Daytripper

Although the single wasn't a "smash" like the songs off her last album, it did pretty well on the charts. Debuted in the Top 10, dropped a few notches, re-entered the top 10, and is dropping again. Not a total disaster...is it?

About her album, Perez Hilton has been ripping her to shreds. Kind of like he did with Avril. And her album (and first single) has done quite well despite Perez's hatred for her. Blender magazine gave Kelly's new album four stars and said it was her best, and most mature album, yet.

big whoppa

The single rising back into the top 10 must have had to do with her appearances on Idol again. I don't really care for any songs on Breakaway though the remixed "Behind These Hazel Eyes" isn't too bad. The new single I found to be a bore.

PerryD

Reading this, I'm curious why you even clicked into this thread?

big whoppa

Why? Because you're only interested in reading positive opinions? In that case, Kelly Clarkson, oh my!!

PerryD

Since you didn't answer my question, I'll answer yours.

It's a pet peeve of mine that people that have no interest in the topic at hand (in this case, details about a summer tour), yet feel the need to post in the thread about how they don't care for said artist.

Yes, this is a discussion forum, and people can say whatever they want, but you clearly aren't a fan, but still wanted to let people know your opinion. That part, I don't understand. Should I post in every rap/hip-hop thread that I don't like the artist being discussed?

Obviously, my complaint mostly pertains to the DVD side of the forum, where, say, a new special edition of a movie will be announced, yet half the posts are people sayings "Why bother? The movie sucked!".

onebyone

The songs I have heard off her new cd are just great. Sober and Maybe just blew me away, really. I don't really understand all the controversy. I hope it does well and she comes back and tours near me.

kjn6371

Agree with onebyone about Sober & Maybe being great tracks. The albums a grower compared to Breakaway.

PerryD

The album can be heard on MTV's site:
http://www.mtv.com/music/the_leak/ke...n/my_december/

Doesn't look like "Go" (from the Ford commercials) is included on this album? Odd since she sang the song on the last tour.

Howiefan

Go was just a B-Side from the Breakaway era. She did a couple of songs on tour that didn't make the new album, only two did ('Maybe' and 'Yeah').

big whoppa

But it was more than saying Kelly Clarkson sucks which I did not. That would be a thread crap. And I do not post in every pop thread that such and such sucks either so I don't get the comparison. I did say I liked one single from the album but you chose to ignore that fact or the reason why her latest single had rebounded to the top 10 of Billboard.

If such a small thing bothers you than that is your problem, not mine.

PerryD

No problem. Like I said, if there is a thread about a new special edition of a movie, or a thread about a new summer tour of an artist, I just cannot fathom clicking into the thread if I wasn't interested in that movie or artist, especially to say that I didn't care for that movie or artist.

DVD Josh

I listened to it twice last night and enjoyed the second listen far more than the first. Never Again and Judas are probably my favorite tracks, and I'm digging Maybe and Sober as well.

But there are some spectacular turds on the album as well. There's a rumor that Clive Davis offered her $5m to put 5 songs written by the Breakaway team on the record, and I can promise you they were probably better than what she selected from her own writings.

I respect her decision to be her own artist, but it's clear that she's not the strongest songwriter. Girl can sing like nobody's business though, and she's sultry.

I give the album a B-, or 3.5/5

nateman

It's not nearly as bad as people coming into a thread & don't talk about the topic one bit (not even say "It sucks") but instead correcting someone's spelling & telling them that they are "Marching Morons" and basically calling you a a fucking idiot because you don't sit there for an hour making sure every single word is spelled correctly & the grammar is spot on.
Snobs.
Who the fuck cares what Perez Hilton thinks about Kelly's new album? He is truly the most annoying person on the planet next to Paris Hilton.

Daytripper

Make no mistake, I loathe that fat disgusting pig. Just saying he's making a career trying to sabotage Kelly's new album.

nateman

I know what your saying, No worries. I'm just amazed at how anyone (not talking bout you) cares about his opinion.
When I flick channels on the TV sometimes I go past Muchmusic & he's on there sometimes & I just wonder-'Why?

johnnysd

I just listened to the album and I can see the controversy. I actually think it is quite good and edgy, and liked a few songs quite a bit. It is not howver, very "pop" sounding (which is good to me) and the songs are not particularly catchy. It is a solid effort and I suspect will get her some new fans, ostrasize some old ones, but ultimately be a pretty succesfull album.

Daytripper

EW review of new album:

Are you on Team Kelly or Team Clive? It seems like everybody chose sides before even hearing My December, Kelly Clarkson's darker, more personal, riskier third CD. There are those who see her as a bird escaping a gilded cage, co-writing her entire album and bravely forsaking the hitmakers Clive Davis assigned to 2004's five-times-platinum Breakaway. Others view Clarkson as a spoiled brat, so impressed by her success that she's telling the industry's most established father figure to take a hike.

Recent management changes and her canceled tour have furthered the assumption that December must be a train wreck. It's not. There's real artistry blossoming on this, the boldest and best effort ever by an Idol star.

That's not to say that Davis was off his rocker when he purportedly didn't hear a hit, because the disc does lack even half as obvious a smash as ''Since U Been Gone.'' There was subversive fun to be had in witnessing America's sweetheart using ''Never Again,'' the he-done-me-wrong first single, to reinvent herself as a banshee (wishing gangrene on an enemy, no less). But she's not playing to her strengths when paying pissy homage to Jagged Little Pill, even if she is channeling Alanis Morissette by way of the octave-spanning Pat Benatar.

Where Clarkson hits us with her best shot is in the confessionals in which she ditches the blame game and draws her own blood. She's not as close to catching up with her songwriting idol, Patty Griffin, as she is to her belter heroine, Benatar. Nonetheless, Clarkson's most vulnerable moments are accomplished and affecting — from the frisky pleadings of ''Can I Have a Kiss'' to the near-suicidal despair of ''Irvine.'' If you ever wondered what Sarah McLachlan would sound like with an extra set of lungs, check out ''Maybe''; it's a great slow build of a ballad in which Clarkson fantasizes about how the guy who got away would really understand her, if only she had another chance. The sentiment reeks of desperation, but with vocal willpower this indomitable, you're surprised her ex hasn't been sucked into the studio by song's end.

But just when you think Miss Independent has morphed into Miss Misery, Clarkson unleashes some lighter pleasures that (take note, Team Clive!) would make dandy warm-weather singles — much more than ''Never Again'' or ''Sober,'' the moody second release. ''One Minute'' percolates with electro-pop energy; ''How I Feel'' is a one-woman new-wave revival; and the funk-rock ''Yeah'' suggests that she's an R&B sex bomb waiting to happen. Still, basking in the winter of My December's greater discontent isn't such a bad way to chill this summer, either. B+

DeltaSigChi4

Who is Perez Hilton??

E

Daytripper

Gossip columnist. He's a total disgusting piece of shit.

www.perezhilton.com

Howiefan

Album is out today. I still think it's her best album yet.

William Fuld

Her episode of Crossroads with Reba McEntire is worth watching. It's on CMT various times this week.

dolphinboy

I totally agree with you. Good for her for taking a stand to put out the album that she wanted to. I had my doubts about her decision, listening to all the gossip, but I like her even more after hearing this record.

I haven't seen a lot of reviews, but I found 3 so far online and they were VERY positive.

When she does tour, we'll be going for sure.

dolphinboy

Additional reviews:

http://top40.about.com/od/albums/fr/mydecember.htm

Kelly Clarkson - My December
From Bill Lamb,
Your Guide to Top 40 / Pop.

Kelly Was Right
Guide Rating - 4 1/2 out of 5 stars


Kelly Clarkson's third solo album My December is a celebration of what can happen when a top pop artist demands creative freedom. The album crackles with artistic commitment to the songs at hand. Clarkson has never been in better voice than she is here. The majority of the songs speak of pain, anger, and self-doubt, but Kelly Clarkson also provides enough hopeful material to point to an emotionally brighter future.

An Edgy Distillation of Clarkson's Talents

Despite all of the speculative press coverage of music going off the deep end, dedicated Kelly Clarkson fans should not fear My December. The 2 best songs from her album Breakaway, the rocking "Since U Been Gone" and painful ballad "Because of You," are ample preparation for the new album's material. However, there is an energy and fire here not yet seen from Kelly Clarkson on record. A significant amount of credit for the new sound must be given to veteran producer David Kahne who has also given new life to Paul McCartney's music on the current album Memory Almost Full.

My December kicks off with the single "Never Again" which sounds almost like a powerful sequel to the sentiments of "Since U Been Gone." The intensity fails to let up through the 80's style pop-rock energy of "One Minute" and the slightly psychedelic-influenced rock of "Hole." A bit further on in the album, the ghost of "Because of You" is conjured up for the voices of "Haunted."

Melody Is Not Left Behind

With all of the reports of concern from record company executives like Clive Davis that My December would be lacking in guaranteed hits, some Clarkson followers feared that melody may be left behind in favor of noise and intensity. Those concerns can be laid to rest. The melodic "Be Still" is one of the most gorgeous ballads Kelly Clarkson has yet recorded. The poppy chorus of "Don't Waste Your Time" will have listeners signing along in no time, and, despite the power, "Never Again" is irresistibly catchy.

Top Tracks on My December

Never Again
Hole
Sober
Haunted
Be Still
Irvine

The Introduction of Kelly Clarkson, the Artist

It took 3 albums, but it appears that we've finally been introduced to Kelly Clarkson, the artist. The influence of the venom in Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill is obvious. However, it also sounds like Clarkson has internalized the pure beauty of Sarah McLachlan's voice on the gorgeous "Be Still." In the quieter moments of her singing, Kelly Clarkson raises goosebumps.

In interviews, Clarkson spoke of the importance of telling a story through the course of an album. My December tells a story of anger, pain, and isolation, but it also tells about possible paths out of that pit. "Maybe" poignantly states "I won't stop, 'cause I believe." By the time the album closes with the riveting questioning of God on "Irvine," you certainly will not want Kelly Clarkson to stop either...and you will believe.



http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/m...ew.asp?ID=1142

Kelly Clarkson
My December
by Sal Cinquemani
Posted: June 14, 2007


In response to rumors that label boss Clive Davis didn't want to release My December because he deemed it too "negative" and reportedly offered her $10 million to scrap some of the songs, Kelly Clarkson told Entertainment Weekly: "It's not Metallica." Hell, it's not even Evanescence. The press about the album, not to mention fans' hysterical, hypercritical reaction to its lead single, "Never Again," which is a slightly harder, slightly less immediate version of almost every song on Breakaway, would have us believe that My December is some radical departure for Clarkson, but it's really just a logical progression—if not exactly a refinement—of the fingerless-gloved rock-chick persona the singer has created for herself in the years since her crowning as the premier American Idol.

Complicating matters, of course, is the fact that Clarkson cancelled her arena tour due to poor ticket sales and ditched her manager just two weeks before the album's release (which will only fuel rumors of internal turmoil surrounding the project), and "Never Again" is under-performing on the charts—as if anything that followed the monster smash that was Breakaway could have lived up to that album's of-the-moment success. The single is being quickly followed-up with the even slower-burning ballad "Sober." But who cares about hits—or appeasing the kids—when the songs are this good? "Irvine" is like Radiohead's "Exit Music (For A Film)" as performed by Sheryl Crow, a hauntingly personal account of post-performance despondency that likely gave Clive pause: "Why can't you just take me?/I don't have much to go/Before I fade completely." It's not so much the letter-to-God lyrics but the disturbing way America's girl-next-door sings them that will raise eyebrows.

Like Breakaway, My December's rockers have a tendency to sound same-y, with hushed cautionary intros and lower-register verses followed by full-voiced hooks and dramatic, belted bridges, all in the name of heartbreak and revenge. With "Since U Been Gone" and "Behind These Hazel Eyes," Clarkson was only playing dress up. This time someone's really broken her heart and, with a hand in writing every song on the album, she's making sure several million people know about it: "I hope the ring you gave to her turns her finger green," goes the seething opening line to "Never Again." Simon Cowell and others in the media have pointed out that Clarkson isn't your sexy, slim-waisted pop star, and it's this fact that has made her so accessible to her largely young, female fanbase and it's also what gives her contemptuous references to "trophy wives" (on two different songs) the kind of authenticity only an artist as proudly "average" as Clarkson could.

Though My December cuts much of the adult contemporary-style balladry that marred her first two releases (but also displayed more than just her shouting vocal range), the album still finds Clarkson further exploring different facets of her voice, which is capable of much more than just cookie-cutter pop/rock: she injects a little funk swagger into the brassy "Yeah" and offers up some acoustic soul on the hidden track "Chivas." And for those with the misinformed idea that My December isn't mainstream enough, there's plenty of pop to be found in songs like "How I Feel" and "Can I Have A Kiss." Clarkson, however, sounds most at home on guitar-driven garage-pop like "Hole," and the greatest artists have taught by example that if you follow your instincts, the fans will usually follow. After all, this is a girl who tellingly chose to sing Madonna's "Express Yourself"—as opposed to, say, "I Will Always Love You"—at her American Idol audition.

http://www.centredaily.com/entertain...ry/135196.html

MUSIC REVIEW: 'My December' mixes pop with poison
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"I make plenty of mistakes," sings Kelly Clarkson near the end of her third album, "My December." "Yeah, I'm hard, and life with me is never easy."

Meant as a confession to a lover, those lines could just as easily describe the past few months of Clarkson's professional life.

In the turbulent world of major labels, artistic independence is hard-won, even for someone with a proven track record like Clarkson's (her previous album, 2004's "Breakaway," sold 11 million copies worldwide and earned two Grammys). The road leading up to "My December's" release on Tuesday has been, to put it kindly, a bumpy one, with ugly rumors swirling about its quality.

Now we know: "My December" isn't a wretched misfire.

It is also not a carbon copy of the megahit "Breakaway" _ a fact that reportedly gave Clive Davis and Sony BMG pause in proceeding with the project.

Yet Clarkson insisted that "My December" is the album she wanted and needed to make. Taken as a whole, it's a blistering, unrelenting experience, punctuated by a few genuinely fun pop tracks. Echoes of other angry rock chicks (like Evanescence's Amy Lee) can clearly be heard in Clarkson's abrasive vocals, with most of the songs climaxing in torrents of rage. It's far afield from the relatively sedate "Since U Been Gone."

While Clarkson has been quoted as saying she has never truly loved anyone, "My December" belies that claim, seething as it does like a wounded lover sifting through the emotional wreckage of a difficult relationship.

From the searing "Hole" to the shattering "Irvine," Clarkson makes you feel her pain with every note. Although she clearly wanted to make this a heavier, edgier record, she might've taken a page from the Alanis Morissette playbook: Coat the fury in a pop candy shell so it goes down easier. It might not have made "My December" any less difficult emotionally, but a few well-chosen hooks might have made it easier to enjoy.

It's hard to tell what effect this rabidly anticipated disc will have on the Clarkson's career. The buildup has been nothing sort of astonishing, as the blogs, newspapers, magazines and TV shows have pounced on every fresh development.

To mangle Frank Sinatra: Mistakes, Clarkson may have made a few, but for better or worse, she's doing this one her way.

"My December" is a nakedly personal album, one that will stand as one of 2007's most riveting mainstream releases.

3 stars (out of 5)

dolphinboy

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Howiefan

The hidden song on the album, 'Chivas', was written that night after the Metal Skool concert haha.