Aguilera bears all on Stripped

Get reacquainted with the raw feel of Aguilera's sophomore album.

By Lauryn Stallings

Published Oct. 9, 2009

On Sept. 11, as many loyal Tiger fans prepared their tailgating havens in lots and garages that cannot measure up to Reactor Field, I sat at home as my roommate flipped through channels waiting for something to catch her eye.

Finally, she landed on E! airing one of its many "True Hollywood Story" mini-documentaries. This time, it was an up-to-date account of Christina Aguilera. One of my favorite artists, I immediately gave my attention to the screen and watched to the end. As it went on, my roommates and I reminisced on the career that made a dainty pop singer from the "Mickey Mouse Club" with the range of Whitney Houston a force to be reckoned with.

Soon, I found myself emerged in the star's sophomore studio release, Stripped. Many know and love the first four singles from the ill-received title, but I aimed to take a deeper look into the album after listening to her spill on its production.

With the majority of its tracks produced by hip-hop maven Scott Storch and rock aficionada Linda Perry, it's no wonder her second album jumps genres like a kindergartener playing hopscotch. Yes, this odd blend of sounds leaves listeners with one or two minor disappointments, but the overall composition is genius, flowing in and out of club vibes and R & B territory with ease. In truth, with dance hits like "Get Mine, Get Yours" that prepare listeners for the grittier Rockwilder produced "Dirrty" featuring Redman going up against such soulfully empowering songs as "Fighter" and "Cruz," Stripped could have easily been two separate productions.

The album opens with the title track, an intro filled with sound clips of the rumors surrounding the Carson Daly and Britney Spears fueled controversy of the time. She sarcastically apologizes for being who she is — "Sorry you can't define me/Sorry I break the mold/Sorry that I speak my mind/Sorry I don't do what I'm told/Sorry if I don't fake it/Sorry I come too real/I will never hide what I really feel" — and invites listeners into her world.

Her first single, "Dirrty," stirred media not ready to accept the woman as a sexual force. Laced with woofer popping beats, clad in cheek-bearing chaps and itsy-bitsy shorts of the female empowering anthem "Can't Hold Us Down" featuring Lil' Kim, the newly moniker-ed "Xtina" (thank goodness that was short-lived) kept with the displays of sexiness. The young artist no longer wished to be defined by hymeneal innocence but refused to be labeled as an engagement-ruining slut, as declared on her track "Stripped Pt. 2."

But Stripped is more than just an announcement of bass-filled hip-hop tracks that display a grown-up artist. On four back-to-back tracks Aguilera chronicles her relationship with former boyfriend and dancer Jorge Santos, singing about falling fast on the Latin-inspired "Infatuation," then coming full circle with "Underappreciated."

As promised, the star intimately allows fans into her world. On the emotionally raw "I'm OK," Aguilera can be heard on the verge of tears as she sings about her tumultuous childhood — "Shadows stir at night through a crack in the door/The echo of a broken child screaming 'please no more'/Daddy, don't you understand the damage you have done/To you it's just a memory, but for me it still lives on." This track is definitely worth multiple listens and puts greater understanding to the third single, "Fighter."

Packed with heart-wrenching, soul-healing songs such as "Beautiful," "Soar" and the final single "The Voice Within," it is surprising that Stripped received less than rave reviews upon its 2002 release. Despite what stuffy old critics not ready — or willing — to address Christina Aguilera's adult image thought, she received four Grammy nominations over two years and reached the top two of charts in the U.S. and United Kingdom.

As promised, Stripped takes us on a journey through her life and no track is without a message. If you've never heard it, run out to Slackers right now, buy it and listen to it all the way through. You'll be happy you did.