Kelly Clarkson moves into harder rock territory with 'My December'

Nearly four years ago, Kelly Clarkson declared herself "Miss Independent" in a hit from "Thankful," the 2003 debut released after she became American Idol's inaugural winner. In that time, it seems as though the singer and budding songwriter has absorbed the defiant sentiment of that song.

After feuding publicly with RCA President Clive Davis, firing her management and canceling a much-publicized summer tour, Clarkson is distancing herself musically from her shiny pop persona and moving into harder rock territory with her third album, "My December."
On the album, she is Kelly Clarkson the artiste: moody, inward and dark. She was recently dumped by her boyfriend, a situation that inspired the mostly bitter lyrics bristling throughout the new album. The surging, electric guitar-heavy arrangements echo her angst.
But does this direction work for her?
It could if the songs were better crafted, if the lyrics weren't rife with broken-heart cliches and the music wasn't so predictable. But because Clarkson is a charismatic singer with golden pipes, the album is bearable. Her young female fans will probably respond to all the emoting, especially in songs such as "One Minute" and the first single, the kiss-off "Never Again." The album's sole standout, which is to say the only fully realized song, is the last cut, "Irvine."
Sparsely arranged with nothing more than acoustic guitars and digitized strings over which Clarkson delivers breathy, believable vocals, the ballad is a haunting meditation on loneliness. It is perhaps the album's only memorable moment.