Kelly Clarkson
Breakaway

On first listen, this singer's voice - one of many - might sound like a déjà-vu. It could be that we've heard many singers like this one. Probably, the vocal timbre in this case might remind us of Avril Lavigne.

But a quick listen to the live track included in this second album by Kelly Clarkson titled "Breakaway" shows that the gap between the two is immense.

In reality, the musical style is very similar. The first track, the titular "Breakaway," was notably co-written with Avril Lavigne. It is a pleasant mid-tempo to listen to, but it doesn't particularly stand out. Much more interesting is the acoustic version presented by Kelly in her various performances. But proceeding with the listening, we arrive at the second track, the well-known "Since U Been Gone," which has attracted media attention to the new style of the singer, who in the first album had plunged into the most banal and well-known pop. Here we find her dealing with an extremely energetic sound, with explosive riffs. Clarkson seems truly unstoppable! And all this energy continues in the third track, "Behind These Hazel Eyes," where her vocal range is at its peak!

The fourth track takes us back to a well-known songwriter. We are talking about Ben Moody, former member of Evanescence, who for the Texas star writes a memorable ballad, "Because Of You," simple in melody. This is precisely the strong point of the song, which stands out from the multitude of ballads churned out, precisely for the unelaborated melodic texture. All this definitely adds great credibility to the song, which is therefore exclusively based on the singer's very particular timbre.

The tranquility, however, doesn't last long. We immediately return to fast notes with the fifth track, "Gone." Here too, plenty of grit. Nothing new, in short. But the trick works, the rhythm is good, Kelly gives it her all. Right after, we encounter another little trick. "Addicted" is also a song composed by Ben Moody that exudes pain, sadness, and anger. And the guitars give the sensation of facing an up-tempo again. But in reality, it's a very normal mid-tempo made extremely interesting by the meticulously crafted musical arrangements! Again, however, the trick works because the song is simply captivating.

The weak points of the CD start from the seventh track to the tenth, where we find enjoyable songs but they don't stand out. The only exception is "Walk Away," where Kelly Clarkson's grit fills the gaps left by not-so-great songwriting. Fortunately, the CD bounces back with "Hear Me" and "Beautiful Disaster (live)." The last track itself doesn't have much special, but the fact that it is a live version enhances it significantly, since finding singers of such talent nowadays is not easy.

Overall, the judgment on this CD remains very positive. However, no fifth star, due to those three or four tracks that sound more like a "filler." Pity, Kelly had really raised our expectations!