An Introduction: Those who think Kelly Clarkson did not come back strong with her new release are clearly mistaken. The pronounced 'Queen Of Pop/Rock' has done it once again, delivering a handful of lovely, charming tunes and tracks, some fast paced that we all expect from her, and some other slower power ballads that we have all grown to love. The
'Breakaway' Star, coming of her previous success from her 4th album, titled
'All I Ever Wanted', had went in to a more deeper side of pop music than her previous attempt, and through that, created another, if not more, refreshing sound for this album. All in all, this is an amazing return for Kelly, and it is definitely a ballot that I strongly assume will make the nominations poll for the Grammy’s. First off, below is a track-by-track review.
“Mr. Know It All” – The title song, lead single from
‘Stronger’,
‘Mr. Know It All’ is, although not being a power house club song, had that hint of greatness that will all expect from Kelly. Starting this era with such a slow paced song seemed to resemble the
‘Breakaway’ era, in which the lead single was
‘Breakaway’, an equally slow paced, mid-tempo track that although was not especially favored, was a good entry to the era. Of course,
‘Breakaway’ would be followed up with two strong, fast songs as singles later on. Hopefully this era manages to match the success of
‘Breakaway’. |
9/10
“What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)” – This, having leaked earlier this year with some other songs that had made the album as well, is clearly one of the best tracks. Rumors are circulating that this will be the 2nd single from this album, and it is already in the stages of being sent to airwaves. Clearly the early fan-favorite,
‘Stronger’ was the inspiration to the album title, and being so, is a strong confidence anthem that I sure to be heard in clubs soon enough. |
10/10
“Dark Side” – Another early leak,
'Dark Side' was not a surprise to many of the fans. The song, being ranked second among the leaks by a majority of fans, had been more refined and had been produced even better in the final version of the song. Another cannot-miss track,
'Dark Side' is definitely another summer or spring anthem that I would expect to grace the stages and radio air waves soon. The song is rather ‘dark’ ironically; and is about embracing the ‘dark side’ of you. |
9/10
“Honestly” – This is one of the tracks that had not leaked early on, and was quite well-praised by many when it was first heard. A demo, by Adam Lambert had leaked online quite some time ago, and through confirmation that Kelly was singing the song, many had said that is would fit her voice, and it has. Although it is not a favorite of mine, it can be considered a gem of the album, and sadly, I do not expect it to be a single, its not bad, but because there are a lot more favorable tracks on the album that would do much better as a single that
‘Honestly’ |
8/10
“You Love Me” – When I first heard Kelly confirm the title of this song for her album in one of her pre-release radio interviews, I expected this to be the new title of
‘Dark Side’ because of the line “Everybody’s got a Dark Side, Do you love me, Can you love mine?” in
‘Dark Side’. However, I find myself enjoying this song infinitely more than Dark Side. This song, I am happy to say, is in the TOP 3 favorites for me in this album, and it also seems to be Kelly’s favorite recorded track. This song about heartbreak is intense with its clear, heartbreaking lyrics, and I hope her record label lets her release this song soon or later. |
10+/10
“Einstein” – Track 6. I’m almost halfway. And boy, do I have some words for this song. When I heard the 15 second snippet of the demo, I was amazed. I loved it, and I couldn’t wait to hear it in full. My wish happened, yet, with a twist, The Demo sounded nothing like the snippet. The snippet contained the only acceptable 15 seconds in the whole track, and the lyrics, being cheesy and all never managed to grasp my attention, the final version, although was a step better than the demo, still had the cheesy lyrics, and failed to please me. This is probably my least favorite on the album. I will skip this on my album plays every time I listen to the album, sadly. No single, please. |
6/10
“Standing In Front Of You” – My Top 2. I can’t choose between this and another track that I will review later, but this is one of my favorites, if not THE favorite. I never heard the demo of this song, but when I heard the final version, I was amazed. It is, after all a ballad, and not everyone’s cup of tea, but whenever I hear this track, it never ceases to amaze me. When the demo leaked and when the track listing was revealed, I always heard the fans saying that she should not have put
'Standing in Front Of You', and after hearing this comments, I had a low expectation of it. The song however is amazing to me. The chorus is everything. I don’t think this will be a single, but I’m perfectly happy with this being a personal favorite that I will keep close to my heart. |
10+/10
“I Forgive You” – This is another of the early leaks. When it did [leak], I ranked this as 3rd on my list, after
'What Doesn’t Kill You' and
'Dark Side'. This track, however, failed to amaze me in its entirety and final version. It is good, yes, but not the best. And maybe it’s because I had listened this song for quite a while now, it may have gotten boring. Many people expect this to be a single. I don’t. Its fine a album track, and it could qualify as a promotional single, which I thought Kelly should have done, but definitely not ‘single material’ all in all, it’s ok. |
8/10
“Hello” – A typical, funny party track,
'Hello' is another highlight on this album. It’s infectious tune and cool, poisonous chorus is something you would want to hear again and again. I’d prefer this over
'I Forgive You' or
'Einstein' as a single any day, but there are still a few better options. I can’t deny that this is a good summer song though, and if Kelly decides to stretch the era to its fullest, this could be the closer. I would love to see a music video for this song as well. It’s underrated, and knowingly so, but it does deserve more merit, because it is a good song. |
8/10
“The War Is Over” – This and
'Standing In Front Of You' are my tied favorites in this album. This obviously shows you that I am more of the mid-tempo, slow paced song lover, and although I love faced paced party songs, these types of songs appeal to me more. And
‘The War Is Over’ is a perfect example. The bridge is to die for, and the lyrics, although not the best are good, and the chorus is amazing as well. I simply have no words for this. It was claimed to be “Grammy Award Winning Material” by its producer, and now I believe it. It DOES have the qualities, and this title of the song is beyond epic as well. I expect this to be released at some point, maybe as the 3rd or 4th single, with
'Standing In Front Of You' also fighting for one of those slots. I think Kelly should go with the same single plan as
'Breakaway'. All in all, this is the best song. |
10+/10
“Let Me Down” – Finally. 3 tracks to go. This was rumored to be the lead and first single a while back, and sadly was cancelled, either because a) it leaked early and was already being played by radio stations, or b) because it was never planned for release. The leak sounded good, and the final version does as well, but it is not the best on the album for me. However, I must admit it is a good track and totally deserves to be on the track listing. Many want this to be a single, and I’m fine with that, as long as it fights against ‘Hello’ for that 5th or closing single slot. It does have a good chorus, and is claimed to be ‘pop perfection’. It’s not the best choice, though. |
8/10
“You Can’t Win” – The penultimate song in the album,
'You Can’t Win' is another of the early leakers. It was never that good to me when it leaked early, but I really like it now, and I will root for it to be a final single choice. It is good, and sounds like a song that would have fit in perfectly with
'All I Ever Wanted' but it’s still a great song. The notes do get to quite a high, and I like it. Do I want it to be either the 3rd or 4th single? No. But I definitely want it to be released at SOME POINT. It’s good, and joyful. A good summer tune, and I find this and
‘Hello’ similar. |
8/10
“Breaking Your Own Heart” – There, The final track. I’m almost done. '
Breaking Your Own Heart' is a true ballad, and although it leaked a while ago as a demo, I still manage to listen to it well. It’s good, and will remain a hidden jewel as far as I’m concerned, especially because I don’t expect RCA to release something as risky as this, since they are afraid of failure. It’s a good song, but not single material and I do love it, but it’s not radio quality, it is a perfect ending to the album, though. |
9/10
113[+x3]/130: 87% [BONUS: 3] = 90% | 90%/100% = A
--------------------I have decide to
NOT TO review the
DELUXE EDITION TRACKS-------------------------
Final Conclusion: This album is a break-up themed, heartbreak themed album, and there are a variety of excellent songs. All together, I think this is Kelly’s most consistent album. Maybe not the best, I consider it in line with
‘Breakaway’ in first place, but it is the most consistent, since all the songs in the album are of good quality, and there is no ‘especially horrible’ and ‘extremely good’ contrast. However, there are many excellent songs in this attempt. Overall, as a album, it’s a good consolidation and a great comeback (if she was ever gone).
Final Complete Album Rating: 5/5
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My Single Preferences-----------------------------------------------
Chosen and Predicted Route:
1. “Mr. Know It All” [CHOSEN]
2. “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)
3. “Dark Side”
4. “You Love Me”
5. “Let Me Down”
My Personal Preferences:
1. “You Love Me”
2. “The War Is Over”
3. “Standing In Front Of You”
4. “What Doesn’t Kill You
5. “Dark Side”
