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In 2007, Kelly Clarkson rebelled against her label and her mentor, Clive Davis, by co-writing most of the somber My December. Although the record went platinum, it paled in comparison to her multiplatinum breakthrough, 2004’s Breakaway. So what’s a bar-setting American Idol champ to do? One listen to “My Life Would Suck without You,” the catchy “Since You Been Gone”-reminiscent single from her third disc, All I Ever Wanted, and it’s clear that the answer is to return to the girl-power pop anthems that made Clarkson a star in the first place. Standouts include the heart-tugger “Cry” and the angry kiss-off “Don’t Let Me Stop You” -- either of which could easily be adopted as the theme song for ABC’s The Bachelor series. Clarkson, like her feisty pop peer Pink, knows how to touch the angst-ridden and lovelorn teenage girl in all women, and even macho men were powerless against the infectious “Since You’ve Been Gone.” That’s the audience for the Katy Perry-penned “I Do Not Hook Up,” and the Joan Jett-lite “Whyyawannabringmedown.” On the second half of All I Ever Wanted, however, Clarkson experiments with mixed results on several tracks, including the winning, contemporary R&B-tinged “Impossible” and “I Want You,” an uninspired nod to the retro sound popularized by Duffy and Amy Winehouse. That minor misstep aside, the pop princess still delivers what her fans want and then some.
TRACK LISTINGS
1 My Life Would Suck Without You 3:32
2 I Do Not Hook Up 3:20
3 Cry 3:34
4 Don't Let Me Stop You 3:20
5 All I Ever Wanted 3:59
6 Already Gone 4:41
7 If I Can't Have You 3:39
8 Save You 4:03
9 Whyyawannabringmedown 2:42
10 Long Shot 3:36
11 Impossible 3:23
12 Ready 3:05
13 I Want You 3:31
14 If No One Will Listen 4:03
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