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A meaner, rough Kelly Clarkson scores |
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Written by MCT
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Tuesday, 03 July 2007 |
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KELLY CLARKSON
"My December"
(RCA/19 Recordings)
3 stars
Label executive Clive Davis and some of Kelly Clarkson's fair-weather fans should have seen it coming. Clarkson did call her first post-"American Idol" smash "Miss Independent," after all.
But that hint of a strong-willed personality wasn't enough to quell the controversy that erupted after Clarkson clashed with Davis over the direction of "My December," her delayed third album. "Breakaway," the predecessor, shipped 6 million copies and Davis wanted his star act to work again with the same pop songwriters who helped that CD and its hit single "Since U Been Gone" score.
But Clarkson had other ideas beyond cashing in with a pandering "Breakaway II." She stood her ground, insisting on releasing the angry, darker rock record she co-wrote. The camps split, with fans on one side applauding Clarkson's cheek while others are branding her a brat.
That's a lot of baggage for a pop record to endure before it even sees release, but the resulting "My December" is easily the boldest and most personal album to come out of the cookie-cutter "Idol" factory.
"My December" is also nowhere near the massive departure the hype suggested. The songs have hooks and rock tempos not unlike that of "Since U Been Gone." The 13 tracks just aren't quite so obviously aimed at Top 40 radio, but nothing is inaccessible.
"I could crash and burn but maybe / At the end of the road I might catch a glimpse of me / So I won't worry about my timing / I might get it right," Clarkson sings on the album highlight, the moody "Sober."
Barring a little overlength and redundancy, the singer-songwriter gets it mostly right on "My December." Clarkson's previous albums were best cherry-picked for the singles and lacked focus and a distinct artistic stamp. "My December" gives her the focus she has always needed and it's her finest overall work.
Curiously, though, for a woman who has given interviews claiming she has never been in love, she's certainly investing a lot of passionate energy on "My December"`s brace of bitter, breakup songs. Vocally, she flexes her inner Pat Benatar to slay some cheat on "Never Again." ("I hope the ring you gave her turns her finger green.") On "Judas," she melds metal and electronics to mourn over someone who disappointed her (Davis, perhaps?) "After we'd been through so much, how could you let me down?"
Despite the bile, Clarkson never sinks to crudity. On the sparse closing ballad, "Irvine," she finds her most intimate side. "One Minute" is among her most danceable songs.
"I'm stubborn and I make plenty of mistakes," Clarkson confesses on "Maybe."
Naysayers will seize on that line when "My December" fails to sell 6 million copies, but so what? Clarkson expressed herself and grew, that's what artists do, and for that she should be championed. That "My December" isn't the train wreck some wished for is even more gratifying.
Pod Picks: "Sober," "Judas," "One Minute." | Only registered users can write comments.
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