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Kelly Clarkson was the first American Idol winner and the first vocalist to achieve success, but her 2003 debut, Thankful, didn't completely define her outside of the parameters of the show. While the dance-pop and adult contemporary ballads on that record were fresher than the music on AmIdol, Clarkson still hadn't escaped the show's shadow entirely: since it was a hit so close to her time on TV, it was easy to pigeonhole her as simply a creation of television, not a popular singer in her own right. So, her second album, Breakaway, released late in 2004, was a pivotal moment for her, a chance to prove that she was not a one-hit wonder, a chance to prove that she could have a real, vibrant career. Happily, Breakaway delivers on that promise. This time around, the dance-pop elements have been almost entirely stripped away, and the record instead is a rock-influenced, MOR pop affair, not entirely dissimilar to Ashlee Simpson's Autobiography, only a little bit smoother and not as heavy on guitars. Since Clarkson is a better singer than Simpson -- not only does she possess more chops, but she has more on-record charisma -- she can sell the material even when the slow tempos in the middle of record drag its momentum; she prevents the songs from sounding too samey. While there may be one too many ballads here, they often are very good and sometimes are excellent, like the light, layered, yearning title tune. Clarkson may be a fine ballad singer, but what gives Breakaway its spine are the driving, anthemic pop tunes like "Since U Been Gone," "Walk Away," and "You Found Me." These are the numbers that sound simultaneously mainstream and youthful, which is a hard trick to pull off, and they are the tracks that illustrate that Kelly Clarkson is a rare thing in the 2000s: a pop singer who's neither hip nor square, just solidly and enjoyably in the mainstream. After a bunch of rather blah mainstream pop albums, including a glut of half-baked AmIdol projects, this is a nice, low-key relief.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Matthew Gerrard, Composer - Matthew Gerrard, Lyricist - Jeff Rothschild, Recording Engineer - Jeff Rothschild, Mixing Engineer - Jeff Rothschild, Drums - Avril Lavigne, Composer - Avril Lavigne, Lyricist - John Shanks, Producer - John Shanks, Mixing Engineer - John Shanks, Guitar - John Shanks, Acoustic Bass - John Shanks, Keyboards - Bridget Benenate, Composer - Bridget Benenate, Lyricist - Kelly Clarkson, Performer - Kelly Clarkson, Vocal
(P) 2004 Walt Disney Records
Martin Sandberg, Composer - Martin Sandberg, Lyricist - Serban Ghenea, Mixing Engineer - Lukasz "Doctor Luke" Gottwald, Composer - Lukasz "Doctor Luke" Gottwald, Lyricist - Lukasz "Doctor Luke" Gottwald, Producer - Lukasz "Doctor Luke" Gottwald, Recording Engineer - Lukasz "Doctor Luke" Gottwald, Performer - Olle Dahlstedt, Drums - John Hanes, Engineer - Lasse Mårtén, Recording Engineer - Lasse Mårtén, Engineer - Max Martin, Producer - Max Martin, Recording Engineer - Max Martin, Performer - Tim Roberts, 2nd Engineer - Johan Brorsson, Engineer - Kelly Clarkson, Performer - Kelly Clarkson, Vocal
(P) 2004 19 Recordings Limited
Martin Sandberg, Composer - Martin Sandberg, Lyricist - Kevin Guarnieri, Recording Engineer - Serban Ghenea, Mixing Engineer - Jason Rankins, 2nd Engineer - Lukasz "Doctor Luke" Gottwald, Composer - Lukasz "Doctor Luke" Gottwald, Lyricist - Lukasz "Doctor Luke" Gottwald, Producer - Lukasz "Doctor Luke" Gottwald, Recording Engineer - Lukasz "Doctor Luke" Gottwald, Performer - Lasse Mårtén, Recording Engineer - Lasse Mårtén, Engineer - John Hanes, Engineer - Shawn Pelton, Drums - Max Martin, Producer - Max Martin, Recording Engineer - Max Martin, Performer - Tim Roberts, 2nd Engineer - Johan Brorsson, 2nd Engineer - Johan Brorsson, Engineer - Kelly Clarkson, Performer - Kelly Clarkson, Composer - Kelly Clarkson, Lyricist - Kelly Clarkson, Vocal
(P) 2004 19 Recordings Limited
Serban Ghenea, Mixing Engineer - David Campbell, Arranger - Ben Moody, Composer - Ben Moody, Lyricist - Ben Moody, Producer - Ben Moody, Guitar - Dan Certa, Recording Engineer - John Hanes, Engineer - Marty O'Brien, Acoustic Bass - Tim Roberts, 2nd Engineer - Sergio Chavez, 2nd Engineer - David Hodges, Composer - David Hodges, Lyricist - David Hodges, Producer - David Hodges, Piano - David Hodges, Arranger - Kelly Clarkson, Performer - Kelly Clarkson, Composer - Kelly Clarkson, Lyricist - Kelly Clarkson, Vocal - Mark Colbert, Drums
(P) 2004 19 Recordings Limited
Lars Fox, Engineer - Jeff Rothschild, Mixing Engineer - Jeff Rothschild, Engineer - Jeff Rothschild, Drums - Kara DioGuardi, Composer - Kara DioGuardi, Lyricist - Glenn Pittman, 2nd Engineer - Mark Valentine, Engineer - John Hanes, Engineer - Paul Bushnell, Acoustic Bass - John Shanks, Guitar - John Shanks, Keyboards - John Shanks, Composer - John Shanks, Acoustic Bass - John Shanks, Lyricist - John Shanks, Mixing Engineer - John Shanks, Producer - Kelly Clarkson, Performer - Kelly Clarkson, Vocal
(P) 2004 19 Recording Limited
Serban Ghenea, Mixing Engineer - David Campbell, Arranger - Ben Moody, Producer - Ben Moody, Guitar - Ben Moody, Composer - Ben Moody, Lyricist - John Hanes, Engineer - Dan Certa, Recording Engineer - Marty O'Brien, Acoustic Bass - Tim Roberts, 2nd Engineer - David Hodges, Composer - David Hodges, Producer - David Hodges, Lyricist - David Hodges, Piano - David Hodges, Arranger - David Hodges, Programmer - Sergio Chavez, 2nd Engineer - Kelly Clarkson, Performer - Kelly Clarkson, Vocal - Kelly Clarkson, Lyricist - Kelly Clarkson, Composer - Mark Colbert, Drums
(P) 2004 19 Recordings Limited
Victor Lawrence, Strings - Mark Robertson, Strings - Tim Roberts, 2nd Engineer - Brian Garcia, Engineer - Cameron Webb, Recording Engineer - Cameron Webb, Engineer - Phil X, Guitar - Shalini Vijayan, Strings - Kara DioGuardi, Composer - Kara DioGuardi, Lyricist - Mark Kiczula, 2nd Engineer - Kelly Clarkson, Vocal - Kelly Clarkson, Performer - Kelly Clarkson, Composer - Kelly Clarkson, Lyricist - Jason Lader, Programmer - Jason Lader, Acoustic Bass - Randy Cook, Drums - Raine Maida, Producer - Raine Maida, Guitar - Raine Maida, Arranger - Raine Maida, Engineer - John Hanes, Engineer - Shanti Randall, Strings - Serban Ghenea, Mixing Engineer - Chantal Kreviazuk, Producer - Chantal Kreviazuk, Composer - Chantal Kreviazuk, Lyricist - Chantal Kreviazuk, Arranger - Jon Berkowitz, 2nd Engineer
(P) 2004 19 Recordings Limited
Victor Lawrence, Strings - Mark Robertson, Strings - Tim Roberts, 2nd Engineer - Brian Garcia, Engineer - Cameron Webb, Engineer - Cameron Webb, Recording Engineer - Phil X, Guitar - Shalini Vijayan, Strings - Kara DioGuardi, Composer - Kara DioGuardi, Lyricist - Kara DioGuardi, Producer - Mark Kiczula, 2nd Engineer - Kelly Clarkson, Composer - Kelly Clarkson, Lyricist - Kelly Clarkson, Vocal - Kelly Clarkson, Performer - Jason Lader, Acoustic Bass - Jason Lader, Programmer - Randy Cook, Drums - Raine Maida, Guitar - Raine Maida, Lyricist - Raine Maida, Arranger - Raine Maida, Producer - Raine Maida, Composer - Raine Maida, Engineer - John Hanes, Engineer - Shanti Randall, Strings - Serban Ghenea, Mixing Engineer - Chantal Kreviazuk, Arranger - Chantal Kreviazuk, Lyricist - Chantal Kreviazuk, Composer - Chantal Kreviazuk, Producer - Jon Berkowitz, 2nd Engineer
(P) 2004 19 Recordings Limited
Lars Fox, Engineer - Jeff Rothschild, Engineer - Kara DioGuardi, Lyricist - Kara DioGuardi, Composer - Serban Ghenea, Mixing Engineer - Glenn Pittman, 2nd Engineer - Mark Valentine, Engineer - John Hanes, Engineer - Tim Roberts, 2nd Engineer - John Shanks, Keyboards - John Shanks, Guitar - John Shanks, Composer - John Shanks, Acoustic Bass - John Shanks, Producer - John Shanks, Mixing Engineer - John Shanks, Lyricist - Kenny Aronoff, Drums - Kelly Clarkson, Vocal - Kelly Clarkson, Performer
(P) 2004 19 Recording Limited
Kara DioGuardi, Lyricist - Kara DioGuardi, Composer - Serban Ghenea, Mixing Engineer - Mark Kiczula, 2nd Engineer - Josh Freese, Drums - Clif Magness, Programmer - Clif Magness, Guitar - Clif Magness, Engineer - Clif Magness, Keyboards - Clif Magness, Acoustic Bass - Clif Magness, Producer - John Hanes, Engineer - Shep Solomon, Composer - Shep Solomon, Lyricist - Tim Roberts, 2nd Engineer - Kelly Clarkson, Performer - Kelly Clarkson, Vocal - Cameron Webb, Edited By - Jimmy Harry, Lyricist - Jimmy Harry, Composer
(P) 2004 19 Recordings Limited
Kara DioGuardi, Composer - Kara DioGuardi, Lyricist - Serban Ghenea, Mixing Engineer - Mark Kiczula, 2nd Engineer - Josh Freese, Drums - Clif Magness, Engineer - Clif Magness, Acoustic Bass - Clif Magness, Piano - Clif Magness, Programmer - Clif Magness, Composer - Clif Magness, Lyricist - Clif Magness, Keyboards - Clif Magness, Producer - Clif Magness, Guitar - John Hanes, Engineer - Tim Roberts, 2nd Engineer - Kelly Clarkson, Vocal - Kelly Clarkson, Composer - Kelly Clarkson, Performer - Kelly Clarkson, Lyricist - Cameron Webb, Edited By
(P) 2004 19 Recordings Limtied
Jason Halbert, Arranger - Jason Halbert, Piano - Rebekah Jordan, Composer - Rebekah Jordan, Lyricist - Renson Mateo, 2nd Engineer - Aaron Lepley, 2nd Engineer - Brad Gilderman, Mixing Engineer - Kelly Clarkson, Performer - Kelly Clarkson, Vocal - Matthew Wilder, Composer - Matthew Wilder, Lyricist - Toby Francis, Engineer
(P) 2004 19 Recordings Limited
Album review
Kelly Clarkson was the first American Idol winner and the first vocalist to achieve success, but her 2003 debut, Thankful, didn't completely define her outside of the parameters of the show. While the dance-pop and adult contemporary ballads on that record were fresher than the music on AmIdol, Clarkson still hadn't escaped the show's shadow entirely: since it was a hit so close to her time on TV, it was easy to pigeonhole her as simply a creation of television, not a popular singer in her own right. So, her second album, Breakaway, released late in 2004, was a pivotal moment for her, a chance to prove that she was not a one-hit wonder, a chance to prove that she could have a real, vibrant career. Happily, Breakaway delivers on that promise. This time around, the dance-pop elements have been almost entirely stripped away, and the record instead is a rock-influenced, MOR pop affair, not entirely dissimilar to Ashlee Simpson's Autobiography, only a little bit smoother and not as heavy on guitars. Since Clarkson is a better singer than Simpson -- not only does she possess more chops, but she has more on-record charisma -- she can sell the material even when the slow tempos in the middle of record drag its momentum; she prevents the songs from sounding too samey. While there may be one too many ballads here, they often are very good and sometimes are excellent, like the light, layered, yearning title tune. Clarkson may be a fine ballad singer, but what gives Breakaway its spine are the driving, anthemic pop tunes like "Since U Been Gone," "Walk Away," and "You Found Me." These are the numbers that sound simultaneously mainstream and youthful, which is a hard trick to pull off, and they are the tracks that illustrate that Kelly Clarkson is a rare thing in the 2000s: a pop singer who's neither hip nor square, just solidly and enjoyably in the mainstream. After a bunch of rather blah mainstream pop albums, including a glut of half-baked AmIdol projects, this is a nice, low-key relief.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:44:35
- Main artists: Kelly Clarkson
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: RCA Records Label
- Genre: Pop/Rock
(P) 2004 19 Recordings Limited
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