Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: Kelly Clarkson

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip:

Kelly Clarkson

In my big gay church, there are many, many wings. One is dedicated to those referred to as Forever Our Girls. They are the girls next door. The ones who seemed accessible, real and a part of every day life while stealing our hearts with their girlish charms. And they did it all wrapped up in the trappings of whatever was topping the charts at the time. Sounds changed. Styles came and went, but the one thing that remained constant? Their voice.

One such hometown girl?

Kelly Clarkson

Big voice. Powerful. Down home personality. You can dress her up anyway you like, she'll always be the girl in a pair jeans and a t-shirt.

She's worn many hats: pop singer, songwriter, reality television star, talk show host.

And had her share of ups and downs.

People keep talking. About her divorce. About her weight. 

But one thing remains constant... her allure. 

America loves her... for she will always be our American Idol. 

The gospel according to her?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips.

The topic? Being Different

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"The question I love to get asked is: 'What's the hardest part of your job?' And literally, the answer is probably real sad, but it's to just to be me. Like, it's really hard, because I think people, you know, have a set idea of what a pop star should be."

"The hardest thing about being in this business is just being able to be yourself. People act like there's this one set of rules to follow to be a pop star and I think, 'Well, you say I'm a pop star, so maybe that's not true.' My whole point is like, well, if I’m the pop star, then it should be whatever I am. There’s, you know, room for Katy Perry's and Adele's and Rihanna's and Lady Gaga's and Ke$ha's and me and Pink's. I think what’s great about all of us is that we represent something different."

"Everyone is different: different shapes, sizes, colors, beliefs, personalities, and you have to celebrate those differences. It’s ignorant to think you know everything about a person. There’s many different sides to everybody's personality and there’s just different colors to a personality. Honestly, I just think we all have special gifts, everyone. You know, obviously, some are more noticeable than others and that’s why there’s the limelight. Everybody’s in it. You need to be happy with who you are and, whoever that is, let your little light shine."

Since You've Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson

Catch My Breath - Kelly Clarkson

Piece By Piece - Kelly Clarkson

And one parting shot...

"Everyone says I'm like the girl next door... Y'all must have really weird neighbors!"

Of Note: ‘Invincible’ (7th Heaven Radio Mix) by Kelly Clarkson

Of Note: ‘Invincible’ (7^th Heaven Radio Mix) by Kelly Clarkson

Who doesn’t love Kelly Clarkson?  She’s real.  She’s relatable.  She can sing just about anything. In a way, she’s America’s sweetheart.

Sure, she’s had her battles: Clive Davis (he is kind of a dick), body-issues (when you can sing like Kelly, who cares), and indifferent material (ummm, yeah)… but all that only makes her even more lovable. The most divisive the lady has ever been is when she voices her choice for the presidency. 

 ‘Invincible’, is merely the latest in a long line of likable, easy to digest, upbeat singles issued forth by Ms. Clarkson and her handlers.  Singles that come easily, sound pretty much the same, and fade into radio memory fairly quickly.  They’re the musical equivalent of Twinkies, but with a shorter shelf life.

One could argue that those life-empowering anthems hold great personal meaning to many a listener.  One could argue that her songs reflect Ms. Clarkson’s own personal struggles.  You could argue that, but – given history (both that of pop music’s and artists like Ms. Clarkson) – you’d be wrong. Someone sets them up, and she, with her incredible pipes and unerring sense of pop smarts, knocks them out of the park.

Not that there’s anything wrong with delivering up sugary slices of pop-infused sponge cake.  Nor is there anything really wrong with the term ‘Secretary Rock’, although it is frequently used in a sexist manner, typically only referring to upbeat music performed by female artists.  Me?  I think of acts like Train, when that term comes to mind.

I keep thinking that Kelly is going to come into her own someday. 

And that day, is today.

With the completion of her contract with Mr. Davis, the lady is on her own – she has the opportunity to call her own shots.  Will she?  She loves to sing songs written by others and even made popular by others.  Her in-concert covers demonstrate a breadth, cleverness and a talent for recognizing great material.  Not all singers are meant to write their own material.  I have an inkling Ms. Clarkson falls into that category.  And there’s nothing wrong with that.

For years now, Kelly has clocked in and done as told, singing the soon to be Top 40 staples crafted for her by the folks at her label.

So, what now, brave voyager? 

Country music?  You’ve demonstrated that you like to dabble.  You toured with your mother-in-law, Reba.  You did a duet with Jason Aldean. It seems your voice would lend itself nicely to that sort of country-pop, perhaps bringing a level of talent to the whole genre.

Or, are you happy being the Kelly Clarkson you’ve worked so hard over the years to develop? 

No matter what you do – you will succeed, because America’s got your back, kid.

And America has never really had an American Sweetheart age without falling off that pedestal (Amy Grant springs to mind.)

Avoid being shrill.  You can afford to sing songs without resorting to the very top of your register every time.  You’re not Jessie J.  You’re not Arianna Grande.  You’re not Katy Perry.  You’re Kelly Clarkson.

Avoid being angry.  America is full of anger.  We don’t need any more.

Ummm… and avoid that whole goth thing.  (See ‘My December’ – the only time you ever asserted yourself.)  That didn’t turn out very well, now did it?  But you’re older and wiser now. 

So, America holds its collective breath.

Who will Kelly be?

‘Invincible’.

Indeed. 

  

Of Note: ‘Ghost Town’ (Tritonal Remix) by Adam Lambert

Of Note: ‘Ghost Town’ (Tritonal Remix) 

by Adam Lambert

His talent is undeniable; the range, the tone.  Yes, this man can sing the phone book. Unfortunately, for Mr. Lambert, in light of his scattershot approach to music, I would have to say that is exactly what he seems intent on doing (isn’t that exactly what they said about Babs back in the day?). 

While it is applause-worthy and awe-inspiring that his very brief career span includes a stint on ‘Glee’ and fronting the legend that is the band Queen, the two disparate venues would seem to illustrate what’s at the crux of Adam Lambert’s on-going career stagnant stasis.  He’s theatrical.  So those two choices make absolute sense, and while he is capable of pulling them both off, they also help shed light on what’s keeping Adam from being fully embraced. 

It’s the distance between the audience and the footlights – he has yet to bridge it.  He has yet to appear human – relatable.  For the public, he is all eyeliner, geometric haircuts and sequins.  I would argue that it is that theatrical bent and the distance it creates that prevents Adam from becoming a more substantial artist. 

At this point, many years from his original launch into the consciousness of entertainment industry, he remains a talent show wunderkind aiming for the big time. 

Sure, he’s had a top-ten hit, and successful albums (including a #1).  But he’s not growing as an artist.  

Need he? 

I would argue that in order to fulfill his promise and be true to his incredible talent – the depths of which, I feel, we still have not been given a clue - that yes, he certainly needs to. 

I like Adam. 

I’ve been rooting for him to succeed from day one on AmIdol.  His remains the only season I seriously watched that horror show and he was the only reason I watched.  The man was well-trained. Every time he stepped on stage, I found myself holding my breath.  Adam took command of the stage from day one, although his musical tastes would occasionally overshadow his performance.  It was his Disneyesque-sense of presentational musical style that seemed to be keeping in him check.  It was all surface.  There was no true depth.

His debut album was exactly everything I would have expected from him – it was safe, current, frequently fun, and frequently catchy. He’d been ‘handled’ well – current producers, current writers, current sounds.  I listened to it quite a bit, but it struck me as more than a tad shallow.

You see, when big emotions are put on display constantly – when that is all you gun for?  Well, you end up rendering them meaningless and they come off rather canned and feigned.  In other words – simulated and manufactured instead of genuine.  In still other words?  Mr. Lambert in a nutshell.

His second album?  I don’t remember it.  .  Neither does most of his potential audience. It felt like he was treading the same waters.

Commercially and artistically, his third album seems to be suffering the same fate as the second.  Whether that remains true depends on how clever his remixes turn out to be.

In its original version, ‘Ghost Town’ struck me as rather rote.  It had elements that worked well, but it felt flat – an odd assessment considering that Adam’s vocals are first rate, as they always are.  It may be that very vocal consistency that causes me and some of his audience to take his work for granted.

However, the Tritonal Remix of ‘Ghost Town’ turns up the dramatic heat quite a bit, elevating it above the original version.  Given that, I can’t wait to hear what’s next, as in, what songs from the album will be remixed and released next.

In the meantime, I remain flummoxed in regards to Mr. Lambert.  Never has there been so much promise.

I am not without hope.

But, sadly, I’m not holding my breath any more.