 Stripped is Christina's introduction of her true self for the very first time. She's ecstatic about revealing sides of her she was pushed not to show in her premiere on the pop music scene. After making a huge hit record of catchy, flirty bubblegum hits like "Genie in a Bottle," "What A Girl Wants," and the powerful ballad "I Turn to You," Christina was ready for change. She did collaborations, including "Lady Marmalade," which helped her to assert her more openly sexual side. With her voice and her heart, Christina set out to let loose and explore who she is and show it to the world.
What a wonderful job Christina has done, simply by following her own heart. Stripped is her baby, and at last she's doing what she wants. The shockingly sexual video for Dirrty is a misrepresentation, though, of what Stripped is all about. Christina has said herself that it's about stripping down to her bare inner self. On the record, Christina wrestles with the hardships she's experienced in her life. Walk Away is a song that talks about needing to leave a bad relationship. It's slow and bluesy, very good mood music.
In fact, Christina's ex boyfriend Jorge Santos was largely her muse for Stripped. Their relationship turned sour at the end of 2001, and they called it quits. Christina's anguish is heard in "Underappreciated," a punchy and very catchy song that's great to sing along to. She also lets out angst in "Fighter," which gives a nasty bite to some ex-friends who betrayed our diva. Christina also hints about her and Jorge's introduction in "Infatuation," a rhythm and vocals song with strong Latin beats.
Christina's not shy anymore about sex--this is clear on the track "Get Mine, Get Yours," which talks about her needing just casual sex without strings attached. The song is sensual and erotic, with a great soul to it, and lusciously sexual lyrics. It's one of the album's best tracks. On the subject of female empowerment, Christina hooked up with Lil' Kim to make "Can't Hold Us Down," a bouncy girl-power song that really rocks, telling women it's ok to be sexual. After all, guys don't get named when they have a bunch of girls, but girls always have slut labels--and that sucks, and I'm glad they spoke on it. Christina also teamed up with soul singer Alicia Keys for the powerful song "Impossible," where Christina showcases bluesy soul in her voice.
The best part of the record is the inspirational side. Christina bares her soul and talks about her father, who was abusive to her and mom Shelly Kearns years ago. The song "I'm Ok" is the most emotionally touching song; it's positively beautiful. I admire her for writing it. "Cruz" is an amazing standout song unlike any I've heard, with it's breezy chorus and feeling of possibilities. Also uplifting is "Soar," a song about embracing yourself no matter what, and "The Voice Within," about having faith in yourself. Perhaps the best track is "Keep On Singing My Song," which is totally for Christina. She's not going to dwell on how she's been hurt, she's just going to do her thing. All the power to her--rock on, Xtina!
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