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The expectations for Christina Aguilera’s sophomore release,  Stripped have been pretty high.

Abandoning the Teen-Pop saccharine of her 1999 debut and trying to distance herself from the pack of blond ambitious youthful chanteuse’s, Aguilera has taken a big chance (a rarity in Pop circles) and has conveyed an assorted bag of gems with Stripped.

Though radio reaction to the Redman collaboration and first single “Dirrty” has been mixed, the song has been a staple amongst the dance club circuit. 

And her voice will not be absent from the radio waves for long, as she is almost guaranteed to have chart action with the ballad "Beautiful" and a soulful composition from Grammy laden songstress Alicia Keys with “Impossible.” 

In an unexpected move for a stigmatized pop princess, Aguilera reveals her fathers physical abuse on the powerful and painful “I’m OK” and delves in semi-funk territory on "Under- appreciated."

Though she kinda gets off track with the out of character track "Make Over," she mostly controls the albums multifaceted pacings quite well.

Aguilera has always stood out in the blonde “brat pack” due to the fact that she has by far  the most powerful pipes and the talent to burn.  

While we are currently watching  Britney unwind and her pop-fluff fade, Aguilera has more than proved she has the versatility and ammunition for longevity.