Kelly Clarkson, the woman who was the first winner of American Idol, the woman who gave us the classics “Since U Been Gone” and “Breakaway,” released her new album Meaning of Life in late October. The first song, “A Minute,” is an intro to the album and truly lets you know what to expect from the rest of the songs. Meaning of Life is filled with powerful vocals and Clarkson’s trademark raspy tone.
Nearly every track has a soulful, fifties girl group vibe (sometimes her background singers’ voices are just as prominent as hers), but always with a modern twist. A common theme throughout these songs is empowerment and, because of this, I found the songs to be really inspiring. There’s a nice blend of slow songs to just listen to while you drive around, songs to dance to while you get ready in the morning, and those to motivate you to finish those piled assignments.
Among the fourteen songs, I only came across two that I didn’t particularly like. “Didn’t I?” was a little boring, and although “Whole Lotta Woman” was a cute, sassy song about female empowerment, it seemed like there was too much going on in the song to take it all in. With the exception of those two songs, I see myself listening to this album a lot over the next few weeks.
“Move You”, “Medicine”, “Meaning of Life”, “Would You Call That Love”, and “Go High” are stand-out songs. If nothing else, I highly recommend adding these to your playlist.
This album has allowed me to confirm myself as a lifelong Kelly Clarkson stan.