The former "American Idol" winner went from down-home darling to bona fide pop diva on 2004's breakout "Breakaway," and follow-up "My December" is equally ambitious. The record skips from rock-tinged soundscapes to downy ballads--and is at its best when mixing the two.
After the tremendous success of 2004's Breakaway, which sold 6 million in the U.S. and 11 million worldwide on the strength of such #1 hits as "Since U Been Gone," the title track, "Behind These Hazel Eyes," "Because of You" and "Walk Away," Kelly Clarkson earned the right to make the kind of album she wanted to make for her third RCA Records effort, My December. Produced by Grammy winner David Kahne [The Strokes, Bangles, Sugar Ray, Sublime, Paul McCartney], My December is Clarkson’s most personal album yet, all of which she’s either written or co- written. Whether it’s the funky new wave of “One Minute” or the startlingly confessional “Sober,” My December shows another side of Kelly Clarkson.
On the heels of her first single from the album, “Never Again,” which has already climbed into the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Sober,” a dramatic, cascading ballad is widely released to radio and internet media. Anticipation for My December builds with the release less than three weeks away.