I know I'm going to get in trouble for saying this, but Christina Aguilera has an amazing voice. A huge voice. A voice that gives you goose bumps when you hear it. Sure, she used to be in the Mickey Mouse Club, so it's easy to lump her in with Britney Spears, especially with her "Genie in a Bottle" past and recent flesh-bearing obsession.

But on her second major release, "Stripped," Aguilera proves she's in a class of her own - voice-wise, at least. Disregard the first single, "Dirrty": It's not at all representative of the album. Instead of heading down the well-trodden, commercial pop path, Aguilera doesn't exactly chart completely new territory, but instead has written an empowering mix of classy Alicia Keys-style R&B (like the sultry ballad "Walk Away"), Latin rhythms (like the upbeat "Infatuation") and rock (like the new single "Fighter"). Clocking in at 20 tracks and 80 minutes, "Stripped" is not only denser time-wise, but also lyric-wise, than most albums of its class. There are some missteps: Aguilera used 4 Non Blondes' light-rock master Linda Perry to produce four songs, and there are some moments of cheese (like the sappy "Soar"). But ignore the hype - this is a worthy effort from a rising talent.