Kelly Clarkson, chemistry | Album Review 💿

Grammy-winning pop superstar Kelly Clarkson remains a steady, consistent artist on her tenth album, the divorce-fueled chemistry.

Sometimes, it takes a dramatic life event to fuel the musical fire. That is indeed the case for 🏆 Grammy-winning pop superstar 🎙 Kelly Clarkson.  Divorce is the central topic of her tenth album, 💿 chemistry.  While none of us wishes the heartache and love pain that Clarkson sings about on chemistry for the original American Idol winner, the result is yet another enjoyable, well-rounded pop album.  Chemistry is not game changing, but it doesn’t need to be.  This is Kelly Clarkson doing what she does best: singing utterly sublimely. 

“Skip this part” 

“Can I skip this part / When I fall to pieces / Back here at start / Need a time machine…” Kelly Clarkson commences chemistry with a bang with 🤩 🎵 “skip this part.” Fittingly, the ballad is emotional, tackling Clarkson’s divorce to Brandon Blackstock.  Specifically, she seeks to skip the messiness, including “gossip and shame.” “Skip this part” finds Kelly singing angelically (when doesn’t she?) and delivering an authentic, well-rounded performance.  The timbre of the record (🎛 Jason Halbert produces) proves to be another selling point, perfectly matching Clarkson as an artist.

“Can’t believe I let you in, I can’t believe I stayed / As long as I stayed…” Matters of the heart are on full display on 🤩 🎵 “mine”, the promo single from chemistry. On “mine,” Clarkson reflects post-relationship, seeking to heal from the pain (“And now I second guess my thoughts every step I take / I’m losin’ hope in love, and I’ve lost all in faith”).  Penned alongside 🎼 ✍ 🎛 Erick Serna, and Jesse Shatkin, who also produces, it commences abruptly sans intro. As always, Clarkson’s vocals are radiant.  Furthermore, she has a tuneful melody to work with. The centerpiece is the powerful chorus, featuring a fabulous vocal arrangement and production.  Notably, during the chorus, we get a clever reference to Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind: “Go ahead and break my heart, that’s fine (So unkind) / Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind (Oh, love is blind) / Why am I missin’ you tonight? (Was it all a lie?) / Someone’s gonna show you how a heart can be used / Like you did mine.” The second verse ups the production, while the bridge features a unique change of pace and unexpected increase in tempo.  Clarkson asserts, “And you keep talkin’, it’ll come back, karma / Is the truth, I don’t make you look bad, you do, darlin’ / Sabotage, your choice of art / Who the hell do you think you are.” Ooh-wee!  🎵 “mine” = authentic, heartfelt, and enjoyable.   

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: April 2023 

On the third track, 🎵 “high road,” emotions continue to affect Kelly greatly.  On this powerful number, she feels the standard she tries to uphold is arduous.  People look up to her, and she tries to do her best, but in reality, she experiences her fair share of flaws, hurt, and pain.  The chorus is the centerpiece, where her robust pipes ring true. The other section to beat is the bridge: “It’s just an ego and my pride / I live my life in disguise / And when I’m hurtin’, it’s incognito / So everybody thinks I’m a hero.” The transparency and vulnerability in that specific moment is awesome. 

“me” 

🤩 🎵 “Me”, the fourth track and second single from chemistry, is another winner: “Buried myself into somebody else / Shout out some parts of me, did it so casually.” Clarkson penned it alongside 🎼 ✍ GAYLE and Josh Ronen, while Jesse Shatkin and Jason Halbert produce. Clarkson sings with a warm, reflective tone.  The palette of sounds supporting her initially are sweet: synths and keys. There is a great build-up – percolation – to the powerful, liberated chorus. “I don’t need somebody to hold me / Don’t need somebody to love me / Don’t need somebody to pick these pieces up,” she asserts, continuing, “I put together my broken / Let go of the pain I’ve been holdin’ / Don’t need to need somebody / When I got me.” She doesn’t need a man! Additionally, in the chorus, there is nice use of choral backing vocals accentuating the emotional lead. The second verse adds a beat and has a more traditional sound. There are also impressive ad-libs, showcasing her feelings. The second chorus is absolutely stunning. Likewise, the bridge – “I bet you feel the absence of my love every night / There’s no one else, you are the reason I said goodbye” – shines too. Marvelous vocals, authentic songwriting and theme, and picturesque production make 🎵 “me” beautiful. 

Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: April 2023

🎵 “Down to you” has a tough act to follow. The good news is it marks another consistent moment from chemistry.  “Down to you” is all about empowerment.  Kelly Clarkson refuses to engage with anyone who is going to bring her down. “I can’t dance with the devil on my back,” she asserts in the pre-chorus, adding, “Need somebody who can meet me where I’m at.” That’s the truth!  Furthermore, she truly sells the empowerment on the tuneful chorus, proclaiming, “These dark days are knockin’ on my door / You ain’t welcome ‘round here no more / On a different level than I was before / You can’t bring me down to you.” Love it! 🎵 “chemistry,” the two-and-a-half-minute title track, finds Clarkson avoiding him.  Why? She’s still in love with him, at least to some extent.  While she tries to pretend she’s no longer feeling him, “… I close my eyes and I’m right back fallin’.” This scientific number does a fine job of capturing the aftermath of a relationship where it is impossible not to still have feelings for the person.

“favorite kind of high”

Ah, there is nothing like being sky high… via love and romance, of course.  That is the high Clarkson touts on 🤩 🎵 “favorite kind of high”. The love is lit 🔥 to say the least: “So I close my eyes, kiss you how I like / I’ve been waitin’ for you.”  Kelly remains impressive in the vocal department.  She’s particularly strong once she ascends into that powerful, upper register.  The theme is simple but relatable: being so taken with someone that you’re willing to give into them without a hitch.  In the second verse, she asserts, “When you’re in the room, all I feel is you…” The best moment in this exuberant pop joint is the chorus, thanks to those feelings of L-O-V-E that dominate (“When it comes to lovin’ you / I don’t have no control / You’re my favorite kind of high”). Ultimately, it’s another high-flying record from Clarkson. 

Love continues to fuel the fire on 🎵 “magic.” “Magic” feels right sequentially following 🎵 “favorite kind of high”, which gives love a positive connotation too.  Clarkson touts the authenticity and realness of the love, even given the magical feeling. She is so enamored she asserts in the bridge, “I would dive into you deep / I would chance my defeat.” That is quite a plunge, indeed. The dynamic  🤩 🎵 “lighthouse” contrasts, with irreparable love, a perfect fit for a divorce album like chemistry. “Like a wave, you’re always crashin’ into me,” she sings in the memorable chorus, later adding, “No shootin’ stars can fix what we aren’t, and / What’s a good lighthouse when the light is burnin’ out?” A darker, more pessimistic record despite how we typically view a lighthouse, this is one of the better and most genuine joints from chemistry.  “What you loved, what you wanted, what you held / So high when we first met in hindsight,” she sings in the bridge, “Were the things that you tried and ask me to change / As if I could do that.” That hits different!

“rock hudson”

Admittedly, one of the songs I was most excited about reading through the chemistry was 🤩 🎵 “rock hudson.” 🎭 Rock Hudson was a beloved actor.  He was tall, dark, handsome, and, although discreet, gay. It is that wrinkle that makes “rock hudson” even more intriguing as a Kelly Clarkson song.  Kelly likens her ex to Hudson, a desirable, hunky man, who she thought was the real deal, yet, ultimately, it failed to work. Obviously, women desired to be with Hudson, but he was ultimately unattainable because he was gay. In the case of Clarkson and her ex-husband, she believed she’d found her real life movie star, but in reality, it just didn’t work out.  “Rock hudson” is one of the more thought provoking songs from chemistry thanks to the particular actor Clarkson name drops, and how she characterizes her love troubles.

🎵 “my mistake” fits right into the sequence of chemistry, particularly following “rock hudson.” Once again, Clarkson believes that the love they shared was unbreakable.  That, of course, is not how it went down. Given what’s went down, she calls it her mistake.  Like chemistry from top to bottom, Kelly sounds amazing vocally, growing better with time.

“red flag collector”

🤩 🎵 “red flag collector” provides a welcome contrast to chemistry, incorporating some country/western flavor into this pop joint.  The western flavor is pronounced at the onset, setting up a cowboy-ish vibe. Of course, it should be noted, Clarkson does sing, in the chorus, “Play cowboy in the wild, wild west.”  Furthermore, the record seems to reference the Montana ranch formerly lived in by the couple which belongs to Clarkson. Furthermore, the song is about the red flags Clarkson discovered about her ex.  Among the crème de la crème of chemistry, maybe the best thing about “red flag collector” are those signature, high-flying vocals.

“I hate love / It’s a bitch sometimes / Mama, I’m sorry for usin’ that word / But I only uses it when it applies.” Well, that says it all about the vibes on 🤩 🎵 “I hate love.” It’s no surprise Clarkson feels this way given so many of the love pain oriented songs on chemistry, particularly from “lighthouse” onward.  Notably on this single, she enlists the services of 🎙 Steve Martin, who plays the banjo.  Martin isn’t the only guest that arrives at the end of chemistry.  The iconic 🎙 Sheila E percussions it up on 🎵 “that’s right,” which fittingly, has some Latin flavor. Basically, on the closing cut, Kelly Clarkson is going to do be true to her self – That’s right! “You and I (You and I) / Really means whatever you want.” WOO!

Final Thoughts 💭

All told, chemistry marks another enjoyable, well-rounded pop album for Kelly Clarkson.  Does she ever miss? Not really! To reiterate, Chemistry is not game changing, but it is rock solid from start to finish.  The voice is always on-point, as it has been throughout a remarkable career spanning the early aughts (can you believe it?).  It’s safe to say, the chemistry is legit.

via GIPHY

🤩 Gems 💎: “skip this part,” “mine”, “me”, “favorite kind of high”, “lighthouse,” “rock hudson,” “red flag collector,”  & “I hate love”

🎙 Kelly Clarkson • 💿 chemistry • 🏷 Kelly Clarkson / Atlantic • 🗓 6.23.23

[📷: Kelly Clarkson / Atlantic]