There’s just something about Kelly Clarkson that makes her so … likable.
Perhaps it’s a bit of nostalgia for her being the first winner of America’s holy grail, American Idol, or maybe it’s the fact that, despite criticism of her image from the blogosphere and less-than-optimal studio backing, she has still managed to sell more than 20 million albums worldwide. It’s hard to hate the girl, and All I Ever Wanted is a reminder of why.
For this record, it seems Clarkson drew upon the success of 2004’s Breakaway and used some of its finer points to build upon. She hired an onslaught of producers, led by Howard Benson (All-American Rejects and Daughtry) and Ryan Tedder (front man of OneRepublic), and also used the songwriting capabilities of Katy Perry, Tedder and herself, to name a few. The result, for the most part, is what we have come to expect from Clarkson – pop-rock danceability and a few ballads for good measure.
The album begins with the lead single “My Life Would Suck Without You,” which begins with a quiet guitar riff, a programmed drum beat and a bit of synth. Sound familiar? It’s almost identical to “Since U Been Gone,” an unsurprising fact, seeing as how both songs were produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin. Soon enough, the chorus kicks in, and the listener no longer cares about the similarities to the old song because “My Life” is just as good.
As with most Clarkson offerings, the album isn’t musically progressive, nor is anyone going to be blown away by the lyrics. But as is the case with most pop albums, if one looks past those inadequacies, there’s a solid record here – she has the ability to cross genres, and she does so.
The thing is, on almost all of the good songs on this album, Clarkson sounds like another group altogether, and she rarely makes any style her own.
“I Do Not Hook Up” and “Long Shot” are above average in their own right and are standouts on this album, but these are the two tracks originally written by Perry for her ill-fated first record, Katy Hudson, and retooled here for Clarkson. And while this could be a non-factor, Clarkson instead opts to change her vocal style to a point where a casual listener could easily think they’re listening to One of the Boys, bringing the song down from what it could be.
“Already Gone,” a song co-written and produced by Tedder, is slow but catchy with an echoing drum beat. In other words, it’s a great OneRepublic song.
But as mentioned earlier, there are still a few songs in which Clarkson does sound like the Kelly of old, and it’s a relief when she does. The title track has a great grooving bass line and a sing-along chorus that will have most listeners bobbing right along.
“If I Can’t Have You” is the album’s best dance track and should be in clubs within a few months. There’s a great synth line and swift, upbeat drum programming that will fit right in with the Lady GaGa crowd. The only question mark about this song is that Clarkson has a small amount of Auto-Tune on, and it’s not apparent why – the girl can sing.
Clarkson has gone back to her bread and butter on All I Ever Wanted, and the results are solid. It’s hard to say whether it’s good or bad that she sounds like so many other artists here, because she has made a good record. But how good can an album be when it’s not a true representation of an artist? Unfortunately, those rumblings about stealing from The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs may be coming back. Too bad – our American idol deserves better.
klucas7@umd.edu
RATING: 3 out of 5 stars
