Kelly Clarkson - My December
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Music CD Cover Artist: Kelly Clarkson Brand: CLARKSON,KELLY Edition: Music CD CD Release Date: 2007-06-26 Music Label: RCA Records Soundtracks:
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Free Music Notes for My December Album
Free Music Review: Her Best Offering Yet
Hit: 5 Stars
I won't spend my time rehashing the events that led up to today; I'm sure we're all familiar with them. I'll move on and say that I believe "My December" is the best follow-up to "Breakaway" that could have been made; it builds on the rocker image she's been cultivating and contains music that is evolutionary leaps from what came before.
Case in point: the current single "Sober." It could have been an obvious ballad like "Because of You" and followed its pop formula, but it is so much more--contemplative at the outset, slowly burning and building, and culminating in stratospheric vocals that give chills every time.
There's a definite thread of bleakness on the album, but quite a few songs interrupt that, more than `insiders' would have you think. "One Minute" is awesome, with a catchy, staccato guitar pulse and loads of well-produced background vocals. It really needs to be the next single. "How I Feel" has a frisky opening and an overall sense of fun. It feels very summery, with little flourishes of California pop here and there. "Yeah" was previewed during last year's tour, but I remember it being more rocking; here it's slinky and reminiscent of Christina Aguilera, and gives us a shot of the R&B she should never totally leave behind.
"Be Still" is gorgeous; the perfect slow song, evocative in the colors it brings to mind, and Kelly shows tremendous restraint. "Irvine" is simply a triumph. It's not at all what I expected, with a Spanish-sounding accompaniment and very spare vocals with inflections of Erikah Badu or Billie Holliday. This could have been a typical emotional ballad due to the material it's taken from, so this divergence is cool. And the background `ooohs' during the chorus are quite eerie.
There's a little middle-of-the-road fare also: "Don't Waste Your Time" and "Can I Have a Kiss," both of which are a bit more Breakaway-ish and with good hooks. Rock-lite, I suppose.
You know, the bitter, edgier songs aren't so bad; like I said, there's enough of a balance overall that I don't assume anyone will be jumping out of a window. "Judas," "Maybe," and the Evanescence-esque "Haunted" took some time to grow on me, but the latter two could be legitimate singles. But they do sit like a heavy weight in the middle of the album, and it takes several hearings to distinguish the particulars of each. The third track "Hole" could become a fan favorite. It has such a dissonant guitar lick, a big departure from Kelly-World, and the song as a whole reminds me more of an established male rock group.
The hidden track "Chivas" is a bit throwaway but fun to listen to nonetheless. She takes a page from Tori Amos with the vocals in the chorus, and is a ringer for Mariah Carey in other spots.
I hated having to wait so long for "My December" - first they said February, then March, then May, and so on - but this album will make you forget the wait. I hope you give the album a second and third hearing if at first you're not quite sure, because you will find more honest, earnest artistry here than on many albums found at the music store today.