Kelly Clarkson - My December

Awesome

I've read some of the reviews for this album, and it seemed to be pretty mixed. I think this album is great. WAY better than Miss Independent, maybe not quite as good as Breakaway, but it'll be hard to top that one. There are a lot of stand-out songs Never Again, Sober, Maybe, Judas, just to name a few. Id recommend it to anyone who is not afraid to venture out away from the "popular" songs that play on the radio right now. :)
June 25, 2008

No It's not as pop as Breakaway, does that make it lesser? NO

Not at all. This album wasn't made for radio, it wasn't made to be loved instantly and that's the beauty of it.

Impatiant, ignorant idiots won't like this album as they probably don't have the brain capacity to break it down and see it's wonder. Breakaway was an Alcopop...My December is a fine wine. It gets better with every listen as it's more layered. Everything is still there from Breakaway but with more listens you'll notice more progression. One thing that stood out to me on this album was the backing vocals (Done mainly by Kelly herself) which really give the songs other dimensons.

1. Never Again - The lead single. Bitter, angry pop/rock song with a real bite. She makes Avril lavigne look like about as fierce as Paris Hiltons dog with this. Once again delivering big in the middle 8 8/10
2. One Minute - Probably the most radio-friendly of the bunch. It has a driving bassline with matching vocals. 7/10
3. Hole - Dark. That's the best way to describe it! "There's a hole inside of me, it's so cold, slowly killing me." get the gist yet? 7/10
4. Sober - Where do I start? I was captured by the first few seconds of echoey acoustic guitar. Lyrically outstanding, musically enchanting, this is Kelly at her absolute best. She shows off her vocals in the latter part of the song in a way only she can by switching from emotionally charged, breathey vocals to urgent powerful vocals set to a epic orchestral background. My favorite song she's ever done. 10/10
5. Don't Waste Your Time - Mid paced, light. Wasn't sure about it being a single to be honest, maybe it's just the fact that nothing can follow up Sober. 7/10
6. Judas - Like the title suggests, an angry song. Driving vocals in the chorus fit well with the keyboards in the background. 7/10
7. Haunted - Yes, it's "haunting" draws comparisons to "Addicted" from Breakaway. I prefer My Decembers offering much more depth to this one. 9/10
8. Be Still - Kelly described this as "Her mom's favorite" and this doesn't supprise me as it's very laid back. Nothing fancy here almost folk-like but with perfect vocals. Possibly wouldn't have been out of place on "Thankful". 8/10
9. Maybe - Kelly at her best again. Maybe starts very simple, with an extremely catchy acoutic guitar riff and slowly builds up as the song grows with the intensity of both the lyrics and vocals. By 2:00 song has taken on a completley different shape, percussion, electric guitar, strings and that urgent voice kelly's known so well for. There's a lovley breakdown in the middle 8 with a piano and the lyrics "I don't need to be fixed and I certainly don't need to be found". Then it kicks back in. 10/10
10. How I Feel - Upbeat, sassy, this albums "Walk Away" if you will but once again with more depth especially in the lyrics. 8/10
11. Yeah - When I first heard this I thought of Gwen Stefani for some reason. There's a sexy dirty guitar riff setting the tone here. She cuts her voice loose on this one. Kelly's lyrics are usually reserved for Heartache/anger but on this occasion it's a lot more light hearted. 7/10
12. Can I Have A Kiss? - 2 songs cut into one. The verses and chorus are from 2 different songs which is wierd because they fit together so well. It's light-hearted in the chorus and deeper in the verses. As always delivering with the vocals. 8/10
13. Irvine - Haunting, but in a completley different way to "Haunted". Acoustic "prayer" written by Kelly on the bathroom floor after a show in 2003 out of desperation. A really sad song lyrically, very moving. 9/10
14. (Hidden track) Chivas - Regarded as one of the best tracks on the album hard to believe it's the hidden track. Acoustic, grainy, sassy track written on a bar napkin by Clarkson. "I'll take the Chivas instead of your bed" it's the kind of song you'd reccomend to help a friend get over an ex. Kelly has so much fun with this track as you can hear from the laughter at the end. 10/10

In conclusion, don't expect to love this album after one listen, chances are you won't if you were a fan of Breakaway. Be paitent, appreciate it and you'll be rewarded.

It's just another chapter in Kelly's growth as an artist and I can't wait to hear the next.

I would reccomend this album to people who appreciate real music.

June 17, 2008

Awful

I have never seen American Idol, but I enjoyed Kelly's first few songs on the radio. Her second album was excellent. This one was horrible and I have returned it. May 27, 2008

More than what i thought it would be

Honestly i only bought this item because it had the songs Never Again, and Haunted but when it arrived i listened to the full CD and is been about a week and i like alot of songs from it specially Judas thats my favorite song from that CD i really like this CD and im glad i bought it. April 30, 2008

Jumping on the Kelly fan train

I was one of those people that stayed away from Kelly Clarkson because she *just* an American Idol. Kelly, I apologize. This cd kicks major @$$. Great lyrics - extremely personal but I think that's why so many people can relate, tight sound, edgy, everything I was looking for when I bought this cd. April 27, 2008

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