It must be hard to be on American Idol. Especially if you win, and especially if you win first. You basically have to set the blueprint for what the other winners are going to do, and the pressure is on.

Thus is the case with Kelly Clarkson. As we all know, Kelly won the first season of American Idol against that Chia pet guy (his name slips me at the moment... maybe because he sucks.) and went on to release a CD that was pretty darn impressive, if a little bit formulaic. So what's an Idol to do next? Rock out!

Well... kind of. Kelly recruited a slew of songwriters to help her make an album with less of an R&B edge and more of a rockish pop edge. So... how does it work out? Let's take a listen!

First of all, I have to express how much I absolutely hate the lead single and title track of this album, Breakway. When I listen to this song, I imagine a bunch of 13 year old girls waving their hands with lighters and trying desperately to hit the notes in it (and, of course, failing miserably). Okay, I realize this song was written for a kid's movie, but it was also written by Avril Lavigne. *shudder* That didn't help matters much. It's just so sappy and... I just really hate this song. Kelly sounds decent enough, but I think this song is such a cliche, standard, "set yourself free" piece of crap. It almost swayed me away from buying this album, but then I remembered the whole Charmbracelet fiasco, how much I absolutely despised Through The Rain and loved the rest of the album. So, I gave this one a chance too... ha.

Kelly redeems herself on Since U Been Gone. (I think it's a good place to express how much I hate U, 2, and 4 in song titles. It only works if you're Prince!) This is a little rockish kind of number which doesn't sound very promising at first, but has a chorus that packs a punch and Kelly sounds awesome. The lyrics are a little bit... well, not the most creative, but it's okay because this is a really energetic song and the vocals are rip-roaring awesome. This is what a rock-pop song should be. Energetic, catchy, and easy to sing along to. This song kicks ass.

But the next song kicks more ass. It's even more... rocky? It sounds a little bit like an Avril Lavigne song, but with someone actually talented singing it. Like the prior song, the verses aren't the catchiest, but once it starts to build up at the bridge with a double tracked vocal, you know something is coming. And then is that chorus. So catchy, awesome vocals, and undeniable sing-along ability. The middle eight is a little bit... not up to bar, it just sounds weird. But then Kelly holds out some really long notes and goes back into that chorus again. If you don't sing along to this song, you're a freak. This is one of my favorites.

Now, it wouldn't be a Kelly Clarkson CD without a few ballads, and the first one comes up on Because Of You. You should be warned here that this song was cowritten by Ben Moody, former Evanescence member, and it is obvious. It sounds a lot like My Immortal, just with more instruments. The problem with this ballad is that it isn't really catchy... her voice sounds sincere and really good, but this song isn't that catchy and it's hard to get into it... or remember it. It's lyrically impressive though. "I watched you die, I heard you cry every night in your sleep... I was so young, you should have known better than to lean on me." But it doesn't really rhyme, and it isn't catchy enough to go anywhere. It's just kind of average.

The tempo comes up again on Gone, which sounds really strange at the beginning. The drumming is busy, and the melody is monotone and Kelly sounds pretty bored. The chorus is better, but the song is a bit generic. This song sounds too busy and poppy, and there's nothing really memorable about it.

Ben Moody comes back for Addicted, which sounds pretty much exactly the same as Because Of You at the beginning. I mean, this song sounds like Amy Lee rejected it or something. Let's just say I was less than impressed with Evanescene's album, and I'm less than impressed with this song too. If you like Evanescence, you'll like it, because it is exactly what you find on their album: piano driven verses, ballady rock guitar chorus, even the lyrics are Evanescence like.

Kelly goes all ballady again on the next song, Where Is Your Heart, which was cowritten by Chantal Kreviazuk. Honestly, I have never heard a song by her, so I can't really say how much like her music it is. It's kind of... bland... and it reminds me of something that would have been on Kelly's debut. With a dull piano line riddled through the entire track and what honestly sounds like a drum machine, and vocals that sound less than enthusiastic, it's hard to get into this song. It sounds basically exactly the same for the entire 4 1/2 minutes too. This is a sleeper.

The next song sounds so much more promising at the beginning. Walk Away (also cowritten by Kreviazuk) sounds a little bit 80s inspired. It has a strange melody, guitars playing through the entire thing, and a steady, off kilter beat. Kelly sounds a lot more excited singing this song, and it's undeniably catchy. It's not as good as some other tracks that came earlier on this album, but it's a pretty decent track.

It's kind of hard to say what the next track tries to accomplish, but You Found Me sounds so generic that it's difficult to like it. Aside from the fact that it sounds like I've heard it before. It kind of sounds like something that would have been on Melanie C's latest album, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but there is absolutely nothing that stands out in this song except for some sweet lyrics, but even those are nothing special. This song is absolutely average.

I Hate Myself For Losing You tries to be kind of bluesy at the beginning, and Kelly's vocals sound pretty sincere, but this song is just as bland as the one before it. Again, nothing stands out in this song, it just sounds like the one before it and the song a few before that. Blah.

Even though it wasn't cowritten by Ben Moody, Hear Me has that Evanescence stamp all over it again. It tries to be all minor and dramatic, and sounds like... Evanescence! I mean, it's got everything from the moody, piano verses to the loud, rock guitar chorus to the overly deep lyrics that don't really make much sense. Bland. Unoriginal. Not a very good close to this album.

Kelly also tacked on a live version from one of the better songs from her debut, Beautiful Disaster. Kelly made this a ballad and it sounds amazing, her voice sounds incredible and laid back in this version the song. What's sad is it's a rehash and it's one of the better songs on this album.

The thing is I really wanted to like this album. I loved Kelly's debut and was really looking forward to hearing her sophomore effort, but it's not really that worth hearing. Most of the songs are generic and sound alike, and even though there are a few stellar songs here, there are too many that are average and dull.

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Tracklisting
1. Breakaway
2. Since U Been Gone
3. Behind These Hazel Eyes
4. Because Of You
5. Gone
6. Addicted
7. Where Is Your Heart
8. Walk Away
9. You Found Me
10. I Hate Myself For Losing You
11. Hear Me
12. Beautiful Disaster (Live)

Skip It: Addicted, Where Is Your Heart, Hear Me

Repeat It: Since U Been Gone, Behind These Hazel Eyes, Walk Away, Beautiful Disaster (Live)

Great Music To Play While: Asking yourself why you bought this and deciding to never buy another American Idol CD.

Recommended: No