Breakaway

by Kelly Clarkson

Overview

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 sometimes are 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

Product Details

Release Date:	11/22/2024
Label:	Sony Legacy
UPC:	0198028376310

Tracks

1. Breakaway
2. Since U Been Gone
3. Behind These Hazel Eyes
4. Because of You
5. Gone
6. Addicted
7. Where Is Your Heart
8. Walk Away
9. You Found Me
10. I Hate Myself For Losing You
11. Hear Me
12. Beautiful Disaster (Live)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kelly Clarkson   Primary Artist,Vocals,Lead Vocals
Clif Magness   Guitar (Bass),Bass,Piano,Keyboards,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Marty O'Brien   Guitar (Bass),Bass
Lukasz Gottwald   Various Instruments,Multi Instruments
Max Martin   Various Instruments,Multi Instruments
John Shanks   Guitar (Bass),Bass,Guitar,Keyboards
Mark Robertson   Strings,String Quartet
Josh Freese   Drums
Raine Maida   Guitar
Randy Cooke   Drums
Jason Lader   Bass
Phil X   Guitar
Jeff Rothschild   Drums
Olle Dahlstedt   Drums
Shalini Vijayan   Strings,String Quartet
Shanti Randall   Strings,String Quartet
Shawn Pelton   Drums
Ben Moody   Guitar
Paul Bushnell   Bass
Kenny Aronoff   Drums
Mark Colbert   Drums
Randy Cook   Drums
David Hodges   Piano
Victor Lawrence   Strings,String Quartet
Jason Halbert   Piano

Technical Credits

Max Martin   Audio Production,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Instrumentation
David Hodges   Audio Production,Arranger,Composer,Producer,Programming,String Arrangements
Ben Moody   Audio Production,Composer,Producer
Raine Maida   Audio Production,Arranger,Composer,Engineer,Producer,String Arrangements
Chantal Kreviazuk   Audio Production,String Arrangements,Composer,Producer
Shari Sutcliffe   Production Coordination,Contractor
Bridget Benante   Composer
Robin C. Hendrickson   Art Direction
Shep Solomon   Composer
David Paul Campbell   String Arrangements
Brett Kilroe   Art Direction
Aaron Lepley   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
James White   Photography
Matthew Morris   Composer
Jon Berkowitz   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Lukasz Gottwald   Instrumentation,Composer,Engineer,Producer
John Hanes   Digital Editing
John Shanks   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Mixing Engineer
Mark Valentine   Engineer
Jimmy Harry   Composer
Kara DioGuardi   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Matthew Gerrard   Composer
Dan Certa   Engineer
Tim Roberts   Assistant,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Brian E. Garcia   Engineer
Brad Gilderman   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Cameron Webb   Engineer,Digital Editing,String Engineer
Jason Lader   Programming
Joe Yannece   Mastering
Mark Kiczula   Assistant Engineer
Avril Lavigne   Composer
Christina Aguilera   Composer
Jeff Rothschild   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Clive Davis   Producer,Executive Producer
Matthew Wilder   Composer
Rebekah Jordan   Composer
Glenn Pittman   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Renson Mateo   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Toby Francis   Engineer
Tony Duran   Photography
Lasse Marten   Engineer
Kevin Guarnieri   Engineer
Rhett Lawrence   Composer
Bridget Benenate   Composer
Serban Ghenea   Mixing
Sergio Chavez   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Stephen Ferrera   A&R
Kelly Clarkson   Composer
Jason Rankins   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
David Cambell   Arranger
Johan "Brorsan" Brorsson   Assistant,Digital Editing,Assistant Engineer
David Camobell   String Arrangements
Lars Fox   Engineer
Clif Magness   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Jason Halbert   Piano Arrangement