Kelly Clarkson ‘Stronger’- 3 stars ***
A couple of weeks ago saw the release of Kelly Clarkson’s latest studio album, entitled ‘Stronger’. The 29 year old from Texas shot to fame after winning American Idol in 2002, and is easily the most successful act to emerge from the show. Best known for hits such as ‘Miss Independent’, ‘Since U Been Gone’, and her first UK number one, ‘My Life Would Suck Without You’, she has won two Grammys, three MTV Video Music Awards and a Women’s World Award given to females who have ‘influenced the world by their work in areas such as society or politics’.
‘Stronger’ is the artist’s fifth album, and according to her, was the best to record as, ‘everything was really fluid, and everyone agreed on it’. It is also her first concept album; placing a heavy focus on ‘strength and empowerment’, hence the title that she decided upon. Despite starting to write it in November 2009, the album’s debut was put back twice, until it was finally released on October 24th.
The record was produced with the aim of sounding as close to Clarkson’s live performances as possible, and therefore Auto-tune was used sparingly. Rather than showing the cracks in her singing, this decision does her powerful voice massive justice, even on the less ballsy tracks such as ‘Standing In Front Of You’ which has a quieter, ballad-esque feel. This won her serious points from me as it shows that she does possess a very natural talent, a revelation when considering that her rock/ pop sound is often compared with the likes of P!nk and Avril Lavigne.
There are thirteen tracks on the album, and although a few sound quite similar, it is easy to pick out the most successful. ‘Einstein’ is my personal favourite as it is quintessentially Clarkson, issuing a clear message with a punchy beat, and the same goes for ‘Hello’. I think the song from which the album takes its name ‘What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)’ could do well if released, as it has a strong dance inspired chorus, and America’s Entertainment Weekly calls the track ‘a throbbing glitter disco tribute’.
The album’s release comes after the first single ‘Mr. Know It All’ was made available on September 5th and reached number six in the UK chart. ‘Stronger’ wasn’t any serious contender for the number one album spot (after all, Coldplay’s ‘Mylo Xyloto’ came out the same week) but it is not one to be relegated to the bargain bucket just yet.
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