LindsayBW's Full Review: Thankful by Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson is a household name. Even for those of us in the small margin of Americans who didn't catch one episode of American Idol know who the big grinning girl from Texas is. And whether you're anti or pro Idol, you've got to be thankful for Kelly Clarkson's diverse debut CD.
After the double A-Side release of her two most famous Idol songs, A Moment Like This and Before Your Love, two sappy ballads used solely to show off her voice, everybody kind of expected Kelly's album to be chocked full of these kind of ballads and... well, nothing else. But we're quickly proven wrong with the bluesy The Trouble With Love Is. At first listen, it can be kind of boring, but after a few listens it grows on you, and you can't help but sing along with her over the top wailings near the end.
The CD speeds up a bit on the next track, Miss Independent. Now, I may be biased since I'm utterly in love with one of the co-writers (see my Stripped review), but it's a pretty decent song. But it must be kept in mind that it is just Christina's left overs, and while it tries in vain to match up to Christina's Fighter, it just doesn't pack the same punch that Miss Aguilera's does. It's still decent though, and Miss Clarkson takes every opportunity to dish out every vocal trick she can pull off. It keeps the tempo up with the alt-rock-pop-wannabe-whatever Low. The chorus inspires you to bob your head a bit, but it's hardly as energetic as it's predecessor, but it's still worth a listen considering it's one of the best vocal performances on the CD.
It takes a slight turn when the song goes into the obvious Diane Warren creation Some Kind Of Miracle. Diane Warren is really the only way you can describe it: It's kind of a R&B wannabe porno groove, where Clarkson coos about love and miracles... isn't that peachy? It might be a decent track of the Diane Warren penned ballad thing hadn't been beaten like a dead horse. 10 years ago, it would have been fine on Mariah Carey's Music Box, but it sounds out of date with a mostly modern album. Her voice sounds great, but it's about it's only saving grace. Things don't get much better right off, the follow up being a bland forgettable song, What's Up Lonely. This also sounds quite out of place with the rest of the album, as it would fit in better on Christina Aguilera's debut. It's hardly a stand out on this one.
The CD saves itself afterward though, with the brilliant Just Missed The Train, which sounds kind of like Avril Lavigne, but a lot better because it has such a talented vocalist behind it. Kelly really shows off her range in this one, and it has an energetic chorus and gloomy bridge which is unexpected by our American Idol. It's a definite high point of the CD. Beautiful Disaster comes next, which is also quite diverse from the rest of the album, with an almost Bangles feel to it. It has a nice energy throughout it, and her voice sounds quite different then it does on the rest of the CD. It's a nice change!
The album gets a kick in the balls on the next track, a duet with one of the Idol runner ups, Tamyra Gray. (I have no idea who that is considering I never watched the show) It has an awesome R&B feel that the rest of the album doesn't possess, just showing another style Miss Clarkson can suprisingly pull off. The two lady's voices blend so well you can hardly tell them apart, and the chorus has so much energy you almost can't help but bang your head. It's a nice little creation, even if it did take 5 songwriters!
The rest of the album takes it slow, starting with the cute title track, Thankful. It's somewhat reminiscent of What's Up Lonely, but it has a cute little chorus that's much more memorable, and it has a nice old school R&B vibe to it. Afterward is the powerful gospel-inspired Anytime, which has a nice piano and a nicer choir to back up Miss Clarkson. Her vocals haven't been this good since her winning moment on Idol, and this ballad packs a powerful chorus that it should be illegal not to sing along to. And though Kelly lets it all rip vocally on this one, the choir is what really pulls the whole thing together, making for a terrific finale to the CD.
But that's not the finale. For some reason, they thought it was necessary to put Clarkson's Idol (not to mention old) songs on the end and dub them "new mixes", although most anyone can tell you there isn't much of a difference. The songs are mediocre, designed mostly to show off Kelly's pipes, which they do successfully. Both are over the top sappy power ballads that everyone has heard, but she doesn't have any inhibitions on her vocals in these two tracks, which makes for a nice show at times, but can seem a little too much most of the time. (What's with the really high note at the end of Before Your Love? It's called subtlety, dear!) But they do pull off exactly what they are supposed to: proving the girl can sing, however unecessary that may be on this album.
Overall, it's a good album, with surprisingly diverse facts from someone who won a reality TV show. Clarkson deals with some interesting material, most of which she pulls off without a hitch, with the help of some handy producers and co-writers. But her voice does shine through as the most triumphant thing on this pretty good pop album.
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