Kelly Clarkson Album: “All I Ever Wanted (Bonus Tracks)”

If you're looking for a really diverse, and FUN CD to listen to, then look no further than this!

First, I am a Kelly Clarkson fan, have been since I first saw her on American Idol back in 2002. I've actually really enjoyed all her albums, but felt she really hit her groove with Breakaway, and then continued to surprise and delight me with her last outing, My December.

This CD bridges both worlds, it plays to her harder edge, the one she explored more fully on My December and mixes it up with the poppier and more radio-friendly melodies she displayed on Breakaway - and the result is a smash! All I Ever Wanted is one of those rare CD's, you know, the kind where all the songs are good, and you don't skip past alot of them when listening to it.

On All I Ever Wanted, Kelly displays versatility, most of the songs styles are pretty different, but all of them are held together by one of the surest and strongest voices in pop today. She co-wrote about half the CD, but this time, chose to collaborate with writers who have a greater ability to provide her with the memorable, and yes, more hooky arrangements and melodies that we will undoubtfully be listening to for the greater part of 2009.

My favorite songs change with each listen, an amazing thing! Right now the standout tracks are I Do Not Hook Up, All I Ever Wanted, Cry, Long Shot, Already Gone and If I Can't Have You... However, I find it interesting that if I had written this review yesterday, I might have chosen other songs...

Is it glossy and aimed at radio? Absolutely! But her voice and her personality shines throughout each cut, and I have to wonder...is there anything that she CAN'T sing? I love her voice, and when you mix that voice with tunes that are this catchy, the result is pure magic..

I love Kelly, and yes, I have a soft spot for her more cohesive and personal (but less radio-friendly) music on My December.. But, I have to say, the music on this CD is definitely more accessible, and more fun to listen to.. If given a choice, I would much rather have Kelly singing to me when I turn on my radio than anyone else... so this CD works perfectly for me!

I believe that Kelly Clarkson (and her people) reconsidered her image after her last album, "My December". I thought it was her best yet, but some found it to be too dark and strident. Thus, a compromise was effected. The first 4 tracks on "All I Ever Wanted" are pretty much safe, formulaic pop - good enough, because Kelly is a terrific vocalist, and she is obviously surrounded by talented collaborators. These 4 were probably designed to attract those who were not pleased with "My December". But it seems that after track #4, she said, "Enough. I want diversity." So, with track #5, the title track, the diversity begins.

The funny thing is, that one sounds like it would have been right at home on "My December": a little dark, a little hard. And from this point on, each track was a pleasant surprise to me on the first listen. Some resemble those on "My December", such as "If I Can't Have You", which also leans toward early 80's New Wave. When I reviewed "My December", I mentioned Pat Benatar. Pat's spirit is invoked again on "WhyYaWannaBringMeDown", in its tone, aggressive vocal and guitar work. But other tracks are softer while still showing growth and creativity. "Ready" has a musical intro so light and breezy that I almost expect Simon & Garfunkel to start singing, "Slow down, you're movin' too fast/You got to make the morning last...Feelin' groovy." "Already Gone" is one of those rare pop confections that is nearly perfect: confessional lyrics, very catchy melody, emotional vocal delivery. I hear this song every day on the radio and never, never get tired of it. "I Want You" is a clever, playful song which has a lot of fun with the 3 words in the title, and it features the interesting device of ending a line of the song with a word that is actually the first word of the next line. This is also done in "Already Gone". It can be disconcerting at first, but once you get used to it, you see that it is just part of the variation from the norm that Kelly offers. As on "My December", Kelly closes the album with a song that has serious lyrics and intimate vocal. "If No One Will Listen" is a ballad about being yourself and following your dream, with traditional piano and strings.

The finished product is an album that combines bright, imaginative elements with the pop expertise we have already come to expect from Kelly's albums.

I think this is Kelly Clarkson best CD to date.

I've Always been a fan but this CD has a lot of great songs. Was better than expected.

I first got Kelly Clarkson's fourth album, All I Ever Wanted, during this summer but did not write a review about it until now. I wanted to give myself sometimes to think about each song that it on the album, the way Kelly sings each song, how different they are, the booklet, ect. So now after hearing Already Gone on the radio plenty of times, I decided to start with the review.

Kelly Clarkson's All I Ever Wanted album came out March 6, 2009 and I instantly snatched it up. I've been a long time Kelly fan since American Idol. When I first heard her sing on AI, I knew right then and there that I really liked her. Her voice when she talks is all sweet and country sounding but when she opens up her mouth to sing, it blows you away with her powerful vocal range and the sassiness that she can give out with one word of a song.

The follow up to 2007s

, All I Ever Wanted shows Kelly attitude with her vocals. Each song has a personal meaning, almost like My December but more rock to it. You could say that it's almost like

but not. This one shows her rocker edge than her previous CDs and I like that. Although I will admit some of her songs are very popish and may not seem like Kelly, but her vocals and the way she gets into the songs are worth listing to. I always knew that Kelly had mad vocal ranges but you don't really see that until this album.

The tracking list in order:

(This is only for the STANDERED VERSION)

1. My Life Would Suck Without You

2. I Do Not Hook Up

3. Cry

4. Don't Let Me Stop You

5. All I Ever Wanted

6. Already Gone

7. If I Can't Have You

8. Save You

9. Whyyawannabringmedown

10. Long Shot

11. Impossible

12. Ready

13. I Want You

14. If No One Will Listen

I will say that my favorites off this album are:

Don't Let Me Stop You

All I Ever Wanted

Whyyawannabringmedown

Impossible

If No One Will Listen

Ready & I Want You have kind of a 50-ish pop vibe to them that you can dance to but worth it.

Previous Albums:

This is another item i purchased for my grandaughter for Christmas.

I like the way that all the information was detailed and displayed. It

is another item that hasn't been opened yet. But i am sure that she is

going to enjoy it. Amazon makes a great place to shop and has great values. I am disabled so it makes it easier for me to shop. I will give

it 5 stars even though i haven't opend it as of yet. I have purchased

many items through Amazon with no problems.

Thankyou fo being there.