There's More Where That Came From

This is a new series I’m doing called: Owner’s Review, which is basically me reviewing albums I have collected in my short 15 years of life, so brace yourself, there are some embarrassing ones that will come up ahead. I was a kid of the 90’s after all, there’s bound to be a Backstreet boy album here or there.

Kelly Clarkson, My December

In Early 2007 Kelly Clarkson came back with a vengeance. One listen to “Never Again” and you’ll wonder how this can be the same girl who was singing about the trouble with love back in 2003. And in the real truth, Kelly Clarkson isn’t the same singer who hit the charts with “A Moment Like This’, right after she won American Idol in 2002. No, Clarkson has evolved not just into an even better singer, but an good artist.  Not that there isn’t things lacking from her third album My December, but because of the back story behind this album.

The head of Sony BGM, Clive Davis, was reported to have wanted big changes on the album, with some rumoring that he wanted the whole thing scrapped. Kelly, thank goodness, told him that she wasn’t going to scrap or change it. Her label, also wanted to make big changes on it, since they thought it was too dark and negative.  Later reports learned that Clive offered Kelly 10 million dollars to scrap 5 of the songs on the album, to which Clarkson refused.

This behind the scenes stuff is partly what makes you not only like Kelly’s integrity, but gives the album an even bigger purpose.  Kelly could’ve decided to just be a singer, who releases Breakaway type albums every two years, but she instead cemented that she was an artist and not just a singer. More on this at the end..

Now onto the music… The first track and single “Never Again”, sounds like a revived and somewhat more PG rated version of Alanis Morrisette’s “You Oughta Know”. The woman narrator in the song  in the first verse states all the bad things she hopes for her past flame and his new lover, stating  she hopes “the ring you gave to her turns her finger green” and “I hope when your in bed with her, you think of me…” Throughout the song she swears the man off, asking him “does it hurt to know I’ll never be there?/ bet it sucks to see my face everywhere” What works for the track is the catchy lyrics co-written by Kelly. The rhythm and beat of the song are also nicely done.

“One Minute”  the second track of the album is another good track off the album. The lyrics are catchy, an fine example “… I know you realize it’s different music playing now” and the rhythm and beat are even better than “Never Again”, with the catchy “a-whoa-o’s” which sound like a remixed version of American Idol’s theme song, making you wonder if it was done on purpose, and therefore making this a high point for the album.

By the third track this is where the album hit’s a bit of rut, “Hole” has the same energy of the past two tracks. The lyrics aren’t as catchy, and while it’s nice to listen to  now and then, it doesn’t satisfy as much as the past two tracks.

Luckily, after “Hole” comes the great “Sober”, a nice break from the aggressiveness of the other tracks, and this is where we see Kelly at a somewhat more vulnerable and sensitive point. Think of the track as a pop/rock version of Underwood’s “Wasted” and a nice follow-up of “Addicted” off of Kelly’s previous album Breakaway.

After the refreshing “Sober”, the album again picks back up to where “Hole” had left off with “Don’t Waste Your Time”, luckily it isn’t as rocker-ish as “Hole” and is more like “One Minute” on my so called rocker scale.

Next up is “Judas”, another tell-off track, like “Never Again”. The person who had betrayed her in this song is basically considered her “Judas”, and this track would’ve worked, but after a few listens it comes off a little too aggressive and could also be taken as Kelly comparing herself to Jesus. The musical arrangements save this one from being a complete loss, and it is (like Hole) a good listen every once and a while.

The seventh track “Haunted”, which is like My December’s version of “Hear Me” off Breakaway, having a much darker vibe to it. This track is not one of my favorites, but it is defiantly one of the better tracks off the album, seeming like a better replacement for the void “Hole” had left.

The next track is the much needed “Be Still”, a nice ballad, and a great break from the rocker beats used in the past tracks. This one, like “Sober” show’s Kelly’s sensitivity, and is her at a more vulnerable point so far on this album. So basically, think of yourself lying on a beach and only hearing the waves well and this song going a long with the waves, yeah I know, great mental picture :D

And the album is getting better with the next track, “Maybe”,  using just an acoustic guitar throughout most of the song. The lyrics are also more catchy compared to some of the previous tracks.

The next three tracks, “How I Feel”, “Yeah”, and “Can I Have A Kiss”, are all back to kicking up the tempo again. The good thing about all three is they have less of a rock feel and more pop this time, giving some of Kelly’s fans whole like pop more enjoy these ones. “Yeah” also has a couple jazz influences making it a good track off the album.

And here comes “Irvine”, one of the most darkest and coincidentally one of the best of the tracks on this album. Kelly had written the song after performing one night in a bathroom after she had canceled a meet and greet from being so worn out. Another “coincidence” is that the track sounds like Kelly is recording it in a bathroom, giving it an even darker appeal to the already dark lyrics.

Now you’re thinking that’s it? Oh no, there’s one more hidden track after “Irvine” called “Chivas”. Surprising, for a hidden track, it’s good. Like “Maybe” it has an acoustic guitar used, and unlike “Maybe” the guitar is the only instrument used through the whole song, making it a great listen.

So why My December wasn’t the most entertaining album of 2007, it sure wasn’t unsatisfying.  The true crime here was radio not embracing some of the truly good songs on this record. Another good thing about the album, is that it is told as a story unlike Clarkson’s previous albums, and this of course has more artistic input. It wasn’t Kelly at her best, but it was definitely her at her most honest and a step in the right direction.

B