Kelly Clarkson - chemistry (2023)

Kelly Clarkson's 10th album has been a long time coming. She started working on it back in 2019, the same year her now-hit talk show debuted. By June 2020, mere months into pandemic lockdowns, Clarkson announced her divorce from her husband of seven years—the father of her two children, the son of her manager and the stepson of her mentor, country legend Reba McEntire. So, yeah, she had some stuff going on. Even though it took another three years to get that album out the door, Clarkson has managed to get the whole story on it—as well as a plethora of guest stars including Sheila E. drumming on "That’s Right." With a barely-there musical accompaniment for her trademark vocal acrobatics, "Mine" looks back with 20-20 hindsight. "You know I question every motive, everything you say … Can't believe I let you in, I can't believe I stayed/ As long as I stayed," she sings before enacting a bit of classy revenge: "Someone's gonna show you how a heart can be used/ Like you did mine." The gloves are off, however, for "Red Flag Collector," which ropes in mariachi horns, the wa-pow! of a cracking whip and other spaghetti Western touches to let you know Clarkson is in a showdown mood. "Sure, you can have the towels/ You can take my money/ Drag my name 'round town/ I don't mind, I changed it anyway," she shrugs in a style that's pretty nonchalant for a woman who's reportedly worth $45 million. "So run your mouth, puff your chest/ Play cowboy in the wild, wild west." It's a good diss track—and as spirited as anything off 2011's beloved Stronger. Co-written by teenaged singer-songwriter Gayle of "abcdefu" fame, gospel-like "Me" finds Clarkson in empowerment mode—reclaiming her old "Miss Independent" title and declaring she's living for herself and not some man. It's also a showcase for the standard-bearer vocal runs that a whole generation of American Idol contestants have tried to emulate. Clarkson hits the out-of-this-stratosphere notes that only she can do with such crystalline purity and depth on "Favorite Kind of High," a glistening dance-floor track co-written by Carly Rae Jepsen (and it shows) and blessed with Chic-funk guitar. The disco diva act suits Clarkson well as she sings about falling head over heels in love. Indeed, she's still got it in her, and she's ready to use the hard-earned lessons learned. "I Hate Love," a dramatic Broadway-worthy number that features Steve Martin on banjo, includes a clever little meta wink at the lyrics: "I hate love/ And The Notebook lied/ It's Complicated is more like what happens/ So you can keep Gosling and I'll take Steve Martin.

TRACKLIST

1. Kelly Clarkson - skip this part
2. Kelly Clarkson - mine
3. Kelly Clarkson - high road
4. Kelly Clarkson - me
5. Kelly Clarkson - down to you
6. Kelly Clarkson - chemistry
7. Kelly Clarkson - favorite kind of high
8. Kelly Clarkson - magic
9. Kelly Clarkson - lighthouse
10. Kelly Clarkson - rock hudson
11. Kelly Clarkson - my mistake
12. Kelly Clarkson - red flag collector
13. Kelly Clarkson;Steve Martin - i hate love (feat. Steve Martin)
14. Kelly Clarkson;Sheila E. - that’s right (feat. Sheila E)