Kelly Clarkson, the toothsome winner of Fox TV's first American Idol competition shows that her prime-time win was no fluke. She blithely skips through octaves and genres like a seasoned pro, belting out power ballads like hooky "Low" and the Diane Warren-penned "Some Kind of Miracle," with the aplomb of Pat Benatar in her prime. Clarkson tackles the neo-gospel "Anytime" without flinching, then shows some dirty street cred as she growls through "Miss Independent," a song she penned with Christina Aguilera. But Miss Independent would be a gross misnomer; despite the fact Clarkson co-wrote four of the album's tunes. Clarkson not only had uber record exec/executive producer Clive Davis at her disposal, but an arsenal of producers and songwriters to make sure she didn't make a creative misstep. Despite Clarkson's sublime vocal talents, excessive gloss at times overwhelms the quirky charm and personality she displayed on Idol. --Jaan Uhelszki

After listening to the Leona Lewis cd, I decided to give Kelly's debut another listen so that I could compare the two singers. The two main differences regarding the two are that we, Americans haven't gotten to know Leona in the same way that American Idol allowed us to get to know Kelly. And second, I personally felt that "something" when I listen to Kelly's cd - I feel her soul & belief in her songs (even the cheesy ballads) while I felt nothing while listening to Leona's disc.

The songs on this disc are a mix of rock, pop & r&b which was a good way to display her vocal ability and appeal to as many fans of American Idol as possible. My favorite tracks to this day are:

WHAT'S UP LONELY - good contemporary pop 'n' r&b track

JUST MISSED THE TRAIN - beautiful lyrics matched with her vocals, this is a really pretty track

MISS INDEPENDENT - this is still a great catchy pop track

YOU THOUGHT WRONG - excellent duet with Tamyra (wish they'd work on another track together soon)

THANKFUL - I love the simplicity of this song, she doesn't oversing it

SOME KIND OF MIRACLE - I love the choral arrangement of this soulful ballad

The other songs I like are: THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE, LOW & A MOMENT LIKE THIS - all really showcase her vocal ability but I guess I'd heard them so much that I'm kind of burnt out on listening to them repeatedly.

I'd recommend this disc to any fan just to compare how far Kelly has come as an artist.

Kelly is one of the singers that will likely be around for the long-haul. She's truly gifted, and able to adapt her voice to the music that she is presenting. Her main weakness is that she is singing a lot of music that other people are writing. I want to see her develop her writing gifts.

Kelly Clarkson is a great artist! I don't know why she doesn't like this album or MISS INDEPENDENT that song and this whole cd is great. I actually don't like her newer stuff i don't think that it is as great as her first!!

One good song: The trouble with love. And I already had it on the Love Actually soundtrack. Kind of a waste. I should have listened to the puking sounds my son makes every time Kelly Clarkson is mentioned. But that one good song is so good I hoped she had some others. Good voice, lots of talent. Rotten material. Aretha Franklin didn't get where she is by choosing bad songs. I guess that's the difference.

Although not ast good as Breakaway or My December, this is still a decent album.



The Great:

You Thought Wrong

Miss Independent

Just Missed the Train

Beautiful Disaster

A Moment Like This

Before Your Love



The Good:

Low

What's Up Lonely

Thankful



Doesn't Hurt, Doesn't Help:

Anytime



The Filler:

The Trouble With Love Is, but it's still not terrible

Some Kind of Miracle, but it's still not terrible



Overall, check out Breakaway and My December first, but also look into this one, because it definetely is a solid debut.