Kelly Clarkson "All I Ever Wanted" Album Review!!!!!!

Who is Kelly Clarkson? That sounds like an easy enough question to answer. "She's the multi-platinum selling winner of the first season of American Idol" you might answer. Who is Kelly Clarkson as an artist? That's a bit more difficult of a question to answer. Is she the R&B crooner we heard off her initial American Idol album? Is she pop perfection a la Miss Independent? Is she a pop-rocker in the style of the generation-defining "Since U Been Gone?" Or is she something darker in the style of much ridiculed album My December? Well if you're a fan of any of these reinventions of Kelly, then there's something for you on her latest album All I Ever Wanted.

All I Ever Wanted is Kelly's "comeback" album after her last piece of rebellion against Clive Davis entitled My December. Most people either didn't know this album existed or have decided to block it out of their memories due to the pain it caused their eardrums. It seems Kelly has come to her senses and decided to work with nearly all of today's top songwriters and producers on this latest project including: Max Martin and Dr. Luke, Kara DioGuardi, Katy Perry, Ryan Tedder, and Howard Benson. The result is a very diverse album with loads of potential hits. What's lacking is a sense of unity among the tracks on the album. With so many styles to choose from there really is something for everyone, but on the flip-side chances are that at least one or two tracks will leave the listener cold. It's also fair to guess that Kelly as an artist is not all of these styles and leads the listener to feel that some of the tracks are inauthentic--but which? Is pop Kelly the fake or is angry Kelly really just an act?

The biggest strength on the album is really its production quality. Most of the tracks are incredibly produced and mixed (as they should be from the industry's top professionals.) There are so many layers and complexities to each track that you'll discover something new each time. Tracks like powerful, synth-heavy "If I Can't Have You" and Kelly's favorite track "All I Ever Wanted" will give you a lot each and every listen. Of course the first two singles, chart-topper "My Life Would Suck Without You" and anthemic "I Do Not Hook Up", are off the charts in terms of pop records. Other than these, perhaps the best track on the album is "Long Shot." The verses here are incredibly interesting both melodically, as well as lyrically. The chorus is a bit predictable but really ties the complex verses together into a stunning, tight little pop package. Perhaps best from the mid-tempo tracks is "Already Gone" which is quite different for Kelly and sounds more like a song Beyonce would have been all over. This similarity also might be because the track starts off almost identically to the Beyonce single "Halo." The best ballad (of the two true ones) is "If No One Will Listen" which has some very moving parts (definitely this record's "Because of You" ) and rightfully so ends the album. "Cry" which is certainly placed in typical 3rd single position being track 3 is just not as moving or sincere as the closing ballad. Kelly's been quoted as saying that this album really showcases her voice and what she sounds like live. I would completely agree that these tracks really capture her voice as it sounds in a live performance and that that's certainly a good thing. You can't deny her chops--she's one hell of a singer.

While Kelly's Breakaway album shone brightly in the lyrics department, this current one is more about production. There are definitely some interesting lyrical moments, but for the most part it's not as deep or as though-provoking. I'll never forget the first time I heard Kelly sing "what do you when you look in the mirror and staring at you is why he's not here" on a track from Breakaway. There are fewer of these make-you-think moments here. Here we get "Whyyawannabringmedown" which at first is catchy, but then reminds you of the My December era and quickly makes you want to turn it off. The end of the album takes a fun turn and gets a bit retro in the tracks "Ready" and and "I Want You" which has a Duffy-esque quality about it. In "Ready" Ms. Clarkson belts "I sit here so patiently drenched in what you want me to be" and this seems to sum up this album. All I Ever Wanted is what the fans want from her, but is it what she wants from herself?