Name: Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson
Brand: Kelly Clarkson
SKU: 828766449129
Price: 9.9 USD
Availability: OnlineOnly
Rating: 4 (84 reviews)

ALBUM

Kelly Clarkson was the first American Idol winner and the first vocalist to achieve success, but her 2003 debut, Thankful, didn't completely define her outside of the parameters of the show. While the dance-pop and adult contemporary ballads on that record were fresher than the music on AmIdol, Clarkson still hadn't escaped the show's shadow entirely: since it was a hit so close to her time on TV, it was easy to pigeonhole her as simply a creation of television, not a popular singer in her own right. So, her second album, Breakaway, released late in 2004, was a pivotal moment for her, a chance to prove that she was not a one-hit wonder, a chance to prove that she could have a real, vibrant career. Happily, Breakaway delivers on that promise. This time around, the dance-pop elements have been almost entirely stripped away, and the record instead is a rock-influenced, MOR pop affair, not entirely dissimilar to Ashlee Simpson's Autobiography, only a little bit smoother and not as heavy on guitars. Since Clarkson is a better singer than Simpson -- not only does she possess more chops, but she has more on-record charisma -- she can sell the material even when the slow tempos in the middle of record drag its momentum; she prevents the songs from sounding too samey. While there may be one too many ballads here, they often are very good and are sometimes excellent, like the light, layered, yearning title tune. Clarkson may be a fine ballad singer, but what gives Breakaway its spine are the driving, anthemic pop tunes like "Since U Been Gone," "Walk Away," and "You Found Me." These are the numbers that sound simultaneously mainstream and youthful, which is a hard trick to pull off, and they are the tracks that illustrate that Kelly Clarkson is a rare thing in the 2000s: a pop singer who's neither hip nor square, just solidly and enjoyably in the mainstream. After a bunch of rather blah mainstream pop albums, including a glut of half-baked AmIdol projects, this is a nice, low-key relief. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

1. Breakaway

by Kelly Clarkson

Primary Artist: Kelly Clarkson; Main Performer
Bass Guitar: John Shanks; Performer
Bass Guitar: John Shanks; Performer
Drums: Jeff Rothschild; Performer
Guitar: John Shanks; Performer
Keyboard: John Shanks; Performer
Performer: Kelly Clarkson; Performer
Vocals: Kelly Clarkson; Performer
Composer: Bridget Benenate
Matthew Gerrard
Avril Lavigne
M. Gerrard
B. Benenate
A. Lavigne; Composer
Lyricist: Avril Lavigne
Bridget Benenate
Matthew Gerrard
M. Gerrard
B. Benenate
A. Lavigne; Composer
Mixing Engineer: Jeff Rothschild
John Shanks; Production
Producer: John Shanks; Production
Recording: Jeff Rothschild; Production

2. Since U Been Gone

by Kelly Clarkson

Drums: Olle Dahlstedt; Performer
Primary Artist: Kelly Clarkson; Main Performer
Performer: Kelly Clarkson
Lukasz "doctor Luke" Gottwald
Max Martin; Performer
Various Instruments: Lukasz "doctor Luke" Gottwald
Max Martin; Performer
Vocals: Kelly Clarkson; Performer
Composer: Martin Sandberg
Lukasz "doctor Luke" Gottwald; Composer
Lyricist: Lukasz "doctor Luke" Gottwald
Martin Sandberg; Composer
Assistant Engineer: Tim Roberts; Production
Engineer: John Hanes
Johan "brorsan" Brorsson
Lasse Mårtén
Lasse Marten; Production
Executive Producer: Clive Davis; Production
Mixing Engineer: Serban Ghenea; Production
Producer: Lukasz "dr. Luke" Gottwald
Max Martin; Production
Recording: Lasse Mårtén
Dr. Luke
Max Martin
Lasse Marten; Production

3. Behind These Hazel Eyes

by Kelly Clarkson

Drums: Shawn Pelton; Performer
Primary Artist: Kelly Clarkson; Main Performer
Performer: Lukasz "doctor Luke" Gottwald
Kelly Clarkson
Max Martin; Performer
Vocals: Kelly Clarkson; Performer
Composer: Lukasz "doctor Luke" Gottwald
Martin Sandberg
Kelly Clarkson; Composer
Lyricist: Kelly Clarkson
Lukasz "doctor Luke" Gottwald
Martin Sandberg; Composer
Assistant Engineer: Johan "brorsan" Brorsson
Tim Roberts
Jason Rankins; Production
Engineer: Johan Brorsson
Lasse Mårtén
John Hanes
Lasse Marten; Production
Mixing Engineer: Serban Ghenea; Production
Producer: Lukasz "dr. Luke" Gottwald
Max Martin; Production
Recording: Kevin M. Guarnieri
Lasse Mårtén
Dr. Luke
Max Martin
Lasse Marten; Production

4. Because of You

by Kelly Clarkson

Arranger: David Campbell
David Hodges; Composer
Lyricist: David Hodges
Ben Moody
Kelly Clarkson; Composer
Assistant Engineer: Tim Roberts
Sergio Chávez; Production
Bass Guitar: Marty O'brien; Performer
Bass Guitar: Marty O'brien; Performer
Drums: Mark Colbert; Performer
Guitar: Ben Moody; Performer
Primary Artist: Kelly Clarkson; Main Performer
Composer: Ben Moody
David Hodges
Kelly Clarkson; Composer
Performer: Kelly Clarkson; Performer
Piano: David Hodges; Performer
Vocals: Kelly Clarkson; Performer
Engineer: John Hanes; Production
Mixing Engineer: Serban Ghenea; Production
Producer: Ben Moody
David Hodges; Production
Recording: Dan Certa; Production

5. Gone

by Kelly Clarkson

Bass Guitar: John Shanks
Paul Bushnell; Performer
Bass Guitar: Paul Bushnell
John Shanks; Performer
Primary Artist: Kelly Clarkson; Main Performer
Drums: Jeff Rothschild; Performer
Guitar: John Shanks; Performer
Keyboard: John Shanks; Performer
Performer: Kelly Clarkson; Performer
Vocals: Kelly Clarkson; Performer
Composer: Kara Dioguardi
John Shanks; Composer
Lyricist: Kara Dioguardi
John Shanks; Composer
Assistant Engineer: Glenn Pittman; Production
Engineer: John Hanes
Mark Valentine
Jeff Rothschild
Lars Fox; Production
Mixing Engineer: Jeff Rothschild
John Shanks; Production
Producer: John Shanks; Production

6. Addicted

by Kelly Clarkson

Arranger: David Campbell
David Hodges; Composer
Lyricist: Ben Moody
Kelly Clarkson
David Hodges; Composer
Assistant Engineer: Tim Roberts
Sergio Chávez; Production
Bass Guitar: Marty O'brien; Performer
Bass Guitar: Marty O'brien; Performer
Drums: Mark Colbert; Performer
Guitar: Ben Moody; Performer
Composer: Kelly Clarkson
David Hodges
Ben Moody; Composer
Primary Artist: Kelly Clarkson; Main Performer
Performer: Kelly Clarkson; Performer
Piano: David Hodges; Performer
Vocals: Kelly Clarkson; Performer
Engineer: John Hanes; Production
Mixing Engineer: Serban Ghenea; Production
Producer: Ben Moody
David Hodges; Production
Programmer: David Hodges; Production
Recording: Dan Certa; Production

7. Where Is Your Heart

by Kelly Clarkson

Composer: Kelly Clarkson
Chantal Kreviazuk
Kara Dioguardi; Composer
Drums: Randy Cook; Performer
Arranger: Chantal Kreviazuk
Raine Maida; Composer
Bass Guitar: Jason Lader; Performer
Lyricist: Kelly Clarkson
Chantal Kreviazuk
Kara Dioguardi; Composer
Assistant Engineer: Jon Berkowitz
Mark Kiczula
Tim Roberts; Production
Primary Artist: Kelly Clarkson; Main Performer
Bass Guitar: Jason Lader; Performer
Guitar: Raine Maida
Phil X; Performer
Performer: Kelly Clarkson; Performer
Strings: Shalini Vijayan
Mark Robertson
Victor Lawrence
Shanti Randall; Performer
Vocals: Kelly Clarkson; Performer
Engineer: Raine Maida
John Hanes
Cameron Webb
Brian Garcia; Production
Mixing Engineer: Serban Ghenea; Production
Producer: Chantal Kreviazuk
Raine Maida; Production
Programmer: Jason Lader; Production
Recording: Cameron Webb; Production

8. Walk Away

by Kelly Clarkson

Composer: Kelly Clarkson
Chantal Kreviazuk
Kara Dioguardi
Raine Maida; Composer
Bass Guitar: Jason Lader; Performer
Drums: Randy Cook; Performer
Arranger: Raine Maida
Chantal Kreviazuk; Composer
Bass Guitar: Jason Lader; Performer
Lyricist: Chantal Kreviazuk
Kara Dioguardi
Raine Maida
Kelly Clarkson; Composer
Assistant Engineer: Jon Berkowitz
Mark Kiczula
Tim Roberts; Production
Primary Artist: Kelly Clarkson; Main Performer
Guitar: Raine Maida
Phil X; Performer
Performer: Kelly Clarkson; Performer
Strings: Shalini Vijayan
Mark Robertson
Shanti Randall
Victor Lawrence; Performer
Vocals: Kelly Clarkson; Performer
Engineer: Cameron Webb
Brian Garcia
Raine Maida
John Hanes; Production
Mixing Engineer: Serban Ghenea; Production
Producer: Chantal Kreviazuk
Raine Maida
Kara Dioguardi; Production
Programmer: Jason Lader; Production
Recording: Cameron Webb; Production