Stripped [CD]

Every track is brilliant but the standouts for me are 'Beautiful'- one of the best and most heartfelt ballads you are likely to hear,'Get mine, Get yours' - a sexy, urban tune which is incredibly catchy and the gospel-tinged end to the CD 'Keep singingmy song'- which is impossible not to sing along to (although you do realise how bad you sound in comparison!!)

This album is simply the best you will hear all year and although impressive on the first listen by the tenth, you will not want to play anything else as it just gets better and better.

Perfect for blasting out of your car stereoas you drive along the motorway it is a guaranteed mood improver and soundtrack to your life, I cant recommend it highly enough.

[Ratings out of 5]

1. Stripped Intro - An interesting start, with Christina delivering a personal statement to lovely piano beats. Shame it's so short. [4/5]

2. Can't Hold Us Down (feat. Lil' Kim) - a slinky 'woman power’ song riddled with thought-provoking lyrics. Lil' Kim contributes an average rap to the proceedings. Feminists will love it. [4/5]

3. Walk Away - A bluesy piano number. A real indication of Christina's new direction. Striking, but it goes on for far too long without offering anything to keep interest. [3/5]

4. Fighter - Linda Perry's first contribution is a Pink-esque rock-pop piece that is full of aggression and is catchy in all the right places. [4/5]

5. Primer Amor Interlude - Spanish guitar interlude spoken by Christina in Spanish. Pretty pointless in general. [2/5]

6. Infatuation - Lively, funky Latin-pop song. It flows along nicely and has single potential. Above J-Lo quality thankfully. [4/5]

7. Loves Embrace Interlude - Sickly sweet dreamy interlude with high pitched singing. No more please. [1/5]

8. Loving Me 4 Me - Another piano breeze. Lyrically average, and plainly middle of the road. The low point of the album, which is still better than many other's best offerings. [2/5]

9. Impossible - Alicia Keys works her charms on this smoky ballad. A film noir feel to a song that oozes quality. [4/5]

10. Underappreciated - A mix of mo-town charm and Anastacia comes into play on this upbeat number. Good... but just wait until you see what's next... [3/5]

11. Beautiful - The best song on the album. Beautifully crafted, and the very first time we get to hear Christina's "stripped" voice without any over-dramatic warbling. Lyrically simple yet effective. A true classic. [5/5]

12. Make Over - Sounds strangely like Sugababes' "Overload". Very experimental and unique for this album. Another Linda Perry classic. Electric pop meets scratchy guitar ... and Christina's stripped voice returns. Excellent. [5/5]

13. Cruz - Another excellent song, another Linda Perry effort. A toned down "Beautiful", a lovely song in general. Who needs plastic pop when we can have this instead? [5/5]

14. Soar - Christina continues her streak of 'feel good' music with this uplifting gospel offering. Christina really does this well ... and I'm certainly not complaining. [4/5]

15. Get Mine, Get Yours - Christina gets her groove back on for this upbeat track which is basically an average entry into an already epic music catalogue. Pales in significance to upcoming tracks. [3/5]

16. Dirrty (feat. Redman) - Totally out of place on this album. The first single produced by RockWilder. Dirrty. Filthy. Sleazy... Wonderful. Clunky, heavy beats coupled with in-your-face lyrics. Redman adds a good rap that fits perfectly. [5/5]

17. Stripped Pt.2 - Picks up where the intro left off. Not as long as its predecessor but surprisingly good for what it is. [3/5]

18. The Voice Within - Reminiscent of Christina's debut album. Reminds me of Mariah Carey at her very best. Wonderful trademark ballad from Christina. [4/5]

19. I'm OK - The most personal song from Christina and my runner-up for best song on the album. Guess what? ... it's another Linda Perry collaboration that is lyrically affecting and moving. An emotional masterpiece ... but why so late on?
[5/5]

20. Keep On Singin' My Song - The closing number is a preachy gospel statement. Surprisingly forgettable, but as the lyrics are saying, keep on singing Christina no matter what people say.
[3/5]

Overall I’m giving this album 5 stars of five. Christina really has excelled expectations by delivering an album with such depth, variety and class that breaks Ms. Aguilera out of the ‘teeny pop’ league once and for all. Britney Spears take note. This is how to do it.

When I finally tire of this album, it will be the day I die.