| KELLY CLARKSON - All I Ever Wanted |
| Written by Sarah Mudgway | ||
| Wednesday, 17 June 2009 21:57 | ||
‘All I Ever Wanted’ is not a surprising release. It’s typical Kelly Clarkson – powerful vocals, polished guitar driven pop-rock with the recurring theme of boys, love, loss and heartache. You know what you’re getting with this release… nothing more, nothing less. Opening track and first single - ‘My Life Would Suck Without You’ - kicks the album off with a quick paced pop track, which wouldn’t go amiss on a dancefloor. It’s catchy as all hell with the almost anthemic cry of ‘My life would suck without you’ during the chorus. A line, I’m sure a lot of her target audience can relate to in some way. This track has been one of Clarkson’s most successful singles to date, breaking a Hot 100 record for largest leap to number one in chart history. It also went straight to Number One in the UK, making her the first American Idol contestant to crack the UK market. Co-written by Max Martin and Dr. Luke (the lyricists behind Katy Perry’s 'I Kissed a Girl' and Britney Spears’ 'If U Seek Amy'), the track is reminiscent of Clarksons previous single, 'Since U Been Gone'. ‘I Do Not Hookup’ continues in the same vein as the opening track, with its guitar driven power-pop. The track itself was written by fellow pop-Queen Katy Perry and the latest 'American Idol' judge and song-writing superstar; Kara DioGuardi, which undoubtedly influenced the success of the song as the second single. ‘Cry’ breaks away from the fast paced album as a subtle, yet powerful third track. Clarkson’s impressive vocal range, and her ability to connect to the listener through song is showcased in this refreshing track which has a slight country-esque feel. The addition of some accompanying strings in the background adds to the power of the song, however Clarkson's greatest asset is her voice. The strength of the first few tracks unfortunately, does not continue through the rest of the album. Songs with weaker lyrics such as 'Impossible' could easily be dismissed had it been performed by any other artist. Written by OneRepublic frontman (who is also the albums co-producer) Ryan Tedder, the overly soppy and emotional lyrics fail to grab attention – “can’t tell the wind to say, won’t matter anyway…” however the strength of Clarkson's vocals are able to pull an otherwise lacklustre track into something listen-able. If you want almost an hour of polished girly pop-rock about love, loss and of course boys, 'All I Ever Wanted' is the perfect album. Clarkson hasn’t paved the way for a new era of music, nor has she stepped outside of the realm of her previous releases, however she has stayed true to herself and her style, and truthfulness in pop music is a blessing. |
