There has been much media hype (or anti-hype) surrounding Kelly Clarkson's sophomore album My December. The press has really dug into her, saying her new CD isn't great. All this on top of canceling her scheduled summer tour and parting ways with her long-time manager.Despite all the negative attention Kelly was receiving recently, I decided to pick up her album during my lunch break yesterday. I didn't have a chance to listen to the disc in depth yet, but I did focus my attention on the tunes during my commute to work this morning. I will say this: it is not a bad album. Even after listening to it quickly I will say that. Is it a really good album? Not sure if I can make that claim just yet. In case you don't know, Kelly avoiding using hit-making producers and writers like her last album, and decided to write and produce on her own. To me, the songs all sound very similar to each other, but that doesn't mean they're not good songs. There doesn't seem to be any obvious radio hits like Breakaway's "Since U Been Gone," but could anything live up to a monster hit like that? Doubtful.
I haven't seen any figures or data about how well the album is selling (it did just come out yesterday) but I've spoken to a large number of people who made the effort to pick up the CD on the day of its release. The truth is that people like Kelly Clarkson. They just do. She is likable. Not only is she an amazing singer, but she seems like a genuinely nice person and people gravitate towards that.I think it's interesting how much we are affected by things we read in magazines and on blogs; especially sites like PerezHilton.com, which I am a loyal reader. Sites like Perez have been blasting her album and actions and really have an impact on what consumers think. Regardless... I think Kelly will get out of her sophomore slump. She's definitely an artist that will be around for a long time.
You can check out more music samples and photos over at KellyClarkson.com or visit her official MySpace page in addition. If you have the album, let me know what you think!