning of each song, but the songs are otherwise solid - great harmonies and variety. Some songs are much better than others (Fighter, Can't hold us down, Beautiful, Dirrty, The voice within). Songs like "Loving me 4 me" drag on and don't seem to go anywhere.

Oväntat många starka låtar

I like the content of this album it seems like it was her coming of age album. Very introspective, the control she has over her voice was able to amplify that for me. Not to mention her voice is just phenomenal so that also makes me rate this album high. For an early 2000’s pop album it has more depth than I anticipated. I’m a fan and pop music usually isn’t my bag but this album surprised me! Only criticism is the length, I felt she could’ve shortened this album and kept the same impact. 4.2/5

Christina has one of those strong, memorable, and recognizable voices that everyone likes. Her album was very headstrong and showed off her independence and feminism, maybe even a little too much. She also showed intense emotion and vulnerability. I thought this was a good album.

This was absolute heat that I wasn’t prepared for