Kelly Clarkson: Stronger

For the past four albums, Kelly Clarkson has gained a reputation for her strong, assertive songs that colour her work with a tongue-in-cheek confidence, including hits like ‘Since You Been Gone’ and ‘Don’t Waste Your Time’. She takes speaking her mind to a whole new level with her new album, Stronger.

Clarkson’s latest release has seen her gradually leaving the ballads that have dominated her last few years. She doesn’t waste time either; starting her new thirteen-song record with the single ‘Mr. Know It All’; an assertive song, both lyrically and instrumentally, about the dangers of judging a book by its cover. Then she’s back in her comfort zone in ‘What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)’; a track that could readily be a dance floor filler with its steady dance beat and vocally dramatic chorus.  It’s an arrangement and sound that works well for her sweeping vocals throughout the album.

From the first listen, it seems that Clarkson’s overbearing ‘girl-power’ is either punishing someone or a self-confidence boost, making Stronger come off somewhat too strong, and even overwhelming at times. Stronger may induce a feeling of déjà vu with those who have followed her since she won the first American Idol in 2002, but it is much more energetic and dynamic version of classic American pop.

The album takes a break after ‘Einstein’ where mathematic innuendoes result in the formula 'Dumb plus dumb equals you', to the softer optimistic ‘Standing In Front of You’ before she takes a jab at the judgmental nature of society in ‘You Can’t Win’ with clever lyrics against a pop-rock jam.

Though there isn’t anything new offered on this album, Clarkson’s trademark affirmative and inoffensive style of pop is all over Stronger. The resemblance between this album and successful 2004 album Breakaway is obvious and maybe that’s the key to its inevitable success. In a time when female pop singers are becoming increasingly experimental, Clarkson has continued to release pure old-school pop.