My December - Dark Publications

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Track: 10: How I Feel,

Track: 11: Yeah,

Track: 12: Can I Have A Kiss,

Track: 13: Irvine,

Track: 14: Chivas (Hidden Track),

Track: 1: Never Again (1st Single),

Track: 2: One Minute,

Track: 3: Hole,

Track: 4: Sober,

Track: 5: Don't Waste Your Time,

Track: 6: Judas,

Track: 7: Haunted,

Track: 8: Be Still,

Track: 9: Maybe
Media Type: CD
Artist: CLARKSON,KELLY
Title: MY DECEMBER
Street Release Date: 06/26/2007
Domestic
Genre: ROCK/POP

Amazon.com
Judging by the themes of anger and betrayal that dominate Kelly Clarkson's third disc, My December, perhaps 'Jagged Little Idol' would have been a more telling title. According to interviews, the massively successful artist wanted more creative control with her music going forward; as a result, unlike her previous CDs, Clarkson contributes as a songwriter on every track. The final product is not nearly as catchy as Breakaway, but is far more introspective and honest. My December's overall sound brings a harder musical style than fans might expect, with acerbic lyrics to match; the disc's first single "Never Again"--a dark rock song slamming her ex-boyfriend--is certainly a tip-off. The compelling chorus of "Hole" finds Clarkson singing "There's a hole/inside of me/it's so damn cold/slowly killing me" over a melody that is far more Tool than top-40. "Haunted" and "Judas" are wrought-over tracks that veer into Evanescence territory, while the wonderfully sparse "Maybe" is a highlight within which Clarkson's pleading voice is perfectly showcased. My December's final listed track, "Irvine" (prior to the hidden bluesy acoustic ballad "Chivas") sounds far more Cat Power-meets-Corinne Bailey Rae than Clarkson, but it is certainly one of the most captivating songs on the disc, and serves as yet another reminder of just how versatile her voice is. Fans of her previous radio-friendly releases may well be divided on her new direction, but it appears to be the path Clarkson is likely to continue to travel. --Denise Sheppard

More from Kelly Clarkson

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Thankful

Since U Been Gone

Customer Reviews: Read 350 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Kelly's Ready! June 26, 2007
126 out of 153 found this review helpful

Everyone knows by now the problems that Clarkson has had with this disc -- well, the problems the higher ups have had with letting Clarkson have her own voice on record. But this is nothing new. In the world of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Clarkson had the guts to tinker with what worked. A poppy, melody written style that sucked in everyone who had ears. Did the change do her good? Yes-yes-yes. Is her album perfect? No. Who has made a perfect album? Not a dang soul out there.

What makes this album work so well. Is that Clarkson is TRYING!!!! Trying so hard not to be some cookie, cutter waif, with bleach blonde hair, kohl rimmed eyes, and a snarky attitude. The woman has substance. Songs like "Sober," with it's build up to an almost necessary rant is just plain talent!!! The disc pops with tracks that show a woman in transition. The contemplative "Irvine" with its hollow melody and Patty Griffin like simplicity is marvelous and Clarkson can drudge out a sour note like no other popstar on the market.

Clive Davis offered her a truck load of money to put more "sellable" songs on the disc and she chose not too -- again, guts! Clarkson is growing as a sonwriter. And its bumpy for her. Her lyrics, at times, are too simple, but when they hit the right mark -- she tells a relatebale story. A girl/becoming a woman in a world where she's feeling a lot less secure. When Clarkson sings: "Let it go ..." on "Be Still" there is a quiet pain in what she sings, a great connection to the lyric.

Guts alone to take a chance on your own vision as an artist should merit you credit. But when you work at it and it comes out as solid as Clarkson's "My December," you want to stand and cheer for the girl. She nails it. Daivs must also be a little deaf, if "Yeah" with its shout-back chorus and "One Minute" aren't radio friendly hits -- I don't know what is.

Congrats on, so far, having the best album of the year, Ms. Clarkson!

4 out of 5 stars

Won me Over June 29, 2007
37 out of 48 found this review helpful

I tend to like rock and punk over other music genres. But I do find myself liking Kelly Clarkson every time I hear a new single on the radio. I actually went back and bought the first 2 albums and picked this one up on the day of release. I like her darker/edgier side. She does have an incredible and beautiful voice for the ballads, and I like those songs almost as much as the rocker chick stuff. This album is much deeper than the first 2 with Kelly doing her own writing. I don't know if it will produce the huge smash hits of the first albums, but she certainly is a talented writer. I heard Never Again when it was first released as a single and I still enjoy it. I actually find Haunted to be my favorite track on the album. How I feel is like Kelly channeling Pat Benatar with the Go'Go's doing backing vocals. Then the very next track she has a real funky sound. The album is Kelly feeling her way around on her own for the first time. She will only get better and better from here. I personally think it is already top notch stuff.

1 out of 5 stars

Not a Winner in the Bunch!! June 27, 2007
25 out of 63 found this review helpful

What a waste of money this CD is! Kelly is trying to be so cool and anti-Idol and it just doesn't work. How embarassing. I tried to be objective and listen to this with an open mind and ears but it was almost painful. None of the songs have hooks to draw the listener in. There is no melody or even catchy lyrics on any of the songs. Diehard fans will buy this album but probably won't listen to it after a week or two. Kelly needs to remember who her audience is...the same people who put her in the spotlight...and cater to them. We want soaring ballads and sing-a-long songs. Little Miss Independent is trying to be Janis Joplin and she is ending up looking like a fool. I accidentally stepped on my poor cat's tail this afternoon and her screech sounded better than anything on "My December". Note to Kelly: You've shown us that you're "cool"...now give us what we want to hear before you wind up like Sinead O'Connor!

5 out of 5 stars

Kelly was right - Clive was wrong June 26, 2007
17 out of 23 found this review helpful

I feel that Kelly Clarkson has gotten better with every CD. Thankful showed promise with her powerful vocals, but really, it sounded much like her American Idol stuff - like "A Moment Like This." There were a couple of departures, like the Avril-esque "Low," but "Low" had a riff that was like a weaker copy of Avril's "Losing Grip." Breakaway was an album of strong pop/rock songs, ranging from the R&B-ish "Walk Away" to the folkish ballad "Where Is Your Heart" to the power pop sensation "Since U Been Gone."

It would be hard to top Breakaway, but with My December, Kelly Clarkson has done it. It starts out with the angry rocker "Never Again." That song, the industrial-dance song "One Minute," and the jamming-out "Hole" are harder but different than anything she's done. "Don't Waste Your Time" is a pop song that sounds the most like Breakaway, and is just as good as much on that CD. "Maybe" is a mid-tempo song that sounds a bit like one of Fleetwood Mac's more off-the-wall songs. "Can I Have A Kiss" is an rocker that builds to a fine crescendo. "Sober" is a spare ballad that lets her show off her voice. "Be Still" and "Irvine" are also haunting ballads. In fact, haunting is a word that can be used to describe the whole CD. Haunting due to the emotion Kelly puts into every word, and due to the melodies that seem to go into the ear and right to the soul. Think how "Addicted" from Breakaway had a drawn out melody that made sure that every word was made for maximum emotional appeal. That's the kind of feeling I get on My December. The album holds together well as a whole like Breakaway does, but My December has more variety. More strings are found, including violin, and there is more diverse guitar playing. Breakaway had a departure with the wall of guitar found on "Hear Me." But on My December, guitars slam ("Hole" and "Judas,") get helped by computer generation ("One Minute,") jangle ("Don't Waste My Time,") and are head-bobbing ("How I Feel.")

Lyrically, there are often very poetic, personal lyrics on My December. These lyrics fit the mood of the CD perfectly. Kelly has developed as a writer, exploring darker themes but not getting mired in sorrow. On Hole, she writes:

"Secrets
Eating at the core of me
Shut off
Trusting all the lies I breathe"

And on "Sober," she writes:

"Three months and I'm still sober
Picked all my weeds but kept the flowers
But I know it's never really over"

Also, these lyrics really lay her thoughts out without the cliches that many a song about love have used. Not that there aren't familiar themes, but Kelly has a way of making those familiar themes sound lived through and fresh. You can admire the lyrics even if you've never been in the same situation, but often people will relate to them. One song that many could relate to is "Don't Waste Your Time," which explores the old theme of a lover trying in vain to keep a relationship going. Sample lyrics from "Don't Waste Your Time" -

"Don't waste your time trying to fix
What I want to erase
What I need to forget
Don't waste your time on me my friend
Friend, what does that even mean
I don't want your hand
You'll only pull me down
So save your breath
Don't waste your song
On me, on me
Don't waste your time"

The only weak spot on the CD is "Yeah." It's a funky song that completely lacks direction. It seems to be added as the obligatory funk track. The album also could have used a song to lighten the mood up more. But even though there might not be anything as immediate musically on My December as "Since U Been Gone," based on this very strong CD, I think that many fans will follow her on her musical journey. I'm already anxious to see what Kelly comes up with next.

5 out of 5 stars

Wake up! June 26, 2007
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

I was never a Kelly Clarkson fan until this week. I didn't watch her on American Idol. I bought her first CD because I liked the single "A Moment Like This," but wound up disliking the rest of the CD. Sure, I found all those Top 10 hits from Breakaway catchy, but they were just so sugary. There was no real emotion in them; it was blatantly obvious that they existed solely to become hits and sell CDs. After a while, "Since U Been Gone," "Breakaway," "Behind These Hazel Eyes," and "Because of You" melted into one big, mindless pop song trying to cash in on the emo craze and simultaneously retain pop radio appeal. And while they did get stuck in my head, I refused to listen to them because they seemed so obviously manufactured.

Not so with this disc. I downloaded it when it leaked on the Internet, just to see if it was any better than Breakaway. At that time, I hadn't heard about the controversy surrounding the album, so I wasn't biased in Kelly's favor; if anything, I had exceedingly low expectations for the album. Instead, I fell in love with it at first listen.

These songs are overtly different. They're not trying to be bouncy summer radio sing-alongs. They're not trying to reel you in with catchy hooks and keep you satisfied with lightweight melodies and inconsequential lyrics. These songs are heartfelt and, at times, downright hardcore. The lyrics aren't world-changing, but they ring true, and their titles are blessedly devoid of cutesy intentional misspellings. My December may not be steak, but it's certainly more filling than Breakaway-esque cotton candy.

In fact, when I first listened to the album, it reminded me of nothing so much as Origin-era Evanescence: pre-Fallen, pre-fame, pre-studio gloss. Those songs were much less polished, and would never have survived on contemporary radio, but they were more raw, more real, and they possessed an emotional incandescence that was never matched by any of Evanescence's later material. One could conjure a mental image of the band actually writing, channeling, experiencing them. So it is with this disc.

After falling for this album, I watched Kelly's CMT special with Reba McEntire, and for the first time, I realized how immensely talented Kelly truly is. I never would have noticed had I not listened to this disc. I can now say that I am a true Kelly Clarkson fan, and I will be buying this CD on my next trip to Wal-Mart. There are very few artists whose albums I deem worthy of buying after sampling them online, but I believe that Kelly has earned my money and my support with this album, and I hope that it does extremely well for her.

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