"Empty Handed" & "After the Love"

I'm not sure how I missed this, but nearly ten months ago two unreleased Kelly Clarkson songs, "Empty Handed" and "After the Love," hit the web. I stumbled upon them this weekend, so if you too missed them, they're embedded below. "Empty Handed" is the better of the two, and while neither would be chart busters, they're singer-songwriter ditties that'll please any Clarkson fan.

"Empty Handed":



"After the Love":

"This Could Break My Heart or Save Me"

I haven't written about Kelly Clarkson in 160 days. For me, that's probably 159 days too many. So here's a "just because" Kelly post.

Back in 2007, Ms. Clarkson's second single, "Sober," from her album My December tanked. It went nowhere on the radio and online sales were sparse. The song's poor performance effectively ended promotion for the album and it was labeled a failure. However, nearly three years later, "Sober" is still one of the best song's in Kelly's repertoire. If you haven't heard it, or if it's been a while, take a listen:

"Instead of Just This Song, You Have My Heart"

In lieu of a quote for the week, more new acoustic songs from Ms. Clarkson. It's definitely not bubblegum pop, but I love it - especially "Song To You."

"Song To You:"


"Hand-Me-Downs:"


"White Horse" (Taylor Swift cover):

Unreleased (Live) Kelly: "Poison Candy," "Far From Home," and "Don't"

Two new songs from VIP shows of Kelly Clarkson's All I Ever Wanted tour leaked this week, and I am obsessed. Singer/songwriter Kelly is back in full force with these songs, and I love it. Then again, I love anything she does.

"Poison Candy:"


"Far From Home:"


And just for old times sake, my all-time favorite unreleased Kelly song, "Don't."

Top 10 (Mainstream) Songs of the Decade (Sorta)

1. " Since U Been Gone" - Kelly Clarkson (2004)
This should be no surprise. "Since U Been Gone" is pop rock perfection. From the opening guitar riffs to Clarkson's gale-force vocals to the in-your-face lyrics, "Since U Been Gone" is irresistible. The ranking wasn't even a contest. The "Since U Been Gone" play count on Jason's iTunes: 450. The next closest song? 295. Enough said.

2. "So What" - P!nk (2008)
Max Martin is a pop God. Afterall, he did write the two best pop songs of the 2000's. Like Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone," "So What" is a massive hit that will define P!nk's career. The lyrics are simple, yet the singer's matter-of-fact attitude matched with the fist-pumping chorus prove that P!nk is still a rockstar.

3. "Single Ladies" - Beyoncé (2008)
Beyoncé could've dominated this list with songs like "Crazy in Love," "Irreplaceable," "If I Were A Boy," and "Halo." However none of those hits meets the cultural significance of "Single Ladies." Paired with a flawless video, "Single Ladies" is still being parodied more than a year after its release. Everyone agrees, Sasha is fierce.

4. "SexyBack" - Justin Timberlake (2006)
The 2000's were good to Mr. Timberlake. Not only did he launch a successful solo career, but he helped pen and produce songs for artists like Madonna and Nelly Furtado. However, none of those efforts were as good as Timberlake's own "SexyBack." The pulse pounding beat and stylized vocals truly do make FutureSex/LoveSounds.

5. "We Belong Together" - Mariah Carey (2005)
Comebacks don't get better than this. Mariah may be known for her pop ballads, but she stormed back on the scene in 2005 with this R&B jam. The quickfire verses combined with Carey's subdued delivery made for the biggest gamble of the singer's career. The calculated risk paid off, as she made the best R&B song of the decade.

6. "Not Ready to Make Nice" - Dixie Chicks (2006)
The best thing George W. Bush did as president was piss off the Dixie Chicks. Had Natalie Maines not openly dissed the president and faced the backlash of Middle America, we would've never been graced with "Not Ready to Make Nice." Performed with authentic heartbreak and anger, "Not Ready to Make Nice" is the best song to come from country's preeminent girl group.

7. "Gold Digger" - Kanye West (2005)
He has the biggest ego in Hollywood, but Kanye West knows how to make music. Few artists know how to stay as fresh, current, and original as Kanye, and "Gold Digger" is his best song. With the opening line of, "She take my money, well I'm in need" to the chorus shouting of, "We want pre-nup!," "Gold Digger" will be stuck in your head for days.

8. "This Love" - Maroon 5 (2002)
Adam Levine's voice is one of the most distinctive voices to rise from the 2000's and "This Love" serves as a showcase for his trademark falsetto. The rest of the band isn't too shabby either, with the guitars and piano providing a sublime, sexy background for Levine's voice.

9. The Breakaway Trifecta - "Breakaway" / "Behind These Hazel Eyes" / "Because of You" Kelly Clarkson (2004/2005)
"My Life Would Suck Without You" or "Already Gone" could have filled Kelly slot number two on my list. However, 2004 was the year that Ms. Clarkson took the world by storm, and I could not ignore singles one, three, and four from one of pop music's best albums. Each song showed a different side of the original American Idol's voice, and each was a raging success both in America and across the globe.

10. The 2009 Trio - "You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift / "Use Somebody" - Kings of Leon / "Poker Face" - Lady Gaga (2009)
I am aware that I've cheated and included more that ten songs on this list, but there were too many options. The decade's final year included career-making songs from Taylor Swift, Kings of Leon, and Lady Gaga. Taylor's simple and piercing voice worked flawlessly with the lyrics on "You Belong With Me," the indie group Kings of Leon finally went mainstream with the monster hit "Use Somebody," and Lady Gaga made dance music cool again with "Poker Face." Now, as we enter a new decade, hopefully each artist can continue to redefine themselves and make music that matters.

Two Are Better Than One

This wouldn't be my blog without a weekly Kelly posting.

Last week, Ms. Clarkson, at her Halloween show in Missouri, poked fun at the "Ryan Tedder spat" by performing a mashup of "Already Gone" and Beyonce's "Halo." It could be better, but it still oozes awesomeness.

The video:


Grammy nominations are nearly a month away -- they'll be announced on a primetime show on December 2 -- but I can't help but pray that both "Already Gone" and "Halo" are nominated for Song of the Year. It will never happen, and "Halo" has the advantage, because Kelly shot herself in the foot with her public comments, but they're still two of the best (and my favorite) songs of 2009. Despite the controversy surrounding the backing tracks, the songs could not be more different lyrically or vocally. Kelly's is evocative and haunting while Beyonce's is hopeful and sweeping.

In reality, Kelly will likely be shut out of major categories, but I hope that Grammy producers share her tongue-in-cheek humor when planning the Grammy night performances. It would be incredible to watch two of pop music's best voices share the stage and sing the other's song. Beyonce would add an ethereal quality to "Already Gone" and Kelly could inject "Halo" with raw emotion.

I'll keep on dreaming...

(Video via mj's big blog)

Oops! She Did It Again

It's not news to anyone, but Britney Spears is back. This week, Britney became the first artist in over a decade to debut a "non-American Idol coronation song" at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The last artist to do so was Lauryn Hill with "Doo Wop (That Thing)" in November 1998.

Britney's new song, "3" is an absolute trash fest, and I'm not just talking about the song's subject. Though Britney has reached new skanky heights by singing about the appeal of threesomes. I don't even know if you can call "3" a song. It hardly has a hook and Britney's goat bleating (aka singing) is at its worst. The song's appeal is dumbfounding. I'd rather listen Sanjaya Malakar cover No Doubt's "Bathwater." Oh wait, that already happened.

Now I'm not one to have superior musical taste. I have Britney songs like "Oops! I Did it Again" and "Lucky" on my iPod. (At least Britney attempted to have a voice back then.) However, her new "music" has jumped the shark. Sure, "Womanizer" and "Gimme More" were "foot tap" worthy, but don't get me started on "Radar" and "If U Seek Amy."

I'm not sure what Britney's recent success says about the music industry. We live in a time where singers rely on synthesizers and vocal modulation. Some don't even bother to try and sing live (Britney!) while others try but sound heinous (I'm looking at you Katy Perry). Again, I am as big offender as anyone when it comes to falling for catchy music, but when the most talented new singers of the last decade come from reality television, I think we have a problem.

So even though Britney is a talentless hack, at least we have Kelly Clarkson. (You didn't really think I'd write a post on music without bringing her into the mix, did you? Come on now. Lets be serious.) On her new tour, she covers (and absolutely kills) the White Stripes' "7 Nation Army," and shows why there is still hope for the future of pop music. Watch the video below and enjoy.

"You Know that I Could Use Somebody"

Kelly Clarkson launched her "All I Ever Wanted" tour yesterday, and rather than bitch about how sad I am that I can't see her, I'll just post tour videos periodically. Thank God for YouTube.

Here she is singing a mash-up of Alanis Morissette's "That I Would Be Good" and Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" (one of my favorite songs of the year). Pretty awesome.

Enjoy.



via mj's big blog.

Utah Sundays

Since the Mormons run this town, and there's nothing better to do on Sundays, I've been watching YouTube videos all morning. In doing so, I came across my all-time favorite American Idol performances:

Jennifer Hudson, "Circle of Life:"


Kimberley Locke & Frenchie Davis, "Band of Gold:"


Carrie Underwood, "Alone:"


Kelly Clarkson, "Stuff Like That There:"

Kelly Clarkson Needs Some PR Help

The Internet was all abuzz this weekend of the latest spat between Kelly Clarkson and her record label (RCA) over her new single "Already Gone." In this article with the CBC, Clarkson says that she wrote "Already Gone" with One Republic frontman Ryan Tedder last year and then he subsequently gave the same backing track to Beyonce for her song "Halo." In her own words:

"Ryan and I met each other at the record label, before he was working with anyone else... We wrote about six songs together, four or five of them made the album. It was all fine and dandy. I’d never heard of a song called "Halo." Her album came out when my album was already being printed. No-one’s gonna be sittin’ at home, thinking ‘Man, Ryan Tedder gave Beyonce and Kelly the same track to write to.’ No, they’re just gonna be saying I ripped someone off. I called Ryan and said, ‘I don’t understand. Why would you do that?"

Kelly goes on to say that she "fought and fought" the record company not to release "Already Gone," but, "“In the end, they’re releasing it without my consent. It sucks, but it’s one of those things I have no control over. I already made my album. At this point, the record company can do whatever they want with it. It’s kind of a shitty situation, but.… You know, you learn.”

As a fan, I appreciate Clarkson's candor, and hopefully this means that Ryan Tedder and his same-same ballads go away from the airwaves for a while. However, this spat should have never been made public, and someone in Clarkson's camp needs to tell her that. While any publicity is usually good publicity, it's a lot better when it's positive. "Already Gone" is a great song, with a haunting chorus, and the quality of the music should be allowed to speak for itself. Plus, the Top 40 audience likely wouldn't even be able to tell the difference between the two diva's ballads. Instead Clarkson is stuck with another public battle with her record label and no one wins.

Kelly, is you're listening, please hire new PR council stat. Keep your interaction with the media positive and happy, and fight the corporate big wigs behind closed doors. I'm sure more than a few of your fans would be willing to help out, and some might even be qualified (pick me, pick me!)

The Kelly/Beyonce mash up:


The "Already Gone" video (which apparently RCA nixed the concept for as well):

All She Ever Wanted

Kelly Clarkson's new album, All I Ever Wanted, should probably be titled The Great Compromise. After 2004's multi-platinum, Grammy-winning album Breakaway, Clarkson fell flat on her face in 2007 with a highly-publicized spat with RCA head honcho Clive Davis and a much maligned (and extremely underrated) album, My December. Fast forward to 2009, and the original American Idol is back, now (supposedly) getting along with Davis and ready to reclaim her title as the reigning Queen of Pop.

All I Ever Wanted is an obvious truce between Davis and Clarkson, and it's a win-win for everyone. It's almost obvious which tracks Clarkson picked for the album and which were Davis' favorites. Several songs are heavily-influenced by 2008 Top 40 artists like Colbie Caillat ("I Want You"), Katy Perry ("Long Shot"), and Sara Bareilles ("Ready"), but in every instance Clarkson proves that her vocal ability is something those artists can only dream of. Despite the record label's heavy-handed touch, Wanted's most radio-friendly anthems ("My Life Would Suck Without You" and "I Do Not Hook Up") are undoubtedly Clarkson. Even with all of the bubble gum pop, Clarkson still manages to showcase her introspective side on self-penned ballads like "Impossible" and "Already Gone."

Ultimately, if All I Ever Wanted proves one thing, it's that all Clarkson ever wanted was to be a singing superstar, and the album leaves no doubt that, yeah, our life would probably suck without her.

Grade: A-