Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted
By Nick Manteris · 0 Comments · Leave a Comment
The very first American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, is back with her fourth studio album, All I Ever Wanted, and it seems like a complete departure from 2007’s My December. The nauseatingly bright cover and the obviously airbrushed photo of Clarkson are just the first indicators that All I Ever Wanted is specifically designed with pop charts, radio play and record sales in mind. The next clues are the songs borrowed from Color Me Badd and Katy Perry’s unreleased 2005 album. RCA probably influenced her to head back in a pop direction since they reportedly felt that the negative and dark elements of My December were responsible for it’s disappointing single-platinum sales. (Breakaway was 6× Platinum in the US.)
“My Life Would Suck Without You” is pure pop detritus and the single even features a digitally altered picture of Clarkson holding a giant, extra-sparkly heart-shaped lollipop. The next song, “I Do Not Hook Up,” is one of the Katy Perry contributions and that’s exactly what it sounds like. This is not a good thing. “Cry” is equally uninteresting, but the album finally approaches “average” with “Don't Let Me Stop You,” “All I Ever Wanted” and “If I Can't Have You.” The track with the worst name actually ends up being the most interesting…starting with elements of punk and continuing to a blues-rock chorus, “Whyyawannabringmedown” has Clarkson delivering lines almost like Jack White. (And what are the odds that you will encounter another song with “love-monkey” in it this year?) “Impossible” is the final average song before the album really takes a dive.
- Score
- 36%
The record label wanted another pop album from Kelly Clarkson and they got it. They undoubtedly also want another multi-platinum moneymaker like Breakaway, and if the sales of “My Life Would Suck Without You” are any indication, they might actually succeed…even though this album sucks by comparison. All I Ever Wanted doesn’t even approach My December (which was at least almost half good) in terms of song quality and none of these songs deserve to be huge hits. It won’t matter though…the music doesn’t have to be any good as long as it sells, right?
