Bottom Of The Barrel

Clarkson's 3rd Effort

Kelly Clarkson has some very big shoes to fill, her own. Her sophomore album, Breakaway, sold over 5 million copies [it is only the fourth album in history to stay in the Billboard 200 top 20 consecutively for a whole year], yielded five U.S. top ten singles and gave her two Grammy Awards.

Her follow-up and third studio album, My December, hits stores June 26th, 2007 however it is being streamed online by Much Music and MTV Leaked. Most people have heard the first single, Never Again, and you might have also heard the second single, Sober, which was released on June 6th. It has been reported that Sober was release so soon because Never Again was not getting great air time.

Clarkson took the control of this album and either wrote or co-wrote every track and while the lyrics are very personal to her, it just comes across as she as mad at the world. Even the radio friendly Sober ends with Clarkson screaming her head off about something. The real problem with the album is the music which feels like a half dozen independent groups wrote and that mashed those tracks together to form an album. From the dark rock to the trance bass to the heavy metal to the orchestra - it just feels disjointed.

My December will not be as popular as Breakaway [and in some way it probably could never be, see above] and this album may come as a complete disappointment to Clarkson fans. Personally, I don't know what has got Clarkson so pissed off but I wish he/she/they would apologize so we can get back the great singer who's work we have enjoyed so much in the past 5 years.

posted by TheWino @ 9:21 AM