Stronger

by Kelly Clarkson

Overview

No longer needing to reassure her label and fickle fans in the wake of her wild detour My December, Kelly Clarkson settles into her skin on Stronger. Using 2009's All I Ever Wanted as a rough template, Clarkson is nevertheless willing to dip back to the beginning of her career for skyscraping, crowd-pleasing power ballads, but she's assuredly not retreating. Kelly lives in the modern world, and quite cannily so, at times co-opting Rihanna and Katy Perry while also making room for a duet with country hunk Jason Aldean, all the while never seeming as if she's desperately chasing different demographics. Nevertheless, Stronger certainly has something for anybody who has ever loved Kelly: she belts out the show-stopper "Standing in Front of You," then turns around for a blast of furious pop-punk in "I Forgive You"; she even dips her toe into brooding My December territory on "The War Is Over," then pushes into the brilliantly dense pop of "Let Me Down"; and she cheerfully gets tough on the girl power anthems "Einstein" and "Don't Be a Girl About It" (the latter only on the deluxe edition). Certainly, part of the variety is down to the multitude of producers and writers on Stronger, but the album's success is entirely due to Kelly Clarkson, whose personality and professionalism turn it into her best album since her Breakaway breakthrough in 2004. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	10/24/2011
Label:	Rca
UPC:	0886975680122

Tracks

1. Mr. Know It All
2. Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)
3. Dark Side
4. Honestly
5. You Love Me
6. Einstein
7. Standing in Front of You
8. I Forgive You
9. Hello
10. The War Is Over
11. Let Me Down
12. You Can't Win
13. Breaking Your Own Heart

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kelly Clarkson   Primary Artist,Vocals (Background)
Aben Eubanks   Guitar
Andre Frappier   Guitar
Chris Rodriguez   Guitar
Chris DeStefano   Vocals (Background)
Paul Bushnell   Bass
Kim Bullard   Keyboards
Lauren Christy   Vocals (Background)
Jason Halbert   Keyboards
Josh Freese   Drums
Jason Aldean   Featured Artist
Kara DioGuardi   Featured Artist
Randy Cooke   Drums
Felix Bloxsom   Drums
Dann Huff   Guitar,Soloist
Miles McPherson   Drums
Brian Kennedy   Keyboards
Craig Duncan   Hammer Dulcimer
Frank Zummo   Drums
Thaddaeus "Terry" Tribbett   Bass
Brent Paschke   Guitar
Tony Lucido   Bass
Phil X   Guitar
Kevin Dukes   Guitar
Greg Kurstin   Keyboards,Guitar (Bass)
Lee Levin   Drums
Howard Benson   Keyboards
Jerry McPherson   Guitar
Dan Warner   Guitar

Technical Credits

Eric Greedy   Engineer
Catt Gravitt   Composer
Ester Dean   Composer,Producer
Kyle Jacobs   Composer
Aben Eubanks   Composer
Brent Kutzle   Composer
Oligee   Producer
Lani Crump   Production Coordination
Olivia Waithe   Composer
Erwin Gorostiza   Creative Director
Alex G.   Composer
Sean Tallman   Engineer
John Denosky   Editing
Marc VanGool   Guitar Technician
Orlando Vitto   Engineer
Dante Jones   Composer,Additional Production
Michael Logen   Composer
Phil Seaford   Assistant Engineer
Chris DeStefano   Arranger,Composer,Engineer,Musician,Producer,Programming
Brian Seals   Composer
Justin McIntosh   Photography
Serban Ghenea   Mixing
Kelly Clarkson   Composer
Kim Bullard   Programming
Chris Gehringer   Mastering
Lauren Christy   Composer
Joe Baldridge   Engineer
Jason Halbert   Producer,Vocal Producer
Jason Sellers   Composer
John Hanes   Mixing Engineer
John Mark Painter   String Engineer,String Arrangements
Jennifer Hanson   Composer
Ryan Williams   Composer,Engineer
Deborah Lurie   String Arrangements
Mike Plotnikoff   Engineer
Michael Knox   Producer
Jeff Aldrich   A&R
Tom Shapiro   Composer
David Gamson   Composer
Felix Bloxsom   Composer
Buckley Miller   Engineer
Jesse Shatkin   Engineer
Brian Kennedy   Producer,Programming
Jimmy Fahey   Assistant Engineer
Peter Butler   Hair Stylist
Meghan Foley   Design,Art Direction
Nathan Yarborough   Assistant
Robert Marvin   Composer
Andre Lindal   Composer,Producer
Danelle Leverett   Composer
Andy Gibson   Composer
Paul Jenkins   Composer
Bridget Kelly   Composer
Harper Smith   Photography
Ashley Donovan   Make-Up
Steph Ashmore   Wardrobe
Ali Tamposi   Composer
Chrys Dye   Programming
Dewain Whitmore, Jr.   Vocal Producer
Hatsukazu "Hatch" Inagaki   Engineer
Mike Donaldson   Engineer
Bonnie McKee   Composer
Mike Busbee   Composer
Paul DeCarli   Digital Editing
Greg Kurstin   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Jorgen Elofsson   Composer
Josh Abraham   Composer,Producer
Howard Benson   Producer,Programming
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins   Composer,Producer
Oliver Goldstein   Composer
Toby Gad   Composer,Engineer,Musician,Producer,Programming
Brett James   Composer
Jon Nicholson   Drum Technician
James Fauntleroy   Composer