Search - Kelly Clarkson :: All I Ever Wanted

A Brighter Rainbow

Steven Haarala | Mandeville, LA USA | 04/14/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I believe that Kelly Clarkson (and her people) reconsidered her image after her last album, "My December". I thought it was her best yet, but some found it to be too dark and strident. Thus, a compromise was effected. The first 4 tracks on "All I Ever Wanted" are pretty much safe, formulaic pop - good enough, because Kelly is a terrific vocalist, and she is obviously surrounded by talented collaborators. These 4 were probably designed to attract those who were not pleased with "My December". But it seems that after track #4, she said, "Enough. I want diversity." So, with track #5, the title track, the diversity begins.



The funny thing is, that one sounds like it would have been right at home on "My December": a little dark, a little hard. And from this point on, each track was a pleasant surprise to me on the first listen. Some resemble those on "My December", such as "If I Can't Have You", which also leans toward early 80's New Wave. When I reviewed "My December", I mentioned Pat Benatar. Pat's spirit is invoked again on "WhyYaWannaBringMeDown", in its tone, aggressive vocal and guitar work. But other tracks are softer while still showing growth and creativity. "Ready" has a musical intro so light and breezy that I almost expect Simon & Garfunkel to start singing, "Slow down, you're movin' too fast/You got to make the morning last...Feelin' groovy." "Already Gone" is one of those rare pop confections that is nearly perfect: confessional lyrics, very catchy melody, emotional vocal delivery. I hear this song every day on the radio and never, never get tired of it. "I Want You" is a clever, playful song which has a lot of fun with the 3 words in the title, and it features the interesting device of ending a line of the song with a word that is actually the first word of the next line. This is also done in "Already Gone". It can be disconcerting at first, but once you get used to it, you see that it is just part of the variation from the norm that Kelly offers. As on "My December", Kelly closes the album with a song that has serious lyrics and intimate vocal. "If No One Will Listen" is a ballad about being yourself and following your dream, with traditional piano and strings.



The finished product is an album that combines bright, imaginative elements with the pop expertise we have already come to expect from Kelly's albums."

HOT HOT HOT

MUSIC MANIAC | Oregon | 05/09/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ok, just have to say it. "All I Ever Wanted", the song itself, is so amazing words cannot describe. And I am flabbergasted, just really appalled, that it is not getting ANY airplay. Actually, this was one of the best pop albums released in 2009, and deserved to get much more airplay than it got. "Don't Let Me Stop You" and "Cry" really are number one songs waiting to happen. Not sure why radio seems to be ignoring this and others like it (Pink for instance). But Kelly really came through. Oh, and I agree 100 percent with Kelly when she voiced her unhappiness with Ryan Tedder basically plagiarizing himself. "Already Gone", granted a beautiful song, is "Halo" redone. It's so obvious. I'm just upset Beyonce got the bigger hit. Oh, well. Kelly is awesome, can't wait for the next one."