In a time when it is hard to find a pop album that isn’t auto-tuned to death, Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger is a welcome change.
Clarkson is a vocal powerhouse who could sing items off a grocery list and sound phenomenal. So it isn’t surprising the first “American Idol” winner’s voice is flawless on her fifth studio album.
Clarkson traded in much of the electro-pop that was found on her last album, 2009’s All I Ever Wanted, for an edgier, slightly more urban sound. Stronger still works as a dance album even though Clarkson scaled back the synthesizer and added some more electric guitar riffs.
Stronger doesn’t exactly have the strongest opening, though. The album’s first single and track “Mr. Know It All” is a bit more generic than the rest of the album. Clarkson is feisty, and most of the album displays her sass and tough cookie attitude.
“You Can’t Win” is one of the best tracks, but for some reason it was put towards the end of the album. It has the fury and vigor that Clarkson has pretty much perfected ever since “Since U Been Gone” and deals with the feeling of never being good enough as when Clarkson sings, “If it’s wrong…you’re nailing it/If it’s right…you always miss.”
“I Forgive You” is a fantastic track that opens boldly with the lines “I forgive you, I forgive me/Now when do I start to feel again.” The song deals with the frustration of getting over a relationship and attempting to move on.
“Dark Side” is a vulnerable tune that has Clarkson questioning if the person she loves will love all her bad qualities, as with the lyric, “If I show it to you now/Will it make you run away/Or will you stay even if it hurts.”
That isn’t to say that all of the lyrics are smart. “Einstein,” ironically, has some of the most idiotic lyrics. It is a catchy, fun track about Clarkson ending a bad relationship with a guy who believes she is naïve. The math analogy seems a little silly in the beginning, but it gets even worse when the chorus ends with “dumb plus dumb equals you.” Really?
There are four songwriters credited for the track (Toby Gab, Bridget Kelly, and James Fauntleroy with Clarkson), and not one of them could come up with anything slightly more articulate?
Two of the three ballads on the album feel a bit forced. “Standing in Front of You” and “Breaking Your Own Heart” seem like they were only on the album because there has to be a couple of ballads to break up the flow of the album a little bit.
Clarkson spends most of the album frustrated and angry, and it feels awkward listening to her tell a lover, “I’ll be here in the morning,” in between tracks about breaking up and moving on.
“Honestly” is the only ballad that feels, for lack of better term, honest. Clarkson belts, “You can judge me, love me/If you’re hating me, do it honestly.” She finds a classy way to tell people that it’s fine if they hate her, but asks them not to pretend they like her.
The deluxe version includes four bonus tracks. Jason Aldean’s “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” which Clarkson is featured on, and a duet with “American Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi called “Sun Will Rise.” Both are country tunes, but only one of them is worth listening to.
Aldean’s heartbreaking duet already proved to be a hit this summer, but the duet with DioGuardi doesn’t have the same potential. It’s a pop song, but every time DioGuardi’s voice comes on, a banjo starts up and suddenly it’s a country song. The two genres can be combined well (just ask Taylor Swift), but here it feels forced.
The two other bonus tracks are “Alone,” about distance in a relationship, and “Don’t Be a Girl About It,” where Clarkson asks her boyfriend to stop being such a “girl.”
The latter probably didn’t make the regular version of the album because, although it’s a good song, it heavily promotes gender stereotypes. The former though is probably one of the best tracks, and it’s confusing as to why it wasn’t included on the regular version.
In the end, it’s Kelly Clarkson with a typical album filled with songs about breaking up, moving on and coming out of a bad relationship stronger than ever (hence the title).
It’s not an ingenious, ground breaking, innovative album, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be a good listen.
PHOTO COURTESY of kellyclarkson.com
