Kelly Clarkson is still on top of her vocal game, but her seventh studio album marks a drab return to the spotlight for a superstar.
Kelly Clarkson/ Piece By Piece
It’s been 13 years since Kelly Clarkson snatched the title of American Idol in its inaugural season with the anthemic ballad A Moment Like This. Throughout the course of six platinum studio albums, Clarkson has proven time and again that she has one of the best voices in the business — a fact that more than makes up for a lack of big personality deemed crucial in the pop landscape.
Now, following her 2013 Christmas album and pregnancy, the Texan singer-songwriter makes a comeback with Piece By Piece, her first full-length record since 2011’s Stronger. Working with longtime collaborator Greg Kurstin (Lana Del Rey, Katy Perry) as well as producers Chris DeStefano (Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert) and Jesse Shatkin (Ellie Goulding, Sia), she has delivered a standard pop album with a few solid gems.
Lead single Heartbeat Song kicks off with a sampling of the in-utero heartbeat of her daughter while she triumphantly announces her return: “This is my heartbeat song and I’m gonna play it/Been so long I forgot how to turn it up up up up all night long.” It’s an immediate jam underpinned by pulsating punk-pop guitars and the Idol champ’s signature powerful pipes. Then, abruptly, the mood shifts on Invincible, a surging power ballad co-written by the Chandelier singer Sia Furler. Right off the bat, the Australian songwriter’s influence can be detected from the opening line (“You know I was broke down, I had hit the ground I was crying out, I couldn’t make no sound”) down to Clarkson’s vocal phrasing.
The EDM-inspired Take You High is a revelation for it contains some meaty chopped-up vocals that wouldn’t feel out of place on an indie synth-pop album. Also outstanding is the emotionally raw title track where she wears her heart on her sleeve, singing about being collected piece by piece after having been wronged. But after such a promising start, the album unfortunately fizzles out when it arrives at less memorable tracks like Someone, I Had a Dream, and surprisingly, the John Legend-assisted ballad Run Run Run.
Save for the first few tracks, the majority of Piece By Piece leans toward being by-the-numbers mid-tempo balladry. And while she’s doing a stellar job at that, the album comes across as monotonous and lacklustre. Moments of brilliance are eclipsed by the severe lack of Clarkson’s glorious flair for independence and rebellion as previously displayed on a string of hits like Since You’ve Been Gone, Stronger, Mr Know It All, and Catch My Breath. If you’re one of those people who after all these years are still fascinated by Clarkson’s vocal prowess, this album will not disappoint. Casual fans, however, might want to give this one a miss. n
Sqweez Animal/ Secretive (Bok Mai Dai)
Indie-pop duo Sqweez Animal returns with the new single Secretive (Bok Mai Dai). As with their past material, the track boasts lush melodies paired with highly relatable lyrics. Vocalist Win muses about the object of impossible love. If that sounds a bit depressing, rest assured that it’s actually not. These guys still haven’t lost the knack for imbuing sad feelings with a sprinkling of hope and optimism.
The National/ Sunshine On My Back
Sunshine On My Back is a previously unreleased track salvaged from the cutting room floor and recorded during The National’s sessions for 2013's Trouble Will Find Me. Featuring vocals from indie singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten, the song finds frontman Matt Berninger expertly waxing melancholy, singing, “Sunshine on my back is the only kind I like/Sunshine in my brain is the lonely kind of pain” over the downcast guitar-driven melody. It’s one of those masterful slow burners the band has long perfected, and should tide fans over until the new album comes out.
Rihanna/ American Oxygen
It’s been something of an eclectic ride so far concerning Rihanna’s comeback. First we had the acoustic offering Four-FiveSeconds (featuring Kanye West and Paul McCartney) followed by the bold and bratty Bitch Better Have My Money. With her latest, American Oxygen, RiRi gets uncharacteristically political as she serves up a biting anthem about the ol’ US of A. “Breathe out, breathe in American oxygen/Every breath I breathe,” she seems to reference Eric Garner’s death before touching on the American dream. “We sweat for a nickel and a dime/Turn it into an empire.”
Giorgio Moroder (featuring Sia)/ Deja Vu
Before the release of his first new LP in three decades, Deja Vu, Italo-disco grandmaster Giorgio Moroder has shared the title track featuring Australian singer-songwriter Sia. The track doesn’t stray too far from Moroder’s modus operandi, which means there’s a lot of funky basslines and disco flavourings on offer. Sia, currently working with everyone, fits right into the ’70s mould, belting out lyrics about the universal sentiment that is falling in love (“And when you came my heart was saved/I’ve known you for lifetime, baby I’ve fallen for you”). Aside from Sia, the Scarface and Flashdance composer's forthcoming album features pop divas like Kylie Minogue, Kelis and Britney Spears, who covers the Suzanne Vega hit Tom’s Diner.
Peter, Bjorn and John/ High Up (Take Me to the Top)
Remember Peter, Bjorn and John, the Swedish indie-pop trio behind twee earworm Young Folks? Well, after a four-year hiatus following 2011’s Gimme Some, they are back with High Up (Take Me to the Top). Released as part of the second compilation album on their label Ingrid, the song marks quite a departure from the group’s preppy sounds with a series of house-inspired loops, percussive elements and industrial textures. However, lyrically, it’s still as uplifting and joyous as anything they have touched upon throughout their career. n
