Kelly Clarkson and big pop-star hooks comes back

Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American pop rock singer, songwriter, and occasional actress. Clarkson made her debut under RCA Records after she won the highly-publicized first season of the television series American Idol in 2002.
American Idol 2002:
Main article: American Idol (season 1)
Clarkson won the first season of American Idol on September 4, 2002, earning 58% of the vote to 42% for Justin Guarini. Choking back tears, Clarkson performed the ballad "A Moment Like This", the song written for the winner of American Idol, which would subsequently appear on her debut album, Thankful. The song's music video was filmed at Pantages Theater in Hollywood, and incorporated short scenes of Clarkson performing on Idol. When released as a single in October 2002, it set a record on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart when it rose from number 52 to number one. This achievement was largely due to the impact from Idol as the CD single managed to sell 236,000 copies in its first week of sales in the U.S. It spent five weeks at number one in Canada.

Kelly Clarkson, the original and best "American Idol," returns from the abyss on her new album, "All I Ever Wanted." Her 2007 album "My December" marked a gloomy foray into Serious Artist territory, and nearly derailed her career when a nasty spat with her label and record-biz head honcho Clive Davis over the album's direction went public.

But Clarkson rolls up her sleeves, smiles and re-embraces her pop instincts on "All I Ever Wanted." And it's good to have her back.

Everything you needed to know about Clarkson's return was evident in the album's first single, the shimmering "My Life Would Suck Without You." The song marked a return to "Since U Been Gone" territory in more ways than one, and was an obvious, but rewarding, way of saying, "Look guys, I know I screwed up, can I make it up to you with this awesome new song?"

You can debate the "You" of the song's title all you want — Is it fans? Clive Davis? Pop music? — but the point is clear: Kelly wants to be your "Idol" again. Will you do her the honor?

"All I Ever Wanted" is full of bright, bubblegum pop about breakups and female empowerment. It's pop with an edge: "I Do Not Hook Up" is an ode to chastity built on what sounds like a Kings of Leon guitar riff, and "Whyyawannabringmedown" is a grungy rocker that could be an embarrassment in lesser hands. And Clarkson carries the ballads ("Cry," "Already Gone," "Save You," "If No One Will Listen") with a steady hand, even if they sometimes drift into maudlin territory.

An army of writers and producers offered their services — including pop gurus Dr. Luke and Max Martin, Glen Ballard and songwriter-turned-"American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi — and help bring the music to life. It's all propulsive beats, crashing guitars and sing-along pop hooks, and it's bolstered by Clarkson's throaty, titanic voice. It's not personal and it's definitely not a singer-songwriter album, but Clarkson will probably learn it's easier to reach people when they're listening than when they're not.