ALBUM REVIEW: Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger"

The first single off the album, "Mr. Know It All," reminds me of one of Bruno Mars's smooth tracks with a dose of Clarkson's signature rebellious streak. But I think Sara Bareilles' version of the classic tell-off song: "King of Anything," is much better. Of the songs that Clarkson wrote herself, "You Love Me" has an enjoyable 80s feel, and "You Can't Win" puts a danceable beat to a filibuster against the peer pressure of Hollywood. Skip "Einstein" and its freshman lyrics with lines like "Dumb plus dumb equals you," the snoozers "Standing in Front of You" and "Hello," and the song that lives up to its title production-wise: "Let Me Down." The Darkchild-produced "I Forgive You," on the other hand, which she didn't write, is very Avril Lavigne with an interesting, clubby undercurrent. 

My favorite track off the album is actually the defiant, self-esteem booster "Stronger." I've already thought of the perfect video. Since the overall lyrics refer to people standing strong in the absence of a significant other who brought them down, I'd propose gathering every famous face in Hollywood who's experienced a public breakup that they were not responsible for, i.e. Rihanna, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria, Demi Lovato, etc. And because the chorus repeats "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," she could also sprinkle in a few "survivors" of cancer, amputations, bullying, etc. All of them would just be generally standing against colored backgrounds, kind of like Miley Cyrus's "Seven Things" video. It'd be a montage of girl power.