Kelly Clarkson - My December Review
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 06.26.2007
Why’s Kelly Clarkson so pissed off?
My Story
This year was the first time I’d endured a full season of “American Idol” since the show premiered. Like many other TV viewers, I always enjoyed the first rounds as losers and assholes were put in their place by the acid-tongued Simon Cowell, seeing their dreams crushed before my very eyes. But once the contest proper kicked in, I just couldn’t enjoy the cookie-cutter karaoke that was the standard of being put down. This year, however, there were some great singers in the competition, making things much more interesting. It took me back to the first season, the year I fell in love with the show for a brief few months. The big reason then? Ms. Kelly Clarkson.
Since winning “American Idol”, Kelly has managed to cultivate an audience much bigger than you would expect. She’s big with teens and “A.I.” viewers, of course, but she’s also hip and has a knack for wowing the “in-crowd”. This is in part thanks to the chances she took on her second album, moving in a more explosive direction than radio pop. Turns out that was just the beginning of the Kelly Clarkson artistic evolution. What will album number three bring us?
Her Story
Kelly Clarkson was born in 1982 and grew up in Burleson, a small east Texas town that only legalized the sale of alcohol in 2006. She got her start singing while still in middles school, where she was already a notable local vocalist thanks to school plays. Clarkson graduated in 2000 and began working in earnest on making in the music industry. She put together a demo tape and eventually moved to, where else, Hollywood.
While in California, Clarkson worked several jobs hoping to get noticed, doing advertising work, appearing on TV as an extra and recording demos for notable 60’s songwriter Gerry Goffin, who was famous for songs like “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” by The Shirelles. After a few months, Clarkson began to get discouraged at the slow going. Goffin got sick, causing Clarkson to lose a mentor and a paycheck. Not long later, Kelly’s apartment caught fire and burned down. She headed back to Texas and began working more jobs hoping to be discovered.
In 2002, Clarkson decided to give a shot at a new reality TV show. “American Idol” was holding auditions in nearby Dallas. The purpose of the show was to find the next big American pop star. The winner would receive a million dollars and a recording contract. Clarkson’s auditions were a hit. She impressed the three judges with renditions of Madonna’s “Express Yourself” and Etta James’ “At Last”. Out of the 10,000 people to audition, Clarkson was chosen to be in the Top 30. From that point, she saw considerable TV time and “American Idol” became a runaway hit on the FOX television network. Clarkson endeared herself to the viewing audience with a reputation as a great singer and a likeable, humble girl next door. Her performances of classic like Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” and Celine Dion’s “Think Twice” brought her millions of votes every week.
On September 4th, 2002, Kelly Clarkson became the first winner of “American Idol”. Her first single, “A Moment Like This” (a song written specifically for the “A.I.” winner) was released the next month and it became one of the fastest rising #1 singles of all time. It was certified gold. While working on her first album, Clarkson was involved in two “American Idol” tours, which featured other finalists from the show. She also appeared in the “A.I.” themed movie From Justin To Kelly, which co-starred runner-up Justin Guarini. One of “A.I.” and Clarkson’s rare promotional missteps, that movie only grossed around $5 million, making it a huge bomb.
Still, there was reason to celebrate. In April of 2003 (coinciding with the beginning of “American Idol”’s second season), Clarkson’s debut album, Thankful, was released on RCA Records. It debuted at #1. The album’s second single, “Miss Independent” (a throwaway cut by Christina Aguilera) was another Top 10 hit. Though Thankful managed to reach platinum certification, further singles failed to chart. Clarkson blamed the album’s lack of longevity on poor management and took the opportunity to part ways with her manager, “A.I.” creator Simon Fuller.
Clarkson decided to change things up for her second album. By 2004, she had nearly shed herself completely of “American Idol” and it’s pop leanings and began writing songs and choosing tracks with more of a rock bent. The gamble paid off. Clarkson’s sophomore effort, Breakaway, debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts in November of 2004. It caught fire instantly, broadening Clarkson’s audience with positive reviews and an image that some viewed as slightly rebellious against the “Idol” machine. Breakway produced 5 Top 12 hits, including the gold single “Because Of You” and the #2 “Since U Been Gone”. The album was eventually certified 5x platinum and is only the fourth record in history to remain in the Billboard Top 20 for 52 consecutive weeks. It won a Grammy for best Pop Vocal Album in 2005.
In 2006, following a long world tour, Clarkson began writing and recording songs for her third album. As the disc was finishing up, it began making news due to tension between Clarkson and her label (especially head Clive Davis) who didn’t feel the set was commercial enough. Eventually Clarkson won out and was allowed to release the album as she wanted, though the problems yielded tensions among Clarkson and the industry. The first single, “Never Again”, was released in April and peaked at #8. The album’s latest single is called “Sober”. Both singles, as well as every song on the record, were co-written by Kelly Clarkson.
In mid-June, just before the album’s release, Clarkson was forced to cancel her summer tour due to poor ticket sales. She also parted ways with her latest management team.
The Album
On June 26, 2007, RCA Records released My December, the third album by Kelly Clarkson and the follow-up to the multi-platinum Breakaway. The CD contains the hidden track “Chivas”. The iTunes digital version of the album includes the bonus tracks “Dirty Little Secret”, “Never Again (Dave Aude Remix)”, “Never Again (Dave Aude Club Mix)” and “Not Today”, which was only available via pre-order.
The Band: 7.0
Kelly Clarkson: vocals
Nobody can say that Kelly Clarkson isn’t a good singer. And she lays it down again here, with flashes of vocal brilliance on cuts like “One Minute”, “How I Feel” and the sexy “Yeah”. On My December, Clarkson stretches her legs out even further into the rock domain, trying on the shoes of everyone from the hard rock of Evanescence to the middle finger pop of Pink. The results, though, aren’t near as good as they should be. My December is a bold move, no doubt, but it lacks the big hooks that are essential to any commercially successful album – pop, rock or otherwise. As Clarkson moves away further from her “American Idol” image, she seems to unwisely also move away from what the American people want. And that’s fine, as long as you don’t care about selling records. But what good is pop music if you don’t like it?
The production is also of two minds on this album. On the one hand, it’s top notch. It’s just as polished as anything on , and maybe that’s the problem. By bringing in the likes of folks like Minutemen/fIREHOSE/Stooges bassist Mike Watt, Clarkson tried desperately to boost her street cred above that of pop junkie hipsters and into the minds of serious rockers. But you just can’t have a polished-to-a-shine rock album and call it cool. Just ask Kurt Cobain. And instead of getting rid of the sheen, Clarkson and company have gotten rid of the meat: the big hooks, the big vocals. They’ve lost sight of the forest for the trees. It’s a mistake that will hopefully be learned from in the future.
The Songs: 6.0
1. Never Again
2. One Minute
3. Hole
4. Sober
5. Don’t Waste Your Time
6. Judas
7. Haunted
8. Be Still
9. Maybe
10. How I Feel
11. Yeah
12. Can I Have A Kiss
13. Irvine
Fuck it, I’m just gonna lay it down for you right here: if you’re a girl and you’ve recently broken up with someone AND you enjoy the lighter side of rock music, this album is just for you. Take it to your bedroom, crank it up on your iPod, text message your friends about how low you are, tell your Facebook pals how great it is and DON’T FORGET TO WRITE IN YOUR DIARY!
If none of these activities appeal to you, I don’t foresee you enjoying this album. Kelly Clarkson wanted to take control of the songs here, but her vision just isn’t broad enough to hit a wide audience. Her boyfriend broke up with her and she’s sad. And that’s the attitude that permeates this album. It’s a single-mindedness that will drive those with hopes for Clarkson crazy. Somehow, Kelly Clarkson missed the point of a Kelly Clarkson record.
I’m not saying this doesn’t make for some interesting songs, but it’s all so personal and therapeutic that it’s impossible to enjoy for the most part. Sure, tracks like the hopeless, last-ditch “Can I Have A Kiss” and the gorgeous acoustic “Irvine” are well-written, but it takes a strong album to hold dark tracks like this up. My December, with it’s never-ending self absorption and pity party is not that album.
The 411: Listening to My December is like listening to that self-absorbed girl who calls you and talks for hours about her everyday dramas. Sure, there are moments when you think you might get some (“Can I Have A Kiss”, “Yeah”, “Never Again”), but they’re too fleeting as the chick moves from one “Can you believe this, poor me” moment to the next. When you finally get tired of the whole situation and change your cell number, you’re left with little more than frustration and enormous clarity that you’ll never understand girls. Clarkson takes some major chances here and fails in nearly every regard, unless her goal was to just make an album that appealed to her and her only. Hopefully she’ll learn from this mistake and come back strong for album #4, but only hardcore fans are gonna be able to enjoy more than a couple spins of this one.
